An experienced mountaineer has died after falling on the north face of Pedraforca, one of Catalonia’s most emblematic mountains. The body of the 32-year-old man from Berga was located by emergency services in the early hours of Wednesday morning following an extensive search.
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The climber, who was very familiar with the area and a frequent visitor, had set off alone on Tuesday afternoon to ascend the mountain via the Canal Roja, a challenging route considered suitable only for expert mountaineers in winter conditions. He parked his vehicle at the Mirador de Gresolet, a popular starting point for treks in the Cadí-Moixeró Natural Park.
His family raised the alarm at 9:34 PM on Tuesday when he failed to return as expected and was not answering his phone. This prompted the Bombers de la Generalitat de Catalunya (Catalan Fire Brigade) to launch a major search and rescue operation.
The Search and Discovery
According to reports from La Vanguardia and El País, the operation involved around twenty personnel and ten emergency vehicles. Specialist units were deployed, including the Grup d’Actuacions Especials (GRAE), the fire brigade’s elite mountain rescue team, from stations in La Seu d’Urgell and Cerdanyola del Vallès. They were supported by a canine unit, a drone team from the Aerial Media unit, and the Middle Command Unit (UCM).
As part of the initial search, the warden of the nearby Refugi Lluís Estasen, a mountain refuge at the foot of Pedraforca, was asked to check the Mirador de Gresolet car park. The warden confirmed that the missing man’s vehicle was still there, helping to focus the search efforts on the mountain’s northern routes.
Rescue teams began their ascent of the Canal Roja route. Shortly after 1:00 AM, they discovered tracks in the snow that they believed corresponded to the hiker’s path. Following this trail, they soon found some of his mountain equipment. At approximately 2:00 AM, the search team located the man’s body. It was determined that he had suffered a fatal fall in a precipitous section of the route.
This morning, a helicopter from the Mossos d’Esquadra’s (Catalan Police) Unitat d’Intervenció de Muntanya (UIM) was dispatched to the site to recover the body. The force’s Berga Investigation Unit has taken charge of the investigation to formally clarify the circumstances surrounding the tragic accident.
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