[Duncan campbell]

Hello UKB hivemind!!

My girlfriend and I are off for 3 weeks in July, and are keen for some multipitch climbing…

Realistically for us both to have maximum fun, sport will be the way to go as then we will be more on a similar level… I’ve done a bit of this style in Taghia and remember it being incredibly fun so hoping Flo finds this too.

I don’t know loads about where would be good and as the holiday is fast approaching thought I’d see what was suggested. We are in a van so can go most places, Flo is a very good sport climber (onsights 7c fairly regularly) and I have done a few 7bish multi pitches in taghia (inc Les Rivières Pourpres… imagine we will start easyish and then start trying trickier things… probs up to 7b/7b+ max.

My thoughts are it would be awesome to go to the verdon… I’d love to do Alix punk de verdon and someone said there was a 7a on the same wall so that would be good…

Imagine we will also do some single pitch sport climbing (maybe ceuse/la saume/orpierre) so maybe France is the best option? Will probs be climbing single pitch in the 7s to low 8s.

However have never spent any time climbing in Switzerland or Austria so could be keen for that sort of scene…

Also interested in suggestions for guidebooks- what is the best verdon one these days?

Thanks in advance!

Dunc

[Paul B]

There's always the Grand Face when you're in Ceuse too.

There's somewhere I've always wanted to go to that seems massively difficult without a van but the name escapes me. There was a video of Cedric Lachat/Nina Caprez climbing there? Alpes Maritimes region. I have the guide at home (although it's a horrible thing).

Aiglun perhaps? I can't remember the aspect/season beta though so this could be a terrible idea!

[petejh]

Think you could have a good adventurous time between the big routes in Devuloy massif and Ceuse Grand face, staying in campsite around Veynes area - short drive to both. Admittedly I only climbed on single pitch stuff around Devuloy when there but the long routes look great. Also easy to decamp and head to Verdon from there.

[thunderbeest]

Lofoten probably has some of the best multi pitching in the world and it doesn't get terribly hot in the summer. But there's not much climbing up in the higher 7s, although all the 6s are amazing quality!

[SA Chris]

https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,18533.0.html

I think there might be a wealth of useful info in here?

[jwi]

Alix 7b, Ayahuesca 7c and Serie Limitee 6c+ are three side by side classics on the Duc in Verdon.

Vercors has tons.  Here are three routes worth doing close to Céüse  https://steepground.blogspot.com/2020/07/les-gillardes-sous-la-griffe-de-lucifer.html .  For limestone multipitch sport in France near the alps, you cannot go wrong with Philippe Mussato's two select guide books Itinéraires d'un grimpeur gâté

[SamT]

Thought this was going to be a question about blackmarket tickets for a large football competition. 

[Paul B]

Don't forget sector Hulk on that side of the gorge either (single pitch stuff though obviously).

[Duncan campbell]

Awesome! Thanks so much for all the suggestions! Will take a look through the big “fairly long, mostly free…” thread too.

Will probably shell out for PdL and the Itineries de grimpe guides.

What is the best guide for Verdon? The 50 years and 500 routes one seems to be sold out?

[jwi]

There is an online version of 52 years 5200 routes. Same authors. All proceeds goes towards bolting.

https://omegaroc.com/escalade-dans-le-verdon/

[Jerry Morefat]

How about Naranjo de Bulnes in northern Spain? That's where I'm going in July. You can chalk the routes up for us! I think there are also some good, shady, shorter sport areas further down the valley.

[submaximal gains]

It might be a little below your grade range but I really like the Swiss Plaisir Selection book; it's a select guide to multipitch climbs in and close to Switzerland. I used it last summer when it was raining in Chamonix to find somewhere dry and ended up spending a few days near Freibourg climbing on the Gastlosen range, which I wouldn't have known about otherwise.

The same publisher does a series called Swiss Extrem, but these are more specific to an area and I think have more single pitch(?).

All the topos in it are also in the vertical life app, but the book has suggested racks for the routes which I think the app misses.

If you message me I can send you a download link to a pdf of Arnaud Petit's Parois de Legend which is good for suggestions as well.

[jwi]

Switzerland has a bit unstable weather in July in my experience. We will base ourself in the western part of the french alps and drive over to Wendenstöcke if the weather allows it.

[galpinos]

Awesome! Thanks so much for all the suggestions! Will take a look through the big “fairly long, mostly free…” thread too.

Will probably shell out for PdL and the Itineries de grimpe guides.

What is the best guide for Verdon? The 50 years and 500 routes one seems to be sold out?

Where are you based Duncan? If you are Manchester way/over here at any point, I have both the Mussato guides as well as the new PdL if you want to borrow them.

[Duncan campbell]

There is an online version of 52 years 5200 routes. Same authors. All proceeds goes towards bolting.

https://omegaroc.com/escalade-dans-le-verdon/

Awesome stuff! Cheers jwi!!

It might be a little below your grade range but I really like the Swiss Plaisir Selection book; it's a select guide to multipitch climbs in and close to Switzerland. I used it last summer when it was raining in Chamonix to find somewhere dry and ended up spending a few days near Freibourg climbing on the Gastlosen range, which I wouldn't have known about otherwise.

The same publisher does a series called Swiss Extrem, but these are more specific to an area and I think have more single pitch(?).

All the topos in it are also in the vertical life app, but the book has suggested racks for the routes which I think the app misses.

If you message me I can send you a download link to a pdf of Arnaud Petit's Parois de Legend which is good for suggestions as well.

Yeah had been thinking of having a flick through those guides! Will dm you…

How about Naranjo de Bulnes in northern Spain? That's where I'm going in July. You can chalk the routes up for us! I think there are also some good, shady, shorter sport areas further down the valley.

That’s a good shout! Hadn’t thought of there… I’ll add it to my list of options 

Awesome! Thanks so much for all the suggestions! Will take a look through the big “fairly long, mostly free…” thread too.

Will probably shell out for PdL and the Itineries de grimpe guides.

What is the best guide for Verdon? The 50 years and 500 routes one seems to be sold out?

Where are you based Duncan? If you are Manchester way/over here at any point, I have both the Mussato guides as well as the new PdL if you want to borrow them.

Thanks for the offer galpinos  I live in Sheffield and may well be in touch… though I am a bit of a guidebook lover so may well use it as an excuse to add to my collection 

[MischaHY]

IMO Verdon in July wasn't so good. Brutally warm. I'd go higher in the mountains. Northern Limestone Alps? Or Picos.