Hoofer Mountaineering - Winter Break Trip Spain

Hello!

Hoofers Mountaineering is super excited to announce a 2023 Winter Break Trip to Spain! Spain is a sport climbing Mecca and one of the best sport climbing destinations in the world. There is going to be a lot of information within this document so buckle up!

We know this event is open for signup WAY ahead of time. This is for two reasons. First, it's a long trip, and people need time to make sure they are off work and able to go.

Second and more importantly prices increase as the trip gets closer. In order to make this trip as affordable as possible, we are opening it now so people can get their flights in advance and save money.

The trip dates are from Jan 1st, 2023 until Jan 17th, 2023

This event has a deposit of $100 which gets you a spot on this trip. The total cost you will pay to the University will be $310 which will cover your housing, rental car, and gas. The full $310 will be due September 30th, 2022.

Flights, Airport transit, checked luggage, and food will be coordinated outside of the university. 

If you want to go on this trip, signup now. The $100 deposit is refundable until September 30th, 2022.

Below is going to be a cost Breakdown for the trip. (15 Nights)

On the fence about this trip? Here are some things to consider!

We will have 14 Full Days in Spain. We will likely climb for 9-10 of them and check out amazing tourist destinations for the rest. We will be staying in Tarragona Spain. This is about an hour south of Barcelona. We will certainly spend a day or two in Barcelona doing anything and everything! 

The two main climbing Crags for us will be Margelef and Siurana. The grades range from 5.8 all the way to 5.15. 

https://www.mountainproject.com/area/106631762/margalef

https://www.mountainproject.com/area/106624710/siurana

Here are some amazing routes you could get on!

More things to consider is the weather. The temperature for Spain at this time of year is around 40-60 F. It's ideal weather for climbing but not the best beach weather. While our AirBNBs are on the beach there most likely won't be a great opportunity for a beach day.

Finally, don't forget, you need a passport! If you don't already have one they take a while to get! Don't procrastinate!

Everything Below this point will be directed towards people who are going to go on this trip. If you are on the fence, please consider that everything listed above in the cost breakdown is price locked EXCEPT the flight. Flight prices will only increase as the trip date gets closer. Be aware!

Flight

IF you are leaving from Madison/Chicago this is the flight you NEED to get. The airport in Spain is an hour drive from where we will be staying. If your flight arrives in Barcelona after the main trip's flight it WILL NOT work. 

IF you are leaving from a different airport or will not be on this flight listed above PLEASE CONTACT ME (events@hoofermountaineering.org) before you purchase your flight. We can figure something out and make sure anyone who wants to go on this trip will be able to go

Rental Car

For this trip, we will have one 7 passager Van and one 5 Passager Car.

Not much more to say about this here. Drivers will need International Drivers Permits. They are super easy to get. Having one would be a big help!

Airbnb 

We have two Airbnbs within the same Condo Building. Each Airbnb has 6 Bed Spots for a total of 12 people on this trip.

Both Airbnbs have laundry and a full kitchen. Plan to pack light to save space.

We will cook most nights and definitely cook breakfast and lunch. This will save us a lot of money on food. Bonus point to you if you know how to cook!

Since we have two separate AirBNB we can all hang out one at a time but we cannot exceed the 6-person limit while sleeping. There will be a trip leader for each Airbnb as well.

Airport Transit

For those of us leaving madison. We will be taking the Vangalder Bus from Gordons to the Chicago Airport. The round-trip ticket is $56. We will talk much more in detail about this once the trip roster is set.

Gas

For those of you curious about the cost of Gas listed above here's how it was calculated.

We did a large over estimate on how much driving we will do throughout the trip. The cost is based on $8.50 per gallon (Above Spain's Average). More than likely gas prices will not go that high. We also underestimated the fuel economy of rental cars. 

If there is a significant portion of gas money left over at the end of the trip it will be refunded to the participants.

Checked Bags

We will need to get 12 people's worth of climbing gear to Spain. Ideally, we can fit all the gear into 3 checked bags which splitting the cost among 12 people will make it $38 a person. The airline ticket includes a carry-on and personal item for everyone. If we can pack light and squeeze more climbing gear else were. Then the cost of checked bags can decrease.

Food

Typically we will cook meals in the Airbnb for most nights. We will also be eating out a fair bit too because it's a vacation and we want to relax. 

If you have any food allergies / dietary restrictions we will go over them in the pre-trip meeting in the future. 

Questions and Concerns

This was a ton of information to take in. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to reach out at events@hoofermountaineering.org

I hope we can make this trip an amazing one!