Jaizkibel
Jaizkibel | |
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Highest point | |
Elevation | 547 m (1,795 ft) |
Naming | |
English translation | Back of the rock |
Language of name | Basque |
Pronunciation | Basque pronunciation: [xais̻ˈkibel] |
Geography | |
Location | Gipuzkoa, Spain |
Parent range | Pyrenees |
Climbing | |
Easiest route | From Lezo |
Jaizkibel is a
The area is a relevant landmark on the grounds of its strategic position close to the border with France, with the range standing as the easternmost Spanish rise by the seaside and affording an unmatched view miles away, both over the sea and inland. As a result, the military has always showed an interest in the place since the 16th century when the Spanish-French border started to be drafted, taking to building defence facilities, such as the towers dotting the ridge (dating from the Carlist Wars) or the Fortress of Guadalupe going back to 1890, nowadays out of use. The northern slopes have borne witness to frequent military manoeuvres from the decade of the 50s through the early 90s, when the road to the booster station was sometimes cut off to avoid disruption and damage.
Access points
The mountain can be approached by motor vehicle, on foot and mountain bike. A local road (Gi-3440) winds up from Lezo, running next along the backbone of the mountain range till it snakes down towards Hondarribia at the north-eastern end of the ridge. On the south-eastern side of the mountain a dust track cuts across the steep slope sideways.
The area, besides playing host to motor vehicle visitors, especially on Sunday, attracts many hikers, who find numerous paths have been signalled with GR and PR marks, with the main path (GR-121, stage of the walking Tour of
The long route
Issues
In 2008 a controversial project is in the pipeline to build a large port outside the bay of Pasaia with a view to accommodating a bigger naval traffic and in turn encouraging the development of Pasaia's urban area within the framework of the wider scheme Jaizkibia, according to officials. The port would be located at the site of Jaizkibel's outer cliffs in an area of special natural interest in many respects. This has come up against fierce opposition of many local environmentalist groups and agencies, who try hard to prevent the scheme from being carried out.
Cycling
Alto de Jaizkibel | |
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Location | Pais Vasco, Spain |
Start | Lezo |
Gain in altitude | 455 m (1,493 ft) |
Length of climb | 8.0 km (5.0 mi) |
Maximum elevation | 465 m (1,526 ft) |
Average gradient | 5.6 % |
Maximum gradient | 8.5 % |
The Jaizikbel is often a decisive climb in the
Before the 2010 race, the Jaizkibel was climbed only once in the race, but the organisation of the race wanted a harder final because each year a larger group sprinted for the victory. To make the final more selective the organisation changed the parcours so that the Jaizkibel and Arkale needed to be climbed twice in the final.
See also
References
This article includes a improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (April 2009) ) |
- Ingeba's geological and geographical outline of Jaizkibel Site in Spanish
- "Jaizkibel". SummitPost.org.
- Site showing megalithic findings in the area Site in Spanish
- Web page on hiking, GR-121's Jaizkibel stage[permanent dead link] Site in Basque and Spanish
- Press info on the project for a outer port Site in Spanish
- Scheme Jaizkibia
- Discussion on the outer port issue Site in Spanish
- Web page on the Fortress of Guadalupe Site in Spanish
- Info on Jaizkibel's pedestrian paths and highlights[permanent dead link] Site in Spanish