Advice for France - First Europe Trip

Going to France/Europe for the first time in September for about 2.5 weeks. I climb 7b in a session and my partner climbs 6c? in a session.

We were mostly thinking about going to Ceuse and Verdon but unsure of the best place to find beta or route suggestions, I would also be down to check out anything else. We are only bringing draws as of now, unless a rack is totally worth it to have.

Any suggestions on where to go? I speak French so I am not super worried about a language barrier of less populated areas.

Rock Fax has excellent guides for both. La Palud Sur Verdon is a good base for the gorge and has a good climbing shop (Pericot Vert). There are several excellent single pitch sport crags in and around the gorge proper (Le Bouche comes to mind), and the shop should have mini-guides for those areas. 

We had a small rack with us, but used it only in the Calanques, and barely there.

I think that Verdon/Ceuse is an excellent itinerary, and I’m completely jealous…

The entire southeastern corner of France--particularly the Provence and Haute Provence regions (which include Verdon/Ceuse) is home to many superb climbing areas. So anywhere that you go in that area (and others close by as well) you will have multiple choices within fairly close proximity. Given the significance of the area in terms of climbing, I expect that just a bit of 'digging' on the Net will provide you with plenty of beta and route suggestions--more than enough to keep you busy for those 2.5 weeks. As mentioned above, the Rockfax guidebooks (Haute Provence and Cote d'Azur) are a good starting point, giving an overview of the choices available (though many locals hate them as English 'outsiders' undercutting the local guidebooks--though I usually buy the local books as well when I visit an area covered by Rockfax). The UKClimbing website (affiliated with/owned by? Rockfax) has a series of 'destination articles' that often fill  in interesting details for many of the areas covered in the guidebooks as well as additional ones, and the links included offer further insight. As in most of Europe, there is plenty to do in the area in addition to climbing, so definitely give yourselves time to tourist and check out the local food and wine.

Thanks Schmuck and Alan, didn't know about the RockFax Guides. Food and wine is definetely on the agenda! We haven't booked any lodging yet, although we will have a cargo van, so I think we will just head down towards Verdon and play it by ear!

There are many other great crags in southern France but it's hard to look past Céüse and the Verdon if you have limited time. I love them but both have features that could mean they don't have universal appeal: Céüse is a stiff hour+ uphill walk, the Verdon is scarily committing and exposed for some. Some of the classic routes in the Verdon need a rack but there is plenty to do without if you just have a week or so. A rack enables you to do the spectacular Natilik at Céüse.  

If you don't get on with one of them for whatever reason, the Gorges du Tarn is another world-class area worth considering.

I disagree with the enthusiasm for the Rockfax guides to this part of the world. It may not have been the case in the past but, for both Verdon and Céüse, the local guides are now the best choice. The latest edition (2018) of the Céüse guidebook, much updated from previous versions, has much more extensive and more accurate coverage. Céüse is a small part of the Haute Provence Rockfax and the coverage is selective, omiting sectors east of Un pont sur l'infini which are excellent, less busy, less worn, and have more for a ~6c climber. The Rockfax covers other crags in the area, useful if you're on a three month tour, but none are remotely in the Ceuse class. 

Similar applies to the Verdon where Verdon - 52 ans & 520 voies is the book to get. 

Both Rockfaxes had too many errors in their first editions, the Côte d’Azur has had an update which I have not seen but has hopefully ironed-out most of these. The Haute Provence is still the 2010 edition which we found quite buggy. It also inexplicably gets the name wrong for this route!

To add, La Palud has a climbers’ campground which would be convenient as you have a van. We stayed at Mayreste, a very nice gite on the gorge rim, couple of km down from La Palud.
I don’t disagree that Rock Fax has issues, but it was really convenient to just order them by mail before leaving. We did supplement with local mini-guides from the shop in Palud. 

Most areas will have a local shop for guidebooks.  

Orpierre does and there's a local shop in Sisteron nearby too.  Both fun spots to hit and a good rest/rain day hang as well.

Have used these guys to order guidebooks:

Climb Europe SE France guidebooks

I see they have a current local guidebook for Ceuse.  Also carry the Rockfax guides, which, I've managed with for a few trips.  But, always supplementing with the local guidebooks as well.

Stewart Green's Rock Climbing Europe is a bit older but pretty useful for trip planning.  Can be had fairly cheaply now.  Definitely is/was good fodder for ideas on where to go.  Pretty fair overview of Buoux, Céüse, Les Calanques, Orpierre, and the Verdon Gorge.  I see it out there online for around 10 bucks.  For that price, you could tear the pages out and take them with you to get you by until you found a local guidebook. 

Good times!

Verdon is absolutely incredible. MP does not do it justice at all - so big and so many routes. We didn't climb hard enough to justify Ceuse - its stacked with good, hard sport. And we were looking for more adventurous style climbs. 

If I went to Verdon Gorge again I would take a trad rack so I could do the long classic crack routes. Standard double rack. But there is a lifetime of sport there so it's not necessary. I would bring twin ropes (double skinny 60 meter ropes): that’s how the Euro's do it and is the most convenient for the gorge raps. 

La Palud Sur has small shops with the guidebooks, you should buy one there. The commune also has a few (but good) places to eat. 

A vehicle is a must.

We stayed here and I can highly recommend (breakfast is included). 

https://www.google.com/maps/place/H%C3%B4tel+verdon+(h%C3%B4tel+gorges+du+verdon)/@43.7754097,6.3318452,16.71z/data=!4m18!1m9!2m8!1sHotels!3m6!1sHotels!2s04120+La+Palud-sur-Verdon,+France!3s0x12cbf72cc9694cdd:0x40819a5fd97b040!4m2!1d6.341844!2d43.7794979!3m7!1s0x12cbf75a78c4e5e5:0x41680920ae89d6c0!5m2!4m1!1i2!8m2!3d43.774829!4d6.3331727

If weather is bad at the gorge (cold) go check out the Parc national des Calanques. 

There are numerous excellent climbing areas en route between Verdon and Les Calanques, many of which have better weather than the former and easier access then the latter. That’s why the Rockfax books, despite their imperfections, are so helpful in giving a good overview of the available options.

While Ceuse is understandably best known for its high end routes, there are also plenty of worthwhile climbs there at more modest grades. We spent 2 enjoyable days there climbing routes in the F6s, even some 5s, and that was with fairly limited information. I know there are many more such routes there. It is a long walk up, but well worth it even if you aren’t Chris Sharma.

chateauvert is world class spot ! Its south of verdon. Beautiful river valley 

Lots of info on climbing in France and different area's: climb-europe.com/rockclimbi…

Ted Robertswrote:

chateauvert is world class spot ! Its south of verdon. Beautiful river valley 

Yup, I wouldn't drive from Verdon to the Calanques past Chateauvert unless there was a good reason.

Ended up just ordering a bunch of guidebooks from that site! Pretty stoked! 

hoping for some beta about Verdon;  my wife and I are going to France to climb April/May 2024....we have booked 10 days in Casis and have 10 more days to climb elsewhere;  we will have a car which we plan to rent in Marseilles and return there before taking a train back to Paris to fly home.  We are hoping/planning on flying only w draws and a 70.  Initially, I was looking into the valley crags in Chamonix;  However, logistically, it looks like the Verdon would be easier.  But my questions include, is there enough to do w/out having to rappel into the gorge?  can we get away w just draws and a 70 in Verdon?  given our itinerary, is this where you would choose to spend 10 days exploring, cragging in south east France?  any beta from folk that know the area would be appreciated.

Yes, you can single pitch crag. You can do a few of the upper pitches by rapping usually to a ledge system. Wide is Love is a brilliant upper pitch, but goes at just 6a. There is a very good single pitch crag on the south rim (north facing), called Le Bauchet. Lots of routes at all grades, and you hike in using fixed cables. Guide book is available at Pericot Vert in Palud. As a bonus, it tends to stay dry in the rain. The Verdon is amazing and should not be missed. 

thanks for the reply Frank.

joedwrote:

hoping for some beta about Verdon;  my wife and I are going to France to climb April/May 2024....we have booked 10 days in Casis and have 10 more days to climb elsewhere;  we will have a car which we plan to rent in Marseilles and return there before taking a train back to Paris to fly home.  We are hoping/planning on flying only w draws and a 70.  Initially, I was looking into the valley crags in Chamonix;  However, logistically, it looks like the Verdon would be easier.  But my questions include, is there enough to do w/out having to rappel into the gorge?  can we get away w just draws and a 70 in Verdon?  given our itinerary, is this where you would choose to spend 10 days exploring, cragging in south east France?  any beta from folk that know the area would be appreciated.

Tell us more about yourself. What kind of grade do you onsight on Provence-style climbing: vertical, hard-to-read, with sometimes spaced bolts? It will help make recommendations.

Late April/early May is a good time to visit the Verdon.

Most of the better sport climbing in the Verdon is accessed by rappel. Anchors are often 40-45m apart, so one 70m rope will be very limiting in my view. I've recently been there and the Dalles Grises rappel route has been fairly recently requipped and may now work with a 70m. I'm not 100% sure (we had 2x50m) so check this before you cast off! Many rappel routes will definitely not work. 

Dalles grises was great and I was fortunate enough to have a guide have it fixed in a single rap all the way to the bottom.

We never truly rope stretched anything but we did have an 80m. 

Wide is love is really great for the grade and has awesome exposure above the gorge. 

Second the fact that you should include your insight grade on techy vert. I did some route on Dalles grises that has what felt like some 6a+/6b cruxes well above bolts, it felt chill for me to not be scary but my follower says she would not have led it (I have onsighted considerable above that grade).

I really enjoyed les gorges du loup when we went. Diverse Satanique is awesome and if you have knee pads is probably closer to 8a then 8b. The Verde crag has some really cool 6c-7c single pitch as well.