Elémentaire mon cher

A great route on the la Grand Vire?  Even Watson would readily concur.

This three pitch beauty has fun movement, great position and is improbably steep.

The long first pitch has a tricky start then finishes on jugs into a see-through belay hole.  The second and crux pitch goes up wildly improbable and overhanging tafoni formations.  Steep big holds start out the last pitch with a slight sting-in-the-tail end to the top.

A really fun route.

Descent:  rappel 50m into the first coulior to the climber’s left (west) followed by a steep easy hike down to the Grand Vire ledge.   Another option would be to hike to the far side of the Figuier formation and hike down that gully (hike north then further west than the first option mentioned) and rappel 25m to gain the Grand Vire ledge.  A rappel of the route would be difficult due to the rope hanging out in space 20 to 30 feet in places.

“This is the flagship sector at Gozzi due to the length of the routes (2 or 3 pitches) and the beauty of the lines running up this overhanging face. To make things easier, we too often stop after just the first pitches. However, the upper pitches are exceptional and the atmosphere is guaranteed to be something special. At the left-hand extremity of the ledge a route begins that it would be a crime not to test out, on rock which sometimes looks like lace but lacks its fragility. All the more tempting since it is Elémentaire (or almost) mon cher…”

(Vertical-Life)

Far climbers' left side of the wide La Grand Vire terrace.