Burekistes

Access

From Gusinje (Montenegro), take the direction of Vusanje. Cross the village then continue on a track towards the Prokletije National Park. You can park wherever you want if your car is able to drive on the track, as far as possible.

You can also arrive from Theth in Albania.

Approach

From Montenegro : continue to go up the Ropujana valley, pass the bog under the Cokistes (lake at the beginning of the season) then go up to the plateau above. Arriving on the plateau, climb as best you can towards the slabs a hundred meters above the track, on the left. After a while, you cross a well-marked sheep path (around large blocks), follow it in direction of the Cokistes (a few trees across, scree... but a fairly marked path), you come out at the foot of the right part of the Cokistes, in large scree. Go up along the faces (sheep trails difficult to find in the scree, often close to the cliff). The face in which the route is is the steep face before the wide corridor, often in snow, which separates it from the imposing pillar on the left. Locate the crack-dihedral of L1, quite characteristic. It takes 1h to 2h to the plateau depending on where you parked and speed, then another 1h to 1h30 to reach the bottom of the route.

From Albania : follow the path until you reach the plateau (shepherds), cross it and start on the slabs (same continuation).

Route

The route is made of 3 vertical / overhanging bastions, separated by steep "ledges" between grass and rock. The rock is generally good from the start to the end, but some unstable blocks sometimes remain in suspension in certain pitches although a small purge has been carried out. The route is partially equipped : the belay stations are bolted, bolts when there is little or no protection, and sometimes to indicate the direction in the transition pitches. The first 7 pitches are clearly worth the detour for the quality of the climbing they offer (a lot of Dülfer, but not only !), then it is mountain terrain to reach the Table and then the summit.

L#1 | 6b+ | 25m | Go up the beautiful dihedral-crack, overhanging in the middle (crux).
L#2 | 7a+ | 30m, 3 spits | Follow the crack (overhanging then reverse to the right, chimney at the end). Then shift to the left 4-5m above the last spit, belay under a slab (1 spit) at the foot of small parallel cracks.
L#3 | 5c | 30m, 2 spits | Start in the slab then in an upward traverse to the right (through the cracks or before). Another spit gives the direction. Aim for a double grass terrace at the foot of a cracked dihedral with a niche at its foot, pass in “tufts” to reach the belay terrace (on 1 spit).
L#4 | 6b+ | 20m, 2 spits | Climb into the niche (loose rock more or less purged) then into the crack on the left (protection in the one on the right, small sizes). First spit in the slab on the left (shift). The belay station is on a sloping terrace to the right of the crack. Pitch that remains quite engaged...
L#5 | 6c | 30m | One step at the start (spit) then follow the obvious dihedral crack. After the slight slope on reverses, climb a little to the left, belay at the foot of the pretty little sculpted slab.
L#6 | 5a+ | 30m, 2 spits| Cross the small slab then climb upwards to the right (a bolt for direction), aiming for the L7 crack to the right of the overhanging face. Belay station on the small ledge at its foot (a bolt in the slab below).
L#7 | 6c | 30m | The major pitch of the route ! Nice little wall at the beginning (one spit) then long vertical crack (even slightly overhanging), very physical dülfer. At the level of the spit, go left to come back right. Belay on a small pillar 5-10m above.
L#8 | 5c+ | 45m | Climb the chimney (caution, unstable blocks !). We begin the mountain terrain part. We arrive at the "Bureks Table"!
L#9 | 5b | 35m | Aim for a grassy terrace on the other side, above the chaos of blocks (small steps of unprotectable slabs), relay on this terrace.
L#10 | 5a | 55m | Continue the ledge to go up an evident crack-chimney (be careful to the loose rock), we arrive 5-10m under the summit (end by foot)

Entrance to the park is not free : 1 euro per day, 3 euros per night.
It is possible to camp immediately on the right when arriving on the plateau, out of sight, at the top of a slope next to old “ruins”. There is water at the Albanian shepherds at the end of the plateau (little tip : to increase the flow, you have to suck in the pipe ;) )

Opening (from below) : August 7, 2021 - Antonin Segel, Nathan Lioret and Guillaume Bonton, members of the Equipes Jeunes Alpinistes of Isère (FFCAM 38)

Nearly one year after the first team came to Prokletije (see Ligne à Haute Tension), we're back in this incredible mountain range ! We are at the number of 8 (Thibault Cattelain, Timothée Debicki, Estelle Vincent, Aurore Thouvenin, Sven Masquelin, Antonin Segel, Guillaume Bonton and Nathan Lioret).

After opening a first route on the imposing pillar further to the left a few days earlier (see (https://www.camptocamp.org/routes/1427093/fr/maja-e-cokistes-la -directissime-des-polaks)), we atacked this very steep face.

Burek?? It's the name of a Montenegrin specialty that reinvigorated us every time we came down from the advanced camp :D

There is great potential for climbing in this massif, do not hesitate to contact us for more information !