After the higher-ups finally decide to stop dumping insane amounts of rain on Lisbon, the sky cracks open and lets in that long-missed sun. This, of course, means only one thing — it’s time for action! A couple days ago I linked up with a few locals who looked quite strong on the Kilter board. We ended the night with a: “If we go to Sintra, we’ll let you know.”

This morning, the promise shows up on my phone — an invite for a sesh.

A 30-minute drive later, I arrive at previously closed gate of the Peninha Sanctuary. You see, back in March, a brutal storm tore through here and uprooted countless trees, turning the whole place into a fire hazard. It stayed closed until the cleanup crew dealt with the mess.

The final stretch of road is out of this world — movie-set worthy forest foliage and a steep, curvy single-lane climb that forces me into a few rounds of car Tetris with oncoming traffic. Eventually I pull into the lot and spot crash pads and familiar faces. The Kilter crew!

I link up with the ones I recognise and before I know it, we’re pushing through a jungle of spiky bushes. No climber has been here since the storm; everything is overgrown. After a short but aggressive fight with the undergrowth, we scramble onto a boulder for a better view — and spot a fallen tree lying across the block we came for. Perfect.

Back at the parking lot, fifteen minutes of democracy go by before a decision gets made: “We’re going to Kalashnikov.” One of Sintra’s most iconic climbs. You’d think that means smooth sailing from now on, right? Not quite. Upon reaching the block, we find a giant puddle of mud sitting right under the line. Yay.

We throw our pads beneath “666 o Diabo Vive” an iconic 6C+ — the same one used as the Sintra guidebook cover. Before one of the locals finishes rolling the first jazz cigarette, I’m already topping it out with a small “yatta” to celebrate a flash. The thing only has three moves with good crimps and high feet. Can’t think of a better boulder for my climbing style.

As the sun starts dropping, we move to “Gripless Sentado (Moon Arete)” a nearby 7B apparently established by Ben Moon himself. Good left-hand edge, right-hand crimp to a sharp sloper, bump to a pinch, big right toe-hook, overhead reach on another vertical pinch before the top-out section. After a few easy attempts my left shoulder decides to let me know that my session must come to an abrupt end. Fuck me sideways - another god damn injury! Can it get any more annoying? Under the excuse of feeling hungry, I return to the van hiding my frustration and disappointment that once again I find myself limited by injury and not being able to commit and use my full strength.

To be honest, the shoulder issue isn’t exactly a surprise as I felt the pain building up for a while already. I tend to get stubborn when this happens — I push through, pretending it’ll magically sort itself out. Realistically, this session should have never happened and I should take two solid weeks off, perhaps even longer, in order to allow my body to heal. I guess it’s worth mentioning that four of my finger pulleys are also showing signs of irritation and overuse...

But seriously, what the hell am I going to do for two whole weeks? How am I supposed to fill that much free time?

Then again, as much as I hate downtime, I have a feeling these two weeks are going to lead me somewhere unexpected. Guess I’ll find out.

22.11.2025

LOG RN#-002 | Sintra, PENINHA

LOG #RN-001 | CLIFFSIDE, PORTUGAL