[squeek]

Off to Ceuse in 6 weeks or so, hurt my finger a while ago so haven't got nearly as much training in as I'd have planned.  I've got the guide book and quite a few classic recommendations that will be pushing the boat out if I got on them.  I was hoping the knowledgeable people of this forum might be able to give me some names of good easier climbs, say 7a and below.  I think I've already got, Zagreb, Super Mario, San Jon's Picos.  I'd be interested in anyone's views of the easiest stuff too, like the 5s and low 6s on the very left of the crag, are they good, or should I be focussing elsewhere?  Oh and I'm not really keen about doing any multipitch stuff. 

[mark]

I've done quite a lot of routes in the 6s all over the crag. I can't remember any in particular but that's probably because they're all pretty good. Whatever grade you're climbing the routes are on gorgeous rock in a stunning situation so you'll have a good time. At 7a and below you must do Ananda 7a and Medecine Douce 6c+ on the Cascade.

[Paul B]

Theyre really not too good, the easy slabs at demi lune are ok but wont keep you interested very long. Try lapinerie for some piss easy jug hauling to a final dyno at an easy 7b.

Think there is also a 7a+ called Saint Jon Picos on the biographie wall (RH end), this is good but not usual ceuse style, its got a bouldery start then its sharp slabby stuff to the top.

The warm up routes medicine douce and the route next to it are ok at around 6c although theyre always popular and are very polished. Theres another good bouldery route that leads off from the starting jugs of medicine douce, Alabama? I think its 7b+ but again its a boulder problem to one very fun big move then jugs to the top. Super mickey is the classic on the cascade wall, polished start to some big moves on 'BIG' holds to two crimps and a gash little undercut, 7B.... There are some routes at around 7a just around the corner from demi lune that are good.

There are a few multi-pitches on the grand face at the lower grades, went and did one of these on a rest day and it was horrible, very dirty and sharp.

[saltbeef]

harley davidson is pretty cool i think its 6c. there's a really good 6c+ thats a bit slab tastic groove thing at the far right hand end of berlin can't remeber the name. if you can push up to 7a plus the petite ilusion is ace, as is still movement in i can't remeber blue? sorry thats useless. its got 3 moonon moves in a row the way idid it. and at 7a plus. gotta be done.

[SA Chris]

There's some nice easier stuff beyond the Biographie etc area and the via ferrata ladder.

[gr]

Also round the corner on the main face - some nice single pitch easier stuff, bit runout & ace!

[SA Chris]

Main face???? Which main face? Some of the ones to the right of Medicine Douche are pretty good too.

[squeek]

Thanks for the recommendations, I'll star them in my book.  I expect to be climbing harder than 7a, and Jee certainly will he's going well at the minute, but there's already been some classics mentioned in the high 7s in the Friction article, and elsewhere online.  Anyone for more low 7 classics? 

[gr]

Main face???? Which main face? Some of the ones to the right of Medicine Douche are pretty good too.

sorry - should have said sector Grande Face

[whispering nic]

Thanks for the recommendations, I'll star them in my book.  I expect to be climbing harder than 7a, and Jee certainly will he's going well at the minute, but there's already been some classics mentioned in the high 7s in the Friction article, and elsewhere online.  Anyone for more low 7 classics? 

Petite Illusion is possibly the best 7a+ anywhere. Baie Des Anges is a test peice slab at the grade. Lot's of good 7a ish stuff at Demi Lune and Pont sur L'infini. Still the best crag in the world foe 7b+ to 7c+ but...

[squeek]

Well I've been and come back from Ceuse now and it was a very good trip.  I wrecked my knees in the bowland challenge the weekend before, but luckily they were alright with a bit of ibuprofen and a knee support.

We managed to completely lose the path on the first day and ended up just walking up to the crag which was hard work.  We climbed at Thorgal the first day which has some great easier routes mid 6s on pocketed walls and is mainly vertical. 

Second day we got lots of routes done on the very left of the crag which is all slighty pocketed and quite technical slabs/vertical walls in the low 6s, two very good 30m 5cs there as well that go to the same belay.

Third day we had a rest day spent most of it in the car drinking beer and watched DVDs.  Team America: World Police, Razorlight live, Stoned love, Up in Smoke Tour, and some of Pulp Fiction.

Fourth day we wanted a big day at Ceuse and wanted to get on some harder routes, went to cascade to pick our stuff up and got on medicine douce.  It was a bit too pumpy for first route and then the weather turned and it started raining and thundering.  We walked round to face de rat and had some tuna butties (we had at least one can of Casino tuna and tomato every day), then I walked along to Berlin, Biographie and demi lune, which all looked amazing especially Berlin, to have a look at them before retreating to the camp site.  We took all the stuff down with us and decided that we'd go some where else the next day.

Spent the rest of the time at Orpierre just getting lots of milage on easier routes, Orpierre is very nice, but is pretty busy with tourists and school parties.  Although they were better than turning round whilst you're climbing and seeing a nakid german man in a water pool bathing his genitals.  The rock there is fine, but not a patch on ceuse's rock.  Took us about 40 minutes to get to orpierre from ceuse and it's only 10 minute walk to various sectors, there's a climbing shop in Orpierre that sells the guide for €15, it's also in the decathlon in Gap.

Good trip, only mildly spoilt by not having a good last day up at ceuse.  Think between both of us we got about 55 routes done.  I wish I could have spent more time up there as Ceuse is amazing, the position, the rock, the routes, the views.  It was really quiet too, in the first two days Thur Fri, we only saw a handful of people.  If I went again I'd want to have longer up there really, and get my head into gear before hand as I'd only been routing once in the evening this year so I wasn't really with it.  Jee was saying if he went again we'd probably climb, camp up at the crag, climb another day then come back down for a rest day, but he's got little chicken legs so struggled!   

I'll definately be going back.

Some general points for people who haven't been:

we found all the easy stuff we did at ceuse was bolted fine and had none of the runouts that is associated with some of the harder classics, and you could have a good holiday there so long as you can climb up to the low 6s.

The walk up isn't that far, but it is a bit of a killer as it's steep, kind of like walking up uneven stairs for a mile and a half.  We drove from the campsite to the car park at the end of the road and parked there as it's better to get to the left hand end of the crag which is where we climbed, a lot of this walk is in the trees so you can have a couple of rests in the shade.

I got bitten very badly in the caravan on the last night by some little horrible b@stards whilst asleep so if you're stopping in one it might be worth putting some repellant on.

There are two good paths up to the crag which both branch off the GR route that runs parallel to the crag a bit below it, one is below the cascade and goes straight up to the crag, and the other is below berlin, goes up diagonally and is signposted.

We stashed our stuff in a bin bag and left it at the crag, which is great beta if you don't want to carry it up every day.

Edit:  We flew to Marseille on easyjet and hired a car as the only UK place that flies to grenoble is in London.  From the airport there is a motorway that finishes about 2 miles before you turn off for the campsite.  This takes about 2 hours and is fast and painless.  In an article I read it said fly to Nice, which looks like a much longer drive timewise as there isn't a motorway going straight to gap.  It's a toll motorway and costs about €10.

[SA Chris]

Stash carefully, I have heard of people getting their ropes nicked by thieving gypsys.

[squeek]

I concur.  We hid ours under some boulders away from the crag that you wouldn't really stumble across, but we did see a full rucksack just under a buttress that I thought might be pushing it.

[Fiend]

Thanks a lot for that squeekster, useful info for sure.

[Paul B]

I stashed my stuff under a boulder next to where the path splits so I could decided where i wanted to go in the morning. It was there for a month without any problems. Ive heard of things going missing but I reckon if your sensible where you put it you wont have a problem.

[Doylo]

yeah i wasn't sensible and thus my rope got nicked. Bastard!

[Fiend]

Okay as far as route recommendations go in the lower grades we have:

Zagreb, Super Mario, San Jon's Picos.

At 7a and below you must do Ananda 7a and Medecine Douce 6c+ on the Cascade.

harley davidson is pretty cool i think its 6c. there's a really good 6c+ thats a bit slab tastic groove thing at the far right hand end of berlin can't remeber the name. if you can push up to 7a plus the petite ilusion is ace, as is still movement in i can't remeber blue? sorry thats useless. its got 3 moonon moves in a row the way idid it. and at 7a plus. gotta be done.

Right. So far so good.

Any more recommendations in the F6b - F7a range?

Particularly after stuff that is onsightable - and a variety of styles of routes from walls to features to as steep as possible?

Which of the routes listed are suitable?

[SA Chris]

Can't be bothered reading whole post again, but there's a few next to each other at Demi line area, and some on the slabby wall up and right of Medicine Douche / Ananda.

[Fiend]

Grades? Names? I presume the slabby ones are slabby, what about the others?

After quite specific recommendations, I'll be revising the guide thoroughly for general area recommendations...

[Paul B]

demi lune has loads of easy slab routes, if you're feeling on form head for lapinerie, an easy 7b tick, short vertical bit, hands of rest, to steep jug pulling (piss) and a dyno to finish...

[SA Chris]

Grades? Names? I presume the slabby ones are slabby, what about the others?

After quite specific recommendations, I'll be revising the guide thoroughly for general area recommendations...

It was 10 years ago that we were there, and we didnt have a guide. I think they were called; homogenous euro limestone route 1; 6b, homogenous euro limestone route 2; 6b+, etc.....

[Fiend]

LOL, if I'm feeling on form I might be able to scrape up 6c+....

[SA Chris]

Medicine Douche. It was polished 10m years ago, must be worse now.