Routes in Romania for selected grade

Opened up as a 4-pitch route in a period where the grade meant it should be doable on a single 40m rope, was rebolted as a 2-pitch route with fully bolted belays and some bolts on the first pitch where the rock allows it. The old piton belays are still there, and there's also a slightly off-route abseil station (on 2 bolts and a chain) that can trick you into thinking it's a belay.

Route mostly follows the edge of the L-shaped rock tower it's climbing on. Traverses a lot, especially on p2, so bring extendables and a couple of 120cm slings or rope drag will be a problem. In situ pro is S2 but the unprotected bits are super easy climbing; feel free to bring some mobiles if you want to, though. Beware of friable rocks - it's not that bad, over all, especially on p1, but any rocks you dislodge on the first 1 1/2 pitches will head straight at the helmetless tourist crowd filming you with their phones

The first pitch (about 45-50m) is easy slab (3 UIAA) starting from the tourist trail and going up on the right side of the rockface on a mix of pitons and bolts. After the first 20m of the route(initial pitch 1) you hit a grassy band. The bolted belay will be visible straight above, but that's a harder line (5-) and I'm not sure whether there are any bolts on it so head on the original line, rightwards following the grassy steps, before you traverse back left towards the belay.

Pitch 2 (15-20m of vertical but closer to 40m rope length on account of all the traverses) is more friable and less bolted. Start with reversing the traverse for 2m up to some grassy steps (2-3 UIAA) and climb for about 5 unprotected meters up to the piton belay for the original p2 (I believe it would have skipped the traverse and headed directly up on the grassy steps). Then traverse left for ~10m up to the base of the upper part of the tower (original pitch 3, 2 UIAA) and reach the crux of the route, a UIAA 4+/5- 5m vertical dihedral on friable holds. After you're out of it, head rightwards - you'll see a 2-bolt-and-a-chain rappel station under a small ceiling above, with an arrow pointing right. Not really worth using this as a belay since you have a few more meters to the top. If you're heading right, don't use the station at all (unless you have like, a 240cm sling) or you'll get the rope too close to a bunch of loose boulders on the ceiling above. There's a piton to the right, and then you climb on grass steps to the top, where there's a belay station on many old pitons tied together with 8mm rope. There is also a version on the left of the rappel station, which we didn't take (worse rope drag, our leader said) so will be described later.

Retreat can be done on the route line (messy) or on 2 bolted rappels (single 60m) or 1 (single 70m or doubles) slightly rightwards to the saddle between the rocks, plus downclimbing a UIAA 1-2 gully towards Rarau peak. If doing it as a single rap, beware the loose boulders on the lip of the ceiling, since there isn't a lot of room for the people already down in the saddle to dodge them if they're waiting there for you - double rap to the intermediary station gets you out of the fall line until everyone is past the worst terrain.

Line follows a series of hollows and the cracks uniting them.

Pitch 1: climb a chimney (no pro except 1 piton at the entrance) up to a grassy ledge with a bolted belay. 35m, 3+ UIAA

Pitch 2: slabby crack, belay in a large cave (1 bolt and 2 pitons). 40m, 4 UIAA

Pitch 3: gain the ledge right above the belay and head right on it, then follow the crack back above the belay. Bolt on the face to the left. Head up on an overhanging crack, leave it by traversing to the right at the top of the cave. Head up on easy terrain to the next cave, and the bolted belay. 25m, 6+ UIAA

Pitch 4: partially overlaps with Don Corleone. Start up and traverse to the right to a heavily pitoned crack you'll quickly abandon for easy slab (look for the bolt here). 10m above there's a belay from DC, then a crack that widens to a large funnel with a small ledge on top, above which are a bolt and a piton. DC heads right, we head left on a slab, then straight up on the protuberance until we reach another cave and bolted belay. 50m, 6- UIAA

Pitch 5: traverse left then head up on the crack (lots of pitons) and 10 more meters on easy ground to a grassy ledge and the final belay. 25m, 6/6+ UIAA

Protection: Reasonably well protected as far as Romanian adventure multipitch goes. Belays are at least partially on bolts, and there's the occasional bolt on-route in sensitive areas that aren't piton ladders. Counting the in situ pitons as bolts, there isn't any passage worse than S2. Some small to medium-sized pro can be useful, esp on p3.

Retreat: rap down back to Galbinele valley, or continue on the ledge to the second-to-last belay of Creasta Costila-Galbinele, and climb that then walk to Braul Mare al Costilei.