[James Malloch]

La rose et le vampire.

[tomtom]

Brilliant! Best one yet.

I wandered along the bottom of the route in 94 looking up in awe and never seen anyone (in life or on film) climb it... what a route - big powerful moves, techy looking crux getting set up for the big move at the overlap...

[James Malloch]

Yeah it's a great video! It's what climbing is all about to me - lots of laughs and trying something cool!

[Nibile]

Classic Stohr: she seems to struggle a bit, then she proceeds to crush. Brilliant. What a route.

[Johnny Brown]

That's the first one I've watched, 'cos it's a route I've heard about for years. What a letdown... another piece of nondescript limestone. The moves look cool and that, but no line whatsoever, and a lower-off halfway up. 

[slackline]

Bet you can't wait for McColl on Hubble then.

[Nibile]

You can climb to the top for La Rage de Vivre.

[andy popp]

That's the first one I've watched, 'cos it's a route I've heard about for years. What a letdown... another piece of nondescript limestone. The moves look cool and that, but no line whatsoever, and a lower-off halfway up. 

And it's chipped,  don't forget 

Personally, I thought it was great.

[T_B]

That's the first one I've watched, 'cos it's a route I've heard about for years. What a letdown... another piece of nondescript limestone. The moves look cool and that, but no line whatsoever, and a lower-off halfway up. 

It's a pretty cool wall when you stand below it. In a beautiful valley with nice views. Plus you've got the history. And the fact that it's Buoux so it's probably desperate. It's basically sport-trad.

[SA Chris]

she seems to struggle a bit, then she proceeds to crush.

I often wonder if there's a lot of working the route that gets omitted between them looking shit, and pissing it. Still, great vid.

[gme]

I loved that. What a great little film and unlike many they all seem to be having a ball.

Having spent a fair few days NOT doing this route i can confirm that it is brilliant, even though its chipped.

JB you are a miserable C**t at times and seemed to have an ever decreasing range off vision as to what is good and bad.

Whats not to like, its got history, the rock quality is nothing short of perfect, the moves are about as good as it gets, in an amazing valley located in one of the nicest areas of Europe.

In my opinion a far more impressive looking route than a majority of grit routes and in a different league to most stuff on our mountain crags. Go and stand under it and you would agree.


Anyway, brilliant film and truly shows what going out climbing with your mates should be like.

[gme]

We seem to be having a proper old skool overload at the minute, with the school re opening, Hubble being tired and failed on, Rose and the Vampire and now a malc interview.

Not sure my heart can take much more of the excitement.

[Boredboy]

Old is the new new!

[slackline]

JB you are a miserable C**t at times and seemed to have an ever decreasing range off vision as to what is good and bad.

Whats not to like, its got history, the rock quality is nothing short of perfect, the moves are about as good as it gets, in an amazing valley located in one of the nicest areas of Europe.

In my opinion a far more impressive looking route than a majority of grit routes and in a different league to most stuff on our mountain crags. Go and stand under it and you would agree.

The bolts at best detract and at worst impede moving through a found environment using one's own skill and craft.

[r-man]

Or...Placing gear detracts from the flow of climbing and bolts are generally less intrusive than trad gear if you value the kinaesthetic line over the aesthetic line.

And yes, I thought that route looked ace.

[Doylo]

Agree that le Rose looks well inspiring when you're stood under it. Unlike Stanage.

[tc]

Old is the new new!

Excellent. I'm fashionable again.

[mrjonathanr]

That's the first one I've watched, 'cos it's a route I've heard about for years. What a letdown... another piece of nondescript limestone. The moves look cool and that, but no line whatsoever, and a lower-off halfway up. 

It's the first section of a route fully to the top of the crag, an amazing soaring line and La Rose goes straight through the middle of that blank wall. It's a stunner.

And it's not just chipped, it's totally created but in a very particular way. He tapped the rock all over to work out where there were pockets under the surface, then exposed and smoothed them off.

Simultaneously completely unnatural and in line with the natural features.

[cheque]

Agree that le Rose looks well inspiring when you're stood under it. Unlike Stanage.

They both inspire me.

He tapped the rock all over to work out where there were pockets under the surface, then exposed and smoothed them off.

That sounds a bit medwards though.

[Johnny Brown]

In my opinion a far more impressive looking route than a majority of grit routes and in a different league to most stuff on our mountain crags. Go and stand under it and you would agree.

Agree that le Rose looks well inspiring when you're stood under it. Unlike Stanage.

If this is true, and I can believe it, then the film is at fault. I've seen other footage of Buoux and it looked decent. For the record I don't have a problem with bolts per se - this is where sport climbing evolved wasn't it? And you can see why.

[mrjonathanr]

He tapped the rock all over to work out where there were pockets under the surface, then exposed and smoothed them off.

That sounds a bit medwards though.

Do you mean unusual or bullshit? It's what he did fwiw, there was quite a spiritual/mystical thing going on with Anthoine, Fabrice Guillot  et al, so it's in keeping with that philosophy of discovery. The valley is strange place in some ways, full of ghosts.

[Johnny Brown]

We seem to be having a proper old skool overload at the minute, with the school re opening, Hubble being tired and failed on, Rose and the Vampire and now a malc interview.

JB you are a miserable C**t at times and seemed to have an ever decreasing range off vision as to what is good and bad

The two are related, not an era I get very excited about - the worship of power being demonstrated on shit bits of rock. Plus I was supposed to be tradding in the Hebrides this week... and Dean Potter is BASE-jumping with his dog.

THE IDIOTS ARE WINNING.

there was quite a spiritual/mystical thing going on with Anthoine, Fabrice Guillot  et al, so it's in keeping with that philosophy of discovery.

Now that I have got time for - MleM remains technically the best climber I've seen, very elegant. And at least they never pretended that drilling holes in the rock is any different to, err, drilling holes in the rock.

[gme]

JB you should go to Buoux. The valley is magical.

The climbing couldn't be further away from the "worship of power on shit bits of rock" that you describe. There is everything from single pitch thugish power routes, to slabs, to multi pitch cracks and soaring aretes. It is nothing like the modern sport climbing crags of Spain, you have to climb well to do the routes, many end up on slabs and the bolts can be miles apart. Hence why its not that popular now.

The whole valley is full of history, the fort on the ridge on the opposite side of the valley is amazing. Built in C13th and occupied until the late C16th when it was ruined during the wars.  There are also evidence of prehistoric man living there.

I guarantee you would be inspired.

[cheque]

Do you mean unusual or bullshit?

Unusual -just making a jokey comment as it reminded me of the sort of thing he's said. I should have used Slackline's clown icon. 

[Doylo]

Most the classic 80s /early 90s routes are on great bits of rock. Hubble being the obvious exception.