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European multipitch (Read 7493 times)

MischaHY

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#25 Re: European multipitch
December 06, 2021, 09:04:36 am
Verdon is incomparable so long as you can cope with abseiling.

Verdon absolutely one of my favourite places in the world BUT is hellish in summer unless you're in Ramirole the whole time. I was there this year in June and it was awful, super hot with loads of mosquitos. We did two classic multis whilst absolutely cooking and then bailed to Annot and then Ailefroide via Ceuse for a lap up Natilik (really recommended!).

Paul B

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#26 Re: European multipitch
December 06, 2021, 11:06:14 am
I don't even know how you managed two! We've always gone at times when the camping is on the verge of closing and even then we're seeking out shade all of the time (and I've left a few of the techier/bolder things for deep Winter).

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#27 Re: European multipitch
December 06, 2021, 11:17:05 am
We did Eperon Sublime and La Demande back to back in mid summer, but it was the year after I moved from SA and was climbing with an Australian mate, so we had some tolerance. Not sure I would be able to cope with it now, even then I remember baking on the top 5 pitches of LD as the sun rose over the rim, and cowering in the back of the chimney.

jwi

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#28 Re: European multipitch
December 06, 2021, 12:16:33 pm
Verdon is incomparable so long as you can cope with abseiling.

Verdon absolutely one of my favourite places in the world BUT is hellish in summer unless you're in Ramirole the whole time. I was there this year in June and it was awful, super hot with loads of mosquitos. We did two classic multis whilst absolutely cooking and then bailed to Annot and then Ailefroide via Ceuse for a lap up Natilik (really recommended!).

Fun fact: Palud means march/swamp in old French so mosquitos in La Palud sur Verdon is not surprising...

I like to climb in Verdon in June. You have to start late of course. No point in rapping in before 2pm

MischaHY

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#29 Re: European multipitch
December 06, 2021, 12:26:00 pm
I don't even know how you managed two! We've always gone at times when the camping is on the verge of closing and even then we're seeking out shade all of the time (and I've left a few of the techier/bolder things for deep Winter).

The purest of psyche  ;D We did Ras le Bolchoi mostly in shade (last two pitches in the sun) and then Dingomanique in full bore sun  ::) I was beasted from heatstroke the next day, but it was worth it! Didn't help that I accidentally linked the pitch below the first crux into the crux pitch and ended up doing a very confused 65ish metre pitch with my mate simul-climbing behind  :oops:

MischaHY

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#30 Re: European multipitch
December 06, 2021, 12:27:37 pm
Verdon is incomparable so long as you can cope with abseiling.

Verdon absolutely one of my favourite places in the world BUT is hellish in summer unless you're in Ramirole the whole time. I was there this year in June and it was awful, super hot with loads of mosquitos. We did two classic multis whilst absolutely cooking and then bailed to Annot and then Ailefroide via Ceuse for a lap up Natilik (really recommended!).

Fun fact: Palud means march/swamp in old French so mosquitos in La Palud sur Verdon is not surprising...

I like to climb in Verdon in June. You have to start late of course. No point in rapping in before 2pm

I must say it was very warm though, 35 degrees both days we were there. Probably fine if you're generally used to it but I'd had the second covid vaccine and then driven 12hrs overnight before going climbing so it felt beastly  :lol:

seankenny

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#31 Re: European multipitch
December 06, 2021, 03:22:09 pm
Paul mentioned the Calanques. It's really beautiful but I found the rock quality and climbing a bit meh,

Which guide did you use? I think if you stick to the Rockfax stuff you'll be disappointed.


Yes, used the Rockfax. Going from memory we went to En Vau from Cassis and another area (Les Goudes I think) by driving from Marseilles. Does the rock get better the further into the Calanques one goes?


The easy stuff at Buoux is still nails. Nat went up a whole number in terms of OS simply driving from there to Spain (i.e days later).


Yes this makes sense. I've never gone straight from somewhere with old skool grading to somewhere a bit friendlier, so find it hard to tease out my improvement from the nails grades.

Paul B

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#32 Re: European multipitch
December 06, 2021, 03:24:31 pm
Yes, used the Rockfax. Going from memory we went to En Vau from Cassis and another area (Les Goudes I think) by driving from Marseilles. Does the rock get better the further into the Calanques one goes?

It's more that someone I met on another trip is a local and could tell me where and what to get on so I suspect I was somewhat spoilt. If you have a flick through Arnaud Petit's stuff on Instagram there's some stunning looking rock.

Yossarian

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#33 Re: European multipitch
January 01, 2022, 11:29:21 am


The Philippe Mussatto guidebook recommended by jwi turned up the other day, and is really good. Pretty tempted to go all in and get the second volume. I get the impression that a car / van-based tour of that part of France is probably the best way to go.

There are lots of other good recommendations here though. Also thinking about some easy multipitch in the future with the kids - I guess the ideal thing for this would be 3-4 pitches with ledges and a walk off vs having to ab down -  but that's going to require securing a suitable adult until they're big enough to belay me.

Nice to see La Demande on your best of 2021 too jwi. I chickened out of doing this in the summer of 1998(?), largely because I'd had an epic at Les Vuardes a few days before, and when I heard it featured chimneys I had this picture in my head of damp, slippy, scary tunnels of death. But whilst consuming a lot of Youtube videos of various long routes around Europe I discovered that the chimneys are actually covered in holds, and occasionally feature helpfully positioned trees. Also, it looks a lot less exposed than lot of the other longer things in Verdon.

I liked this video:


jwi

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#34 Re: European multipitch
January 01, 2022, 03:37:39 pm
Also thinking about some easy multipitch in the future with the kids - I guess the ideal thing for this would be 3-4 pitches with ledges and a walk off vs having to ab down -  but that's going to require securing a suitable adult until they're big enough to belay me.

Self-belay with a grigri on a single and bring up the kids on thin halfropes? I doubt anywhere in the world is better than Montserrat for easy multipitch, but most towers require a few raps to get down. I did one with my dad that had a via ferrata for getting down.

Nice to see La Demande on your best of 2021 too jwi. I chickened out of doing this in the summer of 1998(?), largely because I'd had an epic at Les Vuardes a few days before, and when I heard it featured chimneys I had this picture in my head of damp, slippy, scary tunnels of death. But whilst consuming a lot of Youtube videos of various long routes around Europe I discovered that the chimneys are actually covered in holds, and occasionally feature helpfully positioned trees. Also, it looks a lot less exposed than lot of the other longer things in Verdon.


I find it very difficult to guess peoples level on chimneys as it seems to be so randomly distributed. The chimneys on La Demande where originally given 4+ by the first ascensionist. I thought they were 5.8 or 5.9 (which apparently translates to around 5b). I could imagine them be given III by some Saxon or Bohemian lunatic in the 50s. I have also heard that they are the crux on the route (so harder than 6a), presumably for climbers who ignore back-footing completely and only use stemming + face climbing.


Addendum: Oh, and the video was nice, but a chimney is no place for a rucksack...
« Last Edit: January 01, 2022, 03:42:43 pm by jwi »

seankenny

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#35 Re: European multipitch
January 03, 2022, 07:05:39 pm
The Philippe Mussatto guidebook recommended by jwi turned up the other day, and is really good. Pretty tempted to go all in and get the second volume.


Where did you get it from Yoss? What with ordering things from the EU being a pain in the arse these days.

Also thinking about some easy multipitch in the future with the kids - I guess the ideal thing for this would be 3-4 pitches with ledges and a walk off vs having to ab down -  but that's going to require securing a suitable adult until they're big enough to belay me.

A friend of mine lives in northern Italy and has done some multipitch stuff with his eldest daughter after several years of practice on single pitch sports routes. She is quite serious and composed; he is pretty skinny, even so I think she was maybe 16 when they first tried this (at her request). I can certainly find out the route if you're interested, I think it was something in Plasir Sud but I'm not sure.

Yossarian

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#36 Re: European multipitch
January 04, 2022, 10:54:08 am
From Amazon. I think they ordered it in - only took a few days.

Re kids - it's going to be a while before anything with proper belaying is going to work I think, based on the weight difference between us! Realistically, I think getting her up to a good level on single pitch and also looking at doing multipitch with them individually (with some sort of self belay) or another adult would prob be the most sensible plan for the next few years....

Paul B

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#37 Re: European multipitch
January 04, 2022, 11:46:46 am
I take it you're aware of the Edelrid Ohm?

Finding another adult seems like the best plan.

jwi

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#38 Re: European multipitch
January 04, 2022, 01:02:31 pm
Have you tried ohm on multi pitch routes? I'm worried that it will be hard to unblock if the first bolt is far away or above a bulge. Also I would be concerned if the first bit is overhanging so that the rope cannot form an angle through the device.

I like the ohm and use it a lot (as I am pretty heavy compared to my OH) but I hesitate to bring it on multi pitch routes.

Yossarian

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#39 Re: European multipitch
January 04, 2022, 01:25:35 pm
I think an Ohm will be great for what jwi suggests in maybe 4-5 years time (daughter was about 37kg last time I checked) but the idea of giving her / them the responsibility of belaying before then, and especially high up on something freaks me out a bit. Conversely, some easy rope self-belaying has been on my radar for a while. On previous trad (grit) trips with her 2018-2019 I just soloed with a trailing rope attached to her, which didn't feel like a great idea quite a lot of the time...

Paul B

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#40 Re: European multipitch
January 04, 2022, 01:53:45 pm
Have you tried ohm on multi pitch routes? I'm worried that it will be hard to unblock if the first bolt is far away or above a bulge. Also I would be concerned if the first bit is overhanging so that the rope cannot form an angle through the device.

No. We're both total lightweights so it isn't an issue we suffer (I just thought it might be a more favorable alternative than self-belaying tactics even if imperfect).

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#41 Re: European multipitch
January 04, 2022, 04:23:23 pm
Direct to the belay, with Munter hitch?


(from 2'05')

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#42 Re: European multipitch
January 04, 2022, 04:56:36 pm
Take both kids up and equalise them together while one belays.

mde

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#43 Re: European multipitch
January 05, 2022, 07:43:18 am
I climbed lots of multipitch routes in the last couple of years with my now 12yo daughter. We always use a Grigri direct on the belay. Certainly makes for unpleasant static falls if you blew it on the first few bolts of a pitch, then on the other hand we always chose routes that are within my onsight limit so I can easily accept that risk.



As there's not always a bolt as a belay point at the start of a route, there may be some creativity necessary. So far, we always found a solution (trees, threads, large rocks and in the worst case, belay from the 1st bolt of the route).

Yossarian

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#44 Re: European multipitch
January 05, 2022, 11:16:55 am
I had vaguely considered something like that at one point and then forgot about it. That's really interesting though and would open up so many options. Esp some of the easier granite multipitch that I saw in the Bregaglia / Albigna.

What I think I ought to do this year is dedicate a few weekends to practise this, maybe even on some easy straight line trad somewhere quiet that won't involve anyone having to lower me off. Figure out rigging some ground anchors (and how to dismantle them), even get her little brother involved. And then I might end up with two potential belayers for some longer (still easy) things next year...

 

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