[Duma]

That's a great map. What's purple signify? Not bothered? Would that imply you definitely want to get to all the other areas? How about an overnight ferry from Hull or Harwich to Denmark? Otherwise I can't see a way you can do the swedish stuff while it's not under snow or devoting days and days to driving, and it'd be a real shame to miss Kjugekull. It would get you to the scandiavian venues while it's still warm, and then you could head south to the alpine stuff via the German/Polish route venues. Switzerland for the end of the summer, then across to south of france in early Autumn. Once it starts getting cold, sod off to spain(via Sardinia?), and hit up Font on the way home.
Sorted.
 

[Paul B]

neil, does that mean maisonshower isn't an option 

Duma - Green - sport
           Blue - bouldering
           purple - both

           yellow - us 

The swedish, unfortunately doesn't look like its an option. The overnight ferry would be an option but you've still got a rather long drive down. We just thought a plot would indicate what was and wasn't feasible and hopefully lead to some clear route thinking. Two bottles of wine down and the two of us still don't have a clue.

[Jaspersharpe]

Glad to hear it! As Doylo says there are TONS of great routes in the sixes. Just watch out for the slab cruxes.........

I got well and truely spamked on a 6b one of them slabs, big run out at the top with a desperate crux for the chain

There are a few on the Zappa slab that are truly desperate and so polished and there's a route at the RH end of Styx Wall that gets 6b or something and I swear is about 8a+. I couldn't do the moves when I was climbing 8b. It felt as hard or harder than an 8a with a slab crux I was trying on the West Face at the time. Ridiculous.

However the routes in the Fakir area (Encore et Toujours, Invasion Nordique etc etc) are all mint, about 35m long and pretty reasonable for the grades (in the sixes and low sevens). The LH Styx wall stuff is good and the first area on the far left of the crag (left of Autoroute Du Soleil) has a lot of really good 6bish stuff (although still with a few naughty slab moves).

Basically if you stay away from the really old skool "classics" at 6a-6c then you're generally ok.

Just looked at the map. You bastard Paul.

[neil h]

neil, does that mean maisonshower isn't an option 

 

[Paul B]

Some more pics of the van if anyone is interested:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/39660023@N03/sets/72157620645767174/

Thanks to everyone who helped with beta at such short notice, it is well appreciated!

[neil h]

nice, pimp my ride 

[Doylo]

like the tiled floor

[Adam Lincoln]

Some more pics of the van if anyone is interested:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/39660023@N03/sets/72157620645767174/

Thanks to everyone who helped with beta at such short notice, it is well appreciated!

Nice Paul, good job. Very jealous...

[Palomides]

Herault/Gard comments

Ailefroide - Don't bother with the bouldering, but the trad is good
Albarracin
Alicante - Whole region will be warmer in the winter.  Better for Nat but plenty in high grades too (think Forada,Sella,Gandia)
Alquezar - very sunny. Good for coldest months or if tufas wet at Rodellar
Annot
Arco - not bad, but nothing special. Nice steep climbing, but quite humid mid summer. Lovely town and cafes
Baltzola
Berdorf - Large version of Font with grid bolting.  Worth looking at if you are in the area.  Gets VERY busy at weekends for obvious reasons
Buoux - didn't excite me that much. Too much faffing around on a million limestone pockets for my liking
Catalunya
Cavallers
Ceuse
Chateauvert
Chironico
Claret - looks a bit scruffy but the climbing is good. Pumpy if you're unfit. Possible in summer (shade from about 18h00), great on sunny winters days. Nearby Thaurac is a bit more year-round.
Cresciano
Cuenca - looks polished sharp and nasty (Not the sectors that I have been too)
Dolomites - mega for trad and via ferrata, rubbish for sport climbing. Yes ACE via ferrata!
El Chorro - a very long drive. Only suitable for coldest months
Fontainebleau - never heard of it, fontainwhat?
Frankenjura
Freyr - vertical polished, old school
Gorge du Loup
Gorges du Tarn - too hot mid summer, possible to cold/wet in winter, very good in between. Very cold in winter
Gorges du Verdon - mega. Totally brilliant. Seek out the less travelled parts. Good for scary slacklines!
Hyltebergen
Interlaken
Kalymnos
Kjugekull
Lebak
Lehn
Les Eaux Claires
Lofoten
Magic Wood
Margalef
Meshia
Misja Pec
Montenejos
Montsant
Orpierre - a bit drab compared to nearby Ceuse
Pfalz
Rodellar - best months mid sept to early nov
Russan - Solar oven. Winter only. Occasionally dodgy carpark (might be best to park a van in the village and walk an extra km or so) beautiful setting, varied climbing (grey slabs, tufa, monster roofs)
Santalinya - very sunny, only suitable for oldest months
Sardinia - hard/expensive to get to by van! Also not as friendly or good climbing as Spain/France/Italy
Schlier Wasserfall
Seynes - Fully s-facing, winter only, lots of tufa.
Siurana - Good base for the other crags in the area.  Limited in the easy grades
Sokoliki
St Leger - Excellent. Nice and steep, mellow place and good parking. Nice stream.
Sustenpass
Targassone
Terradets
Tete de Chien - Is this Font?
Tetto di Sarre
Tres Pont - lots of shade good escape if too hot at Terradets
Val Di Mello - Very beautiful valley with everything to throw yourself at (bouldering/trad/sport/big wall).  Don't go when the festival is on. Second this - totally amazing. Go any time after end of April and before Oct
Venue
Volx - if you want to climb juggy caves Spain has many MUCH better ones than this
Voralpsee
Zillertal

[dobbin]

So, he hasnt updated his blog, theres no posts back on here - I can only assume from this that they are dead - RIP paul and Nat.

[Paul B]

don't fear dobbin, I'd have been haunting you long before now if I were dead 

(sunburnt in Ceuse)

[Paul B]

has anyone got any more specific beta on via ferrata in the dolomites? Good place to aim for, any particular route that was good? (A good book?)

Thanks,
Paul

(unwelcome in magic wood)

[Bubba]

Why unwelcome in Magic Wood?

Re: Via Ferrata - I used the Cicerone Press Guide book from '92 but it looking at their website now it's been split into two books, a Northern one and a Southern one.

The best one I can remember doing last trip was "Pisciadu Climbing Path" in the Sella Group - it goes straight up a massive wall next to a waterfall - exposed but easy and well protected.



Some good info on that site: http://alavigne.net/Outdoors/FeatureReports/ViaFerrata/index.jsp

<edit> - This one is good too Lots of variety, exposure and it takes in a proper summit with incredible views.

[Jaspersharpe]

Why unwelcome in Magic Wood?

http://travelswithmyt4.blogspot.com/2009/07/slugen-magic.html

[neil h]

has anyone got any more specific beta on via ferrata in the dolomites? Good place to aim for, any particular route that was good? (A good book?)

Thanks,
Paul

(unwelcome in magic wood)

If I knew you were in ceuse, did james tell you about the deep water soloing day we had in the verdon, you should have come along it was ace, making a vid of it know

good luck on the rest of the trip, get out of magicwood its crap, and dont go to annot

[Nibile]

paul,
one of the classics is the 'bocchette" via ferrata. you have to park just close to madonna di campiglio center, at a hut whose name i soon will tell you. from there you can hike for three hours, to the brentei hut, or three and half to the tosa pedrotti hut. from both huts you join the via ferrata that does all the tour around the mountain.
should you want to multipitch, i highly recommend an early start do do the 'via normale at campanile basso' a super classic at IV grade. after the ferrata you can get back on the side of pedrotti hut and also hike down towards molveno, which has also a nice lake a is on the other side of the valley. from molveno, with one hours of bus you can get back to madonna di campiglio. it's worth. three or four days should be fun also to do some hut life, i.e. sleep, eat and drink.

[Paul B]

Thanks for the info!

We're now in Arco as the weather crapped out a bit in Magic wood; warm AND wet... We've spent the evening on babelfish translating the italian ferrata guide that we've bought.

[Nibile]

hey paul,
for the "bocchette via ferrata" the parking is at the presanella hut, 10 mins from madonna di campiglio center.
but paul, don't get yourselves on a via ferrata friday 17th or saturday 18th because the forecast is for rainstorms.
you can check also "meteotrentino"

[Paul B]

Cheers Nibs... we might be at a VW garage tomorrow instead.

[chriss]

Bit late on theis topic, but I know what you mean about Magic Woods. We were in a van like yourself & got harrased, questioned by every other fucker & made to feel uneasy all the time so we sacked it off for brighter climate of Spain. People just don't seem to like the idea of you parking up fpr nowt.

[Paul B]

TBH the only person giving us hassle was the campsite owner, we'd driven miles away as well so it wasn't as if access would be threatened either as there was no way they could tell we were climbers. Unless they recognized the Foundry sticker of course 
The local farmer who parked up his wagon full of sheep next to us every other morning didn't give a sh*t we were there and was very chatty.

Anyway, I wasn't too impressed by Magic all 'n' all. Albaraccin is better and bigger. We went to the dolomites to do some VF which was great. Cheers for the route recommendations bubba, the pisciadu was the best we did out of the lot. Nibs; we're going to multi-day it on the backpass, I'll drop you a pm then if you're psyched to join?

Off to innsbruck now, then Schlier and Zill...

[Nibile]

excellent paul, i await some news!!!
avoid dolomites from 8 to 20 august, it's a mess of posh mofos and a chaos of jaguars and porshes. plus, it takes hours to get to the rocks. damn weakmos.
see you soon paul!!! if i go on like this (weights and no rock) it'll be easy to spot me, i'll be the beefcake who can't climb hsit.
enjoy the trip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111

[neil h]

how long you in zillertal for, I am driving done friday for 5 days, unc is going to show me around, you going to hook upi with him?

[Paul B]

I've tried ringing him and just got his answerphone (new number perhaps?)

and nothing as of yet on the email... we were hoping to though, yes!

When driving in I wondered why on earth he picked to live here but I've just picked up a copy of the guide (took me a good half an hour to pick between the three on offer) and now I understand.

[Paul B]

good evening peeps of UKB, I was hoping some of you might be able to help...

we're currently in the frankenjura and we're a bit boggled by the multitude of crags on offer. So far we've been using my hit list and andys old top of the pockets cragx article as a guide but that only seems to cover a very small area... sooooo which others are worthwhile?

Nat is looking for high F6's (pref not too steep) and I'm open to anything thats of impeccable quality.

does anyone know where England meets the Falklands or whatever its called is?

Thanks in advance.