We were approaching the airport exit doors. The sound of honking cars grew louder and louder. Welcome to Egypt. The doors opened, and in front of us—pure chaos. In the distance, we spotted our friend Sherif coming to pick us up and kick off the trip. And that’s how it all started a year ago (2024).
Sherif Hadez (co-owner of Cairo’s only climbing gym, Ascent Egypt @ascentegypt) had sent me some photos a while back of a remote area in the Sinai, and I couldn’t believe what I was looking at. I lost my mind. The place was infinitely bigger than La Pedriza and completely untouched. There were only a handful of easy routes opened years ago, all following crack systems—no bolted slabs in sight.
Sherif offered to take me there and have me teach a bolting course and a “slabducation” at the gym to fund my trip. I remember talking to him over video call while working in Norway, sealing the deal, and saying, “Dude, the only thing I ask is that you take me to see the Pyramids and let me smoke a cig watching the sunset over them.” Of course, he had no problem with that—the Pyramids are just half an hour from his place.
Cairo is a massive city with 25 million people. Its people, streets, markets, museums, and the Pyramids make it a special place. I don’t like cities at all, but Cairo has something that makes it unique. Visiting the Pyramids, even for a couple of hours, is a must—you can just wander around and let your mind drift, wondering who built them and why.
Ascent, the local gym, is constantly growing, and its community is incredibly welcoming and friendly. Omar, Yusef, and Sherif keep everything running smoothly. From there, they organize trips to Sinai, which is about a 5–6 hour drive, depending on where you’re headed.
In Saint Catherine, we rely on local Bedouin guides. Taher, our guy, always takes care of us when we’re there. Food, camels for hauling gear, and accommodation—he sorts it all.
On our first trip, we stayed close to the refuge since we didn’t have much time during the bolting course. My expectations were low before the trip, but once I got there, I was blown away. I had brought only 200 bolts and hangers, which I quickly realized wouldn’t be nearly enough. We bolted a sector, Rosetalo, with 10 routes along with the Ascent crew who joined the course. We had an incredible week. As soon as I got back to Cairo, I bought another plane ticket to return a month later. Roser laughed, but she knew that if I didn’t go back soon, I’d have a heart attack. Sherif, who always lets us crash at his place, didn’t complain at all.
For the second trip, my good friend Mario de la Llosa and Manu Prats, an amazing photographer, joined me. Loaded with almost 300 bolts, we landed in Cairo just four weeks after my last trip. The first few days, we focused on an insane three-pitch slab (Joder Library), where we opened Vegan Turbo 7b+, 100m, and Egyptian Rastafari 8a, 100m—the first 8a in Egypt. But our main goal was to open a line up the central wall of Abu Mahshour. After four days of work, we topped out the nearly 400-meter wall with Kheops 8b, a mix of a stunning, sketchy slab leading into a 100m+ arching crack with cruxes up to 7c. Thanks to this route, we managed to fund our next trip—Mario submitted the climb to the FMM (Madrid Mountaineering Federation) awards, and we won Best Big Wall Ascent.
Fast forward 10 months, and here we are again. This time, the crew got bigger: Karina, Mario, and I from Madrid, plus Mary Eden, Sam Foreman, and Brittany Goris from the US. We brought almost 400 bolts, and by the end of the trip, we had placed 310. The trip started with delays due to Mary and Sam’s flights, but once that was sorted, we quickly forgot about it.
In the first few days, we completed a 10-pitch route that’s bound to become a classic, both for its challenge and bolting. I had started this route last year with Amr Iskander, and this year, we had to finish it with Salem Shammakh. The result? The longest route on Abu Mahshour—400m, 6b+.
The next day, Mario, Karina, and I bolted Al Merraya 8a and Hatshepsut 8a+, on a smooth, mirror-like wall. This was the slab I had seen on my first trip—the one that kept me up at night. Between these two pitches, we had the chance to link into the upper dihedrals, making for a full-length, hard line to the summit. It took us three grueling, freezing days to open the first pitch and the upper dihedral, plus another day to finish the climb. Nefertiti—8c, 385m—the hardest route and multi-pitch in Egypt.
While we were working on Nefertiti, we also spent two days opening The Dyslexic Tomb, 7b+, 300m, with a stunning 6c offwidth flake, this time with Mary’s help. Meanwhile, Mary, Sam, and Brittany were busy developing an incredible sector with about ten slab routes up to 7a. They also put up a spectacular three-pitch route with a 7a+ offwidth roof.
On our last day, the three of them sent Al Merraya 8a, and Sherif, full of determination, managed to send it too—right after sending his first-ever 7c FA, Short & Spicy, the day before.
Back in Cairo, right before Ramadan, we had time to play tourist—hit the new museum, check off some must-see spots. We even saw heavy rain in Cairo, which is almost unheard of.
Honestly, I already want to go back. I miss my Egyptian family.
