Looking for a partner for Verdon around September 26 - Oct. 1

I will be vacationing with my non-climbing family between Sept. 26 and Oct. 1st in the Verdon Gorges.
I would of course really like to get a quick taste of the climbing there for a day or 2.
I am a sport climber, mostly onsighting 12a/b and would be open for either single pitch or multi pitch. I love face/technical climbing (but other styles as well) and mostly climb at Smith Rock and around Portland, OR.

Let me know if you will be in the area and would like to meet for some climbing!

Thanks

Antoine

I might be around there then ... it's a long time from now ... and there's so many other options around southeast France.

Some things to keep in mind:

• Lots of new crags have opened nearby outside the gorge itself. Might want to purchase at least one more French guidebook. I think some are in the newest Verdon Gorge guide.
• since the opening and grading of routes in the gorge is so old, and at such an explosive time (the invention of Sport climbing), it's good to check the reports and descriptions on the Web, for both difficulty and protection. Some of the old difficulty grades were tough sandbags, some have updates, but other routes or pitches have their old tough grades preserved in the latest print guidebook (but the French-language websites are more accurate-modern).

Also some of the better routes have been rebolted to make them less runout. The original style was not to bother with protection for sections less than 5.10c or so. Though one famous route has had all its bolts removed.

websites: camptocamp.org is always helpful, but I sort of remember the best was one with a title like Topos of the Verdon (but in French).

• If you can drive farther away on some days, there is some great modern sport climbing -- at places like Saint Leger de Ventoux [ map ] - [ video ] (N side of famous Mont Ventoux, if that gives you an excuse to drive there w family?). Another guidebook -- but I sort of feel like it's in the English-language RockFax guidebook for Haute Provence.

. . . (I'd guess that even Ceuse is within two hours drive, but I have a feeling that requires more overhead to get up to and going on the rock.)

• Of course you understand for most of the routes in the gorge, you start from the top and do multiple rappels to reach the bottom of your chosen route. So retreat is not simple. Likely want to think in advance about what easier routes are adjacent to yours.

Ken

P.S. Lots of French climbers have heard of Smith Rock. Many used to see it as their "second" destination for a USA visit, after Yosemite - (but now there is the Red).

Thanks Ken for all the good info.
I will send you a message when we get closer. Due to my limited time there, I would be totally OK just doing some single picth climbing somewhere nearby.

Antoine

Some people do "single pitch" _in_ Verdon gorge by rapping into the top pitch of one of the multi-pitch climbs.

We made sure we had prusiks to ascend back up to the top in case we couldn't work out the moves. Or in case we guessed wrong about which climb's top anchor we had chosen. The pitch was at my limit, and I had to hang to work some moves, but (like much in Verdon gorge) very interesting moves -- and because we chose a modern route with harder pitches below, high-friction (unpolished) limestone.

I'll send you a message now with my contact info.

Ken

P.S. Big problem with Verdon is that it's such a long drive from anywhere else "interesting". Maybe I could try some "canyoning" there on the same visit.

Le Gorge du Verdon is very large and complicated, with hanging gardens and hundreds of meters of air. I would recommend a guide at least for a day. I can vouch for Alan Carne. He is an OG brit climber who still climbs 5.14, is fluent in French, and knows the Verdon very well. alanduverdon.com

Check out Moustiers-Sainte-Marie while you are there. It is the most picturesque cliffside village ever! I can still taste the lavender honey and absinthe.