Climbing at Chřiby

Chřiby is a forested upland in south-eastern Moravia, inhabited since the Palaeolithic, with many pilgrimage sites and three medieval castles – Buchlov and the ruins of Cimburk and Střílky. Sandstone crags are scattered through the dense forests and hills; the larger ones include Barborka, Břestecká skála, Budačina, Kozel with Rozštípená skála, Osvětimanské skály, Zbojník, Karlova skála, and Cvičitelská and Gavendova skála.

The emblem of the area is the freestanding Kozel, about 25 m high, with bolted routes on the east and west sides and harder boulder problems on the north side. Around it are the solitary Kula u Kozla boulder and the Hradby boulder field with the Spodní, Rozštěpený and Bastion sectors – Bastion has the only overhang but tends to be damp; boulders reach about 4 m, so bring pads. Climbing is both sport and trad, with fixed and textile protection. Most crags lie in nature-protected areas, so climbing requires consent from the nature authorities – check current restrictions with the Czech Mountaineering Association. The area is covered by the guidebook Moravské skály I. – Východní Morava (Skýpala and Wolf, 2018).