09 Corsica Rock Climbing

A French but fiercely independent island in the Mediterranean, Corsica has a wealth of rock climbing opportunities sprinkled across all points of the compass.

While there’s a number of rock types on the island, including limestone, sandstone and conglomerate, the climbing is most famously on the granite and specifically the tafoni.

With peaks nearing 9000 feet tall, the island is predominantly mountainous. The scrappy nature of the scenery, with the legendarily scratchy and somewhat impenetrable maquis, adds a sense of adventure (ha!) to some of the longer approaches. Long pants recommended for the terrain d’aventure.

The fourth largest island in the Med, Corsica has a reputation for seriousness for some of its climbing, certainly some well deserved. But really, there is rock climbing for every level and ability. Navigating vandalized street signs, dodging wild pigs and their stealthy goat cohorts, unspoiled beaches, nationalistic and sometimes protective landowners, rusty fixed protection…all conspire to keep ones wits sharp and provide a sense of exploration.

A brief smattering of a few of the popular climbing locations:

Isula Rossa/Calvi: Beach and hillside cragging options at this picturesque location.

Bastia: The northern finger-shaped peninsula is home to a more than a dozen of sports climbing venues both beach and inland. The main non-granite area on the island.

Restonica Gorge: Single pitch crags more common closer to Corte, with multi pitch routes more apparent the further up the valley one travels.

Col de Bavella: Likely the most popular and well known of the venues on Corsica. Short routes, long, very hard routes, with everything in between. Stunning craggy scenery with plenty of adventure.

Mont Gozzi: Popular spot above Napoleon’s birthplace of Ajaccio. Long and short routes available with steep classics and lower angle, scratchy slabs.