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| Jerome on La Cour des Grands 7c at Entraygues |
What climbing do you know in the Haute Alps? Hopefully you’d
have heard of Ceuse, the wonder cliff at the top of the hill, or Ailefroide
with granite slabs in alpine meadows. However for those wanting to get away
from these popular venues there are others. Small crags high up in the
mountains hold sensational climbing in stunning settings.
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| Me on Deltaplane man Direct 8c+ at Entraygues |
Driving from Gap to Briancon the first major area you get to
is the conglomerate. The two areas are Mont Dauphin for lower grade climbers
and Rue des Masques for higher grade climbers. My brother and I had a couple
days here. The first was particularly memorable as we decided to sneak a climb
in before the forecasted storms rolled in. The jungle conditions and dripping
top slabs made the routes quite sporty. Safe to say we didn’t last long!
Hot potatoes are all good for a while but just a few miles
up into the Queyras is a true gem, La Saume. Even before you’ve touched rock
your visit will be unforgettable, the 6km of mountain track will be make sure
of that. The brave will be rewarded however with long elegant lines on black
and yellow limestone. The quality starts with Gazpatcho at 7a+ although make
sure to limber up as it’s a strenuous one. Keep going through the 7’s until you
reach Petit Danseuse at 8a a continuous pitch which is gripping right to the
very end. Once these are done the central 50m black wall awaits. Here the
routes are truely world class and the 50m 8b+ is one I’ll never forget. It
relied less on power and more on keeping your cool right at the top. This was
something I couldn’t do on my flash as I dropped it with the chains in front of
my eyes! Just next to the big wall is ‘the cave’ which has a selection of good bouldery
routes. Tiens bon la rampe 8a+ is my favourite as it’s such a striking line.
First time I saw it I was like ‘wow that looks cool’.
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| Louis (board lord) on Saume sweet home at La Saume |
For those who prefer shorter climbs the crag to visit is
Entraygues. This is situated by a river high up and close to the Ecrins
national park. The rock type is gneiss and it’s from 10m to 20m tall. We camped
by the river which was a bit nerve-racking as it is the pasture of a huge bull.
I didn’t feel quite safe sleeping in a bright red tent! The left hand side has
routes from 6b to 8a then the right hand side has routes from 7c to 9a+! The 7c
La Cour des Grands is the obvious line of weakness but still be sure to bring
your shoulders for the crux. Then Le Brulot 8b is another next classic up the
ladder and another one to bring some shoulders. The very highest level routes
Deltaplane man direct and San Ku Kai both 8c+ are of top quality. I spent a
long time trying Deltaplane man direct but the crux slap from a miserable pinch
to a crimp shut me down session after session unfortunately.
Just down the valley from Entraygues is the crags of
Tournoux and Grand Bois. These both have long technical routes with the best
views I’ve ever had from a crag. Make sure to trek all the way to the top
sector at Tournoux where the sectors La ruee vers l’or and Loups Hurlant await.
La ruee vers l’or has lots of top notch 7’s to enjoy whereas Loups Hurlant the
quality starts in the 8’s. At Grand Bois Les boeufs rouges is the sector to visit
with epic long routes to go at. Diaclase is a must with burly crack climbing
all the way up to the chains at 35m!
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| Me on Deltaplane Man Direct 8c+ at Entraygues |
The next valley along is the Fournel valley which has some
wicked crags in. We spent most of our time trying the classic test-pieces at
Roche des Brumes. There is an 8a, 8b, 8c and 9a which are all super classic. Unfortunately,
I didn’t get the big one but the 8’s where all amazing. The 8c was called Une
arquee pour le criquet and it is a strong contender for the best 8c in the
world. Another crag is L’atelier which is a unique crag. It’s really smooth and
the starts are all crimpy then you get some technical slab followed by
water-worn pockets which require interesting tricks to climb. It’s a crag that
tests lots of abilities. My favourite there was a 7c called King line which
deserved it’s name because it traversed a beautiful wave of rock before
blasting through the steepness to the top.
In summer, there isn’t many places to go where you can enjoy
cool temperatures and European style routes. Spending a whole summer around Briancon
was a perfect solution. The climbing was super varied and we didn’t even visit
all the crags in the area so we might have to make another visit!
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| Me on Une Arquee pour le criquet 8c at Roches des Brumes |
