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Provence - a land that time forgot

by Ged Desforges

Way back in the day, when men were men and Spain was where you went on the piss for a week, the South of France was the sport climbing capital of the world. Standards were pushed way ahead of everywhere else on the cliffs of Buoux, Ceuse and the Verdon, and climbers flocked from all over the world to experience the perfect steep, varied limestone on offer. Recently things have changed. With Stelios pretty much paying people to go to Spain, and Rockfax pretty much climbing the routes for you, the crags of France have fallen out of favour. Tales of savage pocket pulling and spaced bolts seem to put people off, and some of the crags will definitely re-teach you to climb on rock. But the variety and sheer quality of the climbing, not to mention the vast quantity of rock, still makes Provence and the South of France a world class destination.

• Buoux
• Gorges du Tarn
• Seynes
• Chateau Vert
• Gorges du Verdon
• Ceuse

 

Mid October. The weather’s just starting to turn crap, things look bleak in the UK. The mission: find out how the Frenchys do it. We leave Newcastle after work on Friday, point South, and keep going. As it gets light we’re somewhere near Lyon. The weather still looks a bit suspicious so we keep going, and by lunchtime park up at Buoux under clear blue skies. Jackpot.

BUOUX

Made famous to the Brits by the video featuring Ben Moon swinging around on mono’s, Buoux is the quintessential Frenchy crag. Vast amounts of style and finesse are required to succeed here and the climbing definitely takes some getting used to, particularly if you’re used to swinging around on the biggest holds in the world at Gandia. But there’s no doubt that the climbing is phenomenal. Surprisingly good lines snaking up pocketed walls, mainly on positive pockets (some of the pockets are pretty bloody small, but positive all the same), and generally well bolted. The crag is actually about 100 metres high on the main buttress, but single pitch climbing is definitely the norm, with via ferrata’s giving access to ledges all over where routes begin. It also helps the quintessential Frenchiness theme surrounds the whole place. The crag lies in a beautiful secluded little valley, and the small hilltop village of Bonnieux is a really great place to hang around. Relaxed, cheap campsite, a brilliant patisserie, and great views.

Most of the quality climbing is done from the safety of terra firma, and a popular place to start is the Styx Wall. Although it looks insignificant from the road, routes here are about 30 metres of soaring, sustained, brilliant pocket pulling on positive holds; a good place to start your trip, or your day with a few warm ups. Once your fingers are warm, sector TCF offers a few classics from 6c to 7b. TCF (7a) is truly brilliant, and very flashable. Dresden (7a+) is another classy route, but a different proposition on the on-sight.

 

Quality sectors abound, and there’s enough to keep anyone busy for a week, although probably a bit limited under 6b. Classics seem to be plentiful in the 8’s.

• Get a cheap flight to any southern France airport, or cane it down the motorways from the cheap ferries. Make your way to the village of Bonnieux, a few km from Apt. A car is preferable as it would be difficult to get there without, and difficult to get around without one.

 

 

• Stock up on supplies from one of the supermarkets in Apt. The campsite in Bonnieux is cheap and very nice, but closes at the end of October. After this there are plenty of Gites in the village. A pattiserie in the village does some of the best croissants we came across!

• From Bonnieux it’s about a 10 minute drive to the crags

• Guidebook available from the campsite, and Tabacs in Apt. Although there’s usually enough people around at the crag to do without.

• Too hot in midsummer. Spring and Autumn are ideal, but you might still need to find shade. Plenty of shady sectors at various times of the day, and it cools down nicely in the evening for those hard redpoints. If the sun is shining, which it nearly always is, climbing is possible right through the winter.

After a few days at Buoux, we’d been hearing loads of people talking in hushed tones about the new best sport climbing area in the world. Stunning setting, more rock than you could ever wish for, no need for stars in the book because every route is 3 stars, perfect steep rock covered in perfect holds. We couldn’t resist any more, so jumped in the car and drove the 4 hours west, to the newest bestest place on earth…

Gorges du Tarn

As you drive up the Gorges du Tarn from Millau (of big bridge fame), the first thing that strikes you is the ridiculous amount of simply amazing looking rock. It’s just not fair is it? There’s us fighting for space on the catwalk, queuing for routes, going back every week to spend hours trying various link ups, extensions, and combinations, and then you go to place like this, where you could climb a different route every day of your life, and still not scratch the surface.

The second thing that strikes you is when you get on the climbing, and realise that it is absolutely unbelievably brilliant. Steep walls through to roofs, short power routes through to 50 metre stamina fests, they’re all just superb. The actual developed climbing is in a fairly small area, with climbing currently banned on the whole east side of the gorge to protect the vultures that can be seen circling high overhead. Drive past the village of Les Vignes, and after about 5 km the steep rocks start hanging over the road. Go a bit further and you get to the most popular spot, and probably a good place to start. Sector l’Oasif lies just above the road, and offers two facets. The right hand side is home to about 10 7a/7a+’s of the highest quality, a great place to start. The left hand side offers some mega-burly 7b’s/7c’s on massive holds. All 3 stars, with a huge pump guaranteed! Particularly good is Poutin le Papier (hard 7b+), which is somewhere between the long leaning walls and the super burly roofs. The first 15 metres is sustained, superb moves on sinker 3 finger pockets, with a stinker move to spit you off just as you think you’ve cracked it.

There are about 10 crags in the immediate vicinity of l’Oasif which offer a similar style, and could keep most 7a-7c climbers busy for a few weeks. Further back down towards Les Vignes lies some sterner stuff, but of no less quality. Sector Tennessee has some neck-achingly long routes. Try Les Ailes du Desir (7b+) crossing the wall. A superb 30 metre long pump-fest which will leave you gasping. Get to the chain, throw in a knee bar, somehow recover from the devastating pump, and trot on for another 20 metres of 7b+ to get the 8a tick! Simple. And for your warm down, how’s about the most gobsmacking groove line you’ve ever seen. 35 metres of steep 7b+, and you’ll be done.

We woke up for the first time in a few days to sunshine pouring into the tent. Things were looking up. I crawled out and looked around for the crag. We’d arrived in the dark the night before, and I was utterly disorientated. So it didn’t help that the whole hillside was still covered in thick mist. No matter, we were in the sun, so I got some stuff out to dry. An hour later I looked round and suddenly the hours of driving made sense. On the hilltop above, now glistening in the sun, was the majestic looking crag of…

Seynes

I wandered up the track a bit, and even from down below, it was obvious the crag was dripping with tufa’s, over immaculate limestone. We quickly packed up and headed up the 15 minute path.

Tufa’s really are what Seynes is about. If we’d tried to climb there a few million years ago, I doubt there’d have been any holds. The underlying rock is very blank, but fortunately the right soil pH and drainage lines have coated the place in some amazing formations. But, don’t expect some straight forward jug pulling here. This is the home of weirdness. For the mid-grade climber at least, this is more of a combination of Mousetrap, the Salathe headwall, and a few rounds with Mohammed Ali. Climbing here is a full body work out, where good balance, cunning leg work, and most other tricks in the book will pay dividends. Be prepared! A good warm up is the huge tufa pillar of Tic Toc (6b). Whilst short, the start will no doubt have you sweating, but once you find the cunning jam, a few good pulls lead to a rest perched on the edge of the very hollow sounding tufa!

The classic of the crag is no doubt Le Tube Neural (6c+); surely the only classic sport route where back-and-footing, arm bars and general tomfoolery more associated with Yosemite are the key. The route squeezes, literally, up the chimney feature formed by two enormous tufa drainpipes. Wear a t-shirt for this one or you’ll end up with no skin left on your back. Things get more awkward the higher you get, as the walls close in, and squirming gets harder and harder, until a swing round on superb big pinch, and an almighty crank up to jugs take you to the chain. Superb, and surely a not-to-be-missed experience of Provence. Once you’ve finished heaving, step right and do Le Ventricle Droite (7a+), the corner on the right of Tube Neural’s right hand Tufa. This is a superb test of ingenuity, as the holds are distinctly lacking! An awesome, burly, weird corner climb.

Although there are a few routes in the 6’s, they tend to be in the high 6,s and quite tricky, so it’s definitely more of a crag for those operating in the 7’s (there are easier routes off to the sides, but not of the same quality found elsewhere). Once you get to the high 7’s and 8’s, you have a host of stunning looking lines, soaring up the steep walls, linking incredible tufa lines. One look at the rock-vertabrae of Dinosaur (8a), and you’ll be keen to stay.

Seynes isn’t a crag to plan on spending your entire holiday, but 2 or 3 days here will be very worthwhile, especially as it takes a while to get used to the style. Routes may feel hard at first, but the climbing is very rewarding following excellent lines, and a visit is essential for any touring climber operating above 6c. It would be very easy to combine a visit here with trips elsewhere, as the crag is very accessible and within a couple hours drive of Gorges du Tarn, l’Ardeche, Orpierre, Buoux, and Chateauvert.

From Ales, drive towards the tiny village of Seynes. Take the first turn off, and immediately turn sharp left and follow a rough track back along next to the main road to the end (about 2 km). There is a meadow at the end of the track where climbers camp. The crag is included in the area guidebook which includes Orpierre and other crags. It’s available from most Decathlons and Tabac’s in Ales. Route names are painted at the base of routes, so it’s often easy to get vague topo’s off the web, or get a look at other climbers books at the crag.

There aren’t any campsites in the area, and most reasonable priced Gites shut by the end of October. However camping below the crag is fine, but as always be responsible (take your tent down in the daytime, don’t litter, go to the village to use the toilet etc). The village of Seynes has a restaurant and a water fountain but not much else. Stock up on food before you get there (Ales is only 20-30 minute drive away).

Seynes faces south and gets all the sun. Summer is way too hot, and even later on it’s easy to get fried amongst all that white rock, so take plenty of suncream and water. Climbing is best from October through to March/April.

Fried to a crisp and badly dehydrated, we staggered to the village and sat under the water fountain for a bit. We were due to meet the boys that night, and needed somewhere as a quick warm up before we hit the Verdon. We’d heard about the perfect spot…

Chateauvert

Whilst not really being a world class venue, Chateauvert is definitely worth a visit if you’re passing by. The crags are set in a beautiful wooded valley, and there is a really chilled out feeling about the place. Being quite low down, it would make a great escape venue if the weather turns bad up at Verdon or elsewhere, and is a very short drive away from there, and Buoux etc. There is not a lifetime’s worth of stuff to do, but enough really high quality routes to keep you going for at least a week. The only drawback perhaps is the polish on the easier routes, but if you climb 6c and above, the main wall offers some stunning big pitches on positive holds. Scattered around the other smaller crags is some shorter gems from technical walls to super-burly roofs. Chateauvert is also a good choice for a budget trip. If you can get to the campsite (hitching is very easy round here), you’ll easily be able to get lifts down to the crag every day with other climbers.

The main wall is a great place to start, and Les Frontieres du Neant (6c+) is a great one to jump on after you’ve warmed up. Long, big holds, with a few cunning rests and a few stiff pulls. The bolts feel a bit spaced in places, but they are in sensible places and there’s no risk of a bad fall. There is a range of 7a’s to 7b+’s on this wall that all look to be very worthwhile, some with wild looking second pitches through the roof and onto the headwall. A great place to test your stamina. A great hidden gem is Psycho Killer (7b), tucked away in a side valley at the very eastern end of the climbing. This brutal route cranks round under a roof using some huge tufa blobs, and fair dose of biceps! Good value.

When it all gets too much, or the relaxed vibe gets a hold of you, go and sit on the pebbly beach by the river, have a dip, and enjoy this beautiful hidden spot.