[cofe]

i know it was briefly mentioned in the other fred but if anyone has any knowledge then here's the place to spill it. i'm psyched for going in april/may time etc. looks good all mountains n ting. i know it trashes skin. where to stay where to get info usual stuff.cheers.

p.s. not bothered to search to see'f anyone's already started thread on this in da past.

[AndyR]

i know it was briefly mentioned in the other fred but if anyone has any knowledge then here's the place to spill it. i'm psyched for going in april/may time etc. looks good all mountains n ting. i know it trashes skin. where to stay where to get info usual stuff.cheers.

p.s. not bothered to search to see'f anyone's already started thread on this in da past.

Have a look at this.

[Hendo]

Not sure if its still on the site, but there was a petzl roc trip here which resulted in a pretty cool video.

Looks sweet!

[Hendo]

Freakclimbing have it here

http://www.freakclimbing.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=My_eGallery&file=index&do=showpic&pid=68&orderby=dateA

[Doylo]

ferret lives there half the year, he says its dope, i'm sure he'll spill the beans if he logs back on.

[cofe]

is ferret AW...? if so then huffy had mentioned...

cheers guys

[Johnny Brown]

...aaah suddenly I know who he is too...
Looks like all that time out there is gettin him ever stronger...

[Palomides]

Whilst waiting for yer man ferret, here's what I know.

I had a family trip to Targasonne last August BH - end of the summer holiday season so quiet and rainy in the afternoons. You are quite high up, so get mountain weather.

The campsite "La Griole" is very close to one of the sectors (sector Chapeau) - in fact there's a 7a+ on the white circuit that's actually in the camping field. The zebloc page AndyR linked to makes some comment about how the "welcome has decreased" but I didn't find that at all.
The campsite is run by a Dutch (or German??) couple who were very friendly - and even friendlier when we said we were there to go climbing - now c'mon, how often does that happen in the UK?
They speak pretty good english too. Can't say about the bar and restuarant on-site, as they were closed. They were doing breakfasts though.

The campsite sells the fairly recent  (2001?) topo by Phil Gondeux - it's a single large map that shows the sectors (distances between sectors are not to scale).

We didn't actually visit any other sectors, as Chapeau and rain kept us busy for the weekend, but there was a mixture of heights, angles and grades. All on really nice orangy granite, smaller grained than the Cornish/Dartmoor stuff and really good quality.

I tried to find sector Chauve-Souris and failed.

Also, we were there about 6 weeks after the "Targasonnic" meeting - the campsite owners said they had about 600 people camping and having a good time. Most of the Targasonne vids on the net (Sharma, Rands, Lamiche, etc) were taken during the meeting. There's a report here
http://www.zebloc.com/compets/targa04.php


There was an extra topo produced for the event which has some newer sectors and problems listed - the campsite has a copy for reference in a guestbook with all kinds of stuff in it .

If you don't want to camp, the campsite has a few caravans/chalets that they rent out (they rent them to skiers in the winter). Font-Romeu is only about 10 minutes away and is a small ski resort - so there's lots of apartments and that. It's not really a lively town that we found, but we were there at the end of the season, so maybe got a limited picture of the place.


Other stuff - well it's really close to the Spanish border and quite popular with Spanish as well as French climbers, not far from Andorra for cheap cigs and booze and not that far from Orlu - where there's another load of granite boulders in a wood

[al]

was out there last may and agree that it is a beautious spot - the boulders are much more extensive than the printed topo indicates (think it is probably out of date?) - maybe the 'la griole' cafe has some new info?
also found tthe best campsite was up in egat (the villlage above the roundabout where the shops are) - really nice spot, although the 'griole' scene seemed cool too.
few tips : spain is really close and cheap for petrol and food, barcelona by train from puicerda (10min drive from rocks), is only 7 euros and is an amazing trip, and great for rest days away from the skin tearing rock!

[a dense loner]

nice, being made redundant on monday. goin to font then down to targasonne. myself n the enigma in a soft top golf, shades of thelma n louise

[AndyR]

Right on - Ryanair have just started a flight from Dubbers to carcassonne - looks like a trip to targassonne could be on the cards.

[cofe]

its all good info. an esssential ingredient of gravy.

when is best time then - may?

[Percy B]

BE WARNED - Targasonne is not the holy grail of bouldering, and is IMHO rather over-hyped.

Yes, it is a huge area of very beautiful aesthetic blocs of all sizes in a nice mountainous setting. Yes, it has a great campsite stuck right amongst the boulders. Yes, the rock is very solid and reliable.

However, the only down-side I found was the fact that the rock is probably the worst type of stone to boulder on, being ultra hard and ultra coarse granite. The rock makes the rough 'grain' of the Buttermilks (for example) look like holding lovely fluffy bunnies. Be warned, Targasonnes granite will have its 'pound of flesh', but almost certainly from the ends of your fingers! The crystals are big and sharp (like tiny little teeth) and will bruise your tips, prior to splitting them if you're not carefull. Unless you have lots of rest days planned, or don't want to climb at your limit, then its not my first choice of venue. I'm not saying its shite, but you'd better be prepared to endure a little discomfort!

I still shudder when I recall a slappy problem I did there (NOTE: I only did the one!)

Simular rock type to El Escorial in Spain (another finger-trashing venue)

[andy_e]

anyone know when the targasonnic freeclimb is?

[Palomides]

I heard that they're skipping a year and plan to do it again next year.

[dave]

wonder if its cos they all still got split tips.

[andy_e]

I heard that they're skipping a year and plan to do it again next year.

cool. i'll be 18 next year! what time of year is it usually?

[Palomides]

Update - new website promising to become a boulder-by-boulder guide. It's a bit empty at the moment, but it might blossom to become a rare and precious resource of information and inspiration.

Or it might just suck.

targabloc


(Andi - I think the first one was in July)

[AndyR]

Am half thinking of visiting en famille in mid-late October.
Anyone know what the weather is generally like then? Could we expect perfect blue skies and cool days of bouldering heaven, with the Female Swedish Naturist Bouldering Club in attendance - or a week of cold mountain cloudy clag, with the Doncaster Nude Male Ex-Miner Bouldering Club on show?

Also - any clues as to how long it would take to get there if one were renting a gite near to the coast? I suspect the roads are shite non?

Cheers for any info.

[gaby]

Check here : Zebloc and tell me if you don't catch something. i am writing an english version of that page...

[Jim]

is it Carcassonne you need to fly to? how far from airport to taregassonne?

[Palomides]

From          Aéroport de Carcassonne-Salvaza (France)    
To          Targassonne (66120, France)
   
Itinerary      Express      
Distance      131.6 km      
On motorway      0.0 km      
Duration (1)      02H10
Petrol      13.89 € (10 l)      
Reimbursement      0.0 €      
Vehicle      Sedan car

Or

From          Aéroport International Perpignan-Rivesaltes (France)
To          Targassonne (66120, France)
   
Itinerary      Express      
Distance      97.9 km      
On motorway      1.6 km      
Duration (1)      01H32
Petrol      11.12 € (8 l)      
Reimbursement      0.0 €      
Vehicle      Sedan car

Or even

From          Aéroport de Toulouse-Blagnac (France)    
To          Targassonne (66120, France)
   
Itinerary      Express      
Distance      188.1 km      
On motorway      72.5 km      
Duration (1)      02H22
Petrol      20.85 € (15 l)      
Reimbursement      0.0 €      
Vehicle      Sedan car
Tolls (2)      FRA : 10.10 EUR


http://mappy.com

[Palomides]

i know it was briefly mentioned in the other fred but if anyone has any knowledge then here's the place to spill it. i'm psyched for going in april/may time etc.

This should probably go in News, but whatever...

Looks like some folk have been leaving gates open and letting the cows out:

Climbers have left open barriers and broken fences around sector Dieux Païens. Cows escaped on the road and the landlord has to pay a fine.
RESULT: ALL the SECTORS TO THE NORTH OF THE ROAD (Dieux Païens, TAZ, Arixo, Crash Test, Can Tony, Carrière, la Baleine, Thémis, l'Aigle) ARE PROHIBITED UNTIL THE END OF MAY (when all the cattle are taken to the mountain pastures).
Only the sectors to the South of the road are authorized (Arch, Chauve-souris, Chapeau, Proue).
It's likely that this will be the situation each year, we ask you to really respect this prohibition!

Feckin' idiots, this is why the secret spots remain secret....

Translated by me (sorry Gaby). Original is at http://www.zebloc.com/