In August 2017, Marcos Dias, Pedro Salomão, Wayler Muiños, and I opened the route Segundo Sol (450m, 5.11a) on the west face of Pedra da Gávea (842m), a huge mountain in the city of Rio de Janeiro. This is one of the largest coastline monoliths in the world and has several great climbing routes, mostly opened in the ’70s and ’80s. However, its imposing west face had never been climbed completely. Segundo Sol, the first route up this entire face, is a good choice for those who like adventure, with varied climbing and a spectacular view of the Tijuca Forest, the Atlantic Ocean, and the city’s west side.

In our forays, we managed to follow a natural line up the face along a series of beautiful, vegetated ledges. One of the great challenges in putting up this route was overcoming an immense roof system midway up the wall without aid. After a few tries, we were able to visualize a passage, which allowed us to cross it with fine free climbing. We called this section “O Lance do Inferninho” (The Little Hell Passage) because it took us a few hours of work under an extremely hot sun. The final two pitches of our route required delicate slab climbing to reach a forested terrace below the summit of Pedra da Gávea. From there, one can descend the regular trail or continue climbing to the top via Impressionismo Carioca (100m, 5.11a), which starts at the base of the summit headwall. 

As Segundo Sol faces west, we recommend starting the 10-pitch route in the early morning; the temperature can easily reach 40ºC in the Rio de Janeiro summer. We returned in 2019 to improve the bolting on the route; still, it is protected with a mix of bolts and gear, and a standard rack up to number 3 Camalot with medium to large nuts is useful for finishing on Impressionismo Carioca.

— Cadu Spencer, Brazil