[T.H.]

Just got back from my trip to the alps with Jimbo Kimber and Mark Croxall!

We went so Mark could represent Great Britain in the locally held round of the world cup series, and Jimbo and myself could check out the local bouldering.

Mark climbed awesomely and got 6th place overall, which is Team GB's best position this year.  Congratulations are well deserved.  Jimbo got up some really good problems, and I climbed like a girl for the week and was only managing the easy problems.  My new mantra is "Must get better, must get better!"

The bouldering is f-ing amazing with all sorts of problems to try.  Grades go from piss to a Font 8C that still has to be done.  The granite is tough on the tips, but not as bad as Dartmoor.  The biggest problem was the heat, with temperatures regularly in the high twenties, even at altitude.

Highlights have to be:-

Climbing with Lisa Rands.

Going to the after competition party and being typically British on holiday by drinking far more than all the foreigners, and then being sick.

The badass scenery.

Getting Mark's 1.4 Fiat Tipo to 114mph and then hearing it explode 6 miles from Calais and having to get towed to the ferry.

Standing on snow in July.

and Spending loads of money on new kit.

I will get the best photos to Bubba ASAP.

[Scouse D]

Sounds awesome. Is it extensive/good enough to warrant spending a couple of weeks out there or is it a bit more limited?(i.e is it as good as font)

[dave]

If anyones interested:

http://www.cragx.com/articles/issue05/ailefroide/index.htm

http://www.cragx.com/articles/issue12/ailefroide/index.htm

[Mike_H]

Yeah it is a top quality venue, just got back from there earlier in the month.

From what I saw there was a bit of bouldering, but not anywhere near the font scale.

BUT the scope to do routes is awesome. My eyes were bulging soon as you see the full valley  :shock:

In Ailefroide itself its mostly slab climbing in the main. We did loads of climbing in Ailefroide, and checked out quite a few other venues - mainly sport climbing through the vallouise valley.

If you were keen and didn't mind doing some driving you could certainly combine it with quite a few other venues on a road trip, which is probably the way I would do it next time.

Excellent place, highly recommended and somewhere I will be going back to again.

[Percy B]

Good place for 4 or 5 days if you're just bouldering - not a massively extensive area but the good stuff is really good. Spent a week there last summer and did everything that I could do without working stuff to death. There is a dodgy photocopied topo for the boulders avaliable in the village. Take a lot of pads though, as some of the landings are horrific - massive blocks of jagged scree  :!: