X-File 17: Lourmarin Sport Climbing, France

By Dave Westlake

Area & Style of Climbing
Lourmarin – Sport Climbing

Location
France, South

Overview
A little known crag that is popular with locals and home to some outstanding routes on limestone that is unusual.

The crag was developed in the 1980’s but suffered from access problems for several years, while climbing was banned. Recently, the crag has opened but still does not appear in any guidebooks. The team from nearby climbing shop, Happy Boulder (www.happyboulder.com), are involved in bolting new lines and opening new sectors.

Image: Simon "Way Rad" Downing on Overdose (7b) Photo: Graham Cooper

Best Time to Go & Conditions
The best conditions are generally found in spring (March – May) and autumn (September – November). It is possible to climb throughout the year, although like most of southern France in the summer, it can get very hot.

Getting There
If you can be flexible about when you travel, flights can be as little as £0 plus taxes and charges - the cheapest overall price being around £30. The nearest airport to the climbing that has a budget operator is Nimes (about 90 minutes drive). This is a small airport but is well served by Ryanair.

Lourmarin crag lies next to the road (D943) just before you get to the village of the same name, coming from the North. It is about 1.5 hrs drive from Nimes and about 20 mins drive from Apt.

Accessibility
Having a vehicle is not essential, but it will make things easier. Getting to Apt is possible on public transport but would take much longer, and a car gives you the freedom to explore the other crags in the area easily. Once at the campsite in Apt the climbing is only a 20 minute drive away.

As you approach Lourmarin from Apt the crag becomes visible on the left – park on the small track to the right.




Accommodation & Provisions
The cheapest place to stay is “Les Cedres” campground, in Apt. This is conveniently located 2 minutes walk from the town centre. Basing yourself in Apt is a good idea as it gives you access to the other crags in the area - most famously Buoux which is only about 15 mins drive.

The price of camping is €2.50 per person per night plus €1.80 per tent.

The campsite is spacious and even has a small climbing wall and an excellent kitchen area, with fridge and freezer facilities. The showers and washrooms are also of a high standard.

Guide Book/s
Currently (2009) not in any guides, but the climbing shop in Lourmarin (see link below) have up to date photocopied topo’s available. These are free but please consider supporting the shop by buying any supplies as this helps fund the bolting (and the staff are very friendly too!).

For a download of an outdated topo click here.

Grade Spread and Recommended Routes
The crag has over 40 routes and the best climbing is mostly in the 7’s and 8’s, and the quality of rock on the few 6’s is generally not so good.

My recommendations would be: Overdose (7b+) , Clairvoyance (7a+ /7b+), Suidose (8b), Sepultura (7b+).

General Tip/s
Being an esoteric venue, you need to be careful with the rock on some of the routes – it can be loose. Wearing a helmet is a good idea although the rock on all the best routes is generally solid.

The small town of Apt is well endowed with shops, bars and restaurants. The historic cathedral is said to be good for a rest day. The Provence region has a reputation for its food and, as you might expect in France, there is a very good Patisserie!

Lourmarin village is small and quaint with several very nice (and expensive) looking restaurants – I could easily loose an afternoon here drinking coffee and reading the paper!

The nearest climbing shop is in Lourmarin, which is about 15 minutes drive and is well stocked with all the essentials.

Useful Links
Flights: www.ryanair.com
Campsite: www.camping-les-cedres.fr
Gites: www.gites-de-france.com
Climbing store: www.happyboulder.com

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Review: Scarpa Mago

By Dave MacLeod
A Scarpa Review
Images: Claire Macleod


The first time I used my Magos was on a night time arrival in Siurana, Spain. We were pretty keen to get amongst it from the word go so we got the head-torches out and I started up a 7b wall climb. When you can’t see a bloody thing you really pay attention to the messages from your limbs as you climb, so it was actually a really good setting to try out new shoes. The first thing that hits you when you stand on a small hold is the toe power support. Just as you think your big toe is really going to have to strain to prevent the shoe from deforming as you rock over, you feel the support kick in. This support seems to have been achieved without loss of sensitivity, which is of course a major achievement in rock shoe design. Scarpa have done very well with this feature and I’m sure the ‘others’ will be looking carefully at it.

This is an all-rounder’s shoe. The support is there to stand on thin slabs and fiddle with RPs [or IMPs] , but they’ve also taken me up my first 8c+ on steep limestone and V13 roof climbing with all manner of toe and heel hooking trickery going on. Precision in a rock shoe should allow you to forget about the shoe and focus on the foothold. Often, you only think about your rockshoes when they fail to do the job well, and that is how it should be! The Magos have achieved this and no matter what the venue, rock type or climbing discipline, you won’t find yourself asking “are these the right shoes for today’s climbing?” Gritstone E10 is certainly a situation where that is quite an important question. But here also I could forget about this question and get on with the job in hand – staying alive!

Image: L’odi Social (f8c+), Siurana


The sternest test I put them through was a first ascent of an eighteen metre roof line at Dumbarton, very close to my limit and with every type of foot move imaginable. I found the Magos worked flawlessly on foot-hooks using the inside ‘knuckle’ of the foot, as this lies under the rubber ‘flap’ of the X-tension system. On a ‘bat hang’ upside down shake out at the halfway point, hanging from two toe hooks, the toe rubber provided good grab. The upper gave better friction for toe hooking once it was abraded a little from frequent toe hooking. I’d actually like to see the Mago's given the same toe hook rubber as the Stix and Booster, which works exceptionally well. On heel hooks, the boots stayed snug on my foot even during the most aggressive heel hook moves, and were not uncomfortable to lace up super tight for this purpose.

The big point of interest for many folks thinking of switching between rock shoe manufacturers is the quality of the rubber. Again Scarpa have made an excellent move by using the new Vibram rubber, which in my opinion is as good a performer as some of the more famous types on the market. The bottom line on rubber is, if it wasn’t as good as you could get, good climbers, being the single minded zealots that they are, wouldn’t use it!

Summary
If you climb on more than one angle and rock type, and need a good balance between support and sensitivity and a rock shoe that likes heel and toe hooks, the Mago will do whatever you want. I wear them for anything requiring some stiffness and/or hard heel-hooking. Ascents so far include: L'odi social 8c+, Blind Vision E10(?), Sosho Font 8a+

Purchase the Scarpa Mago here.

X-File 16: Venasque Sport Climbing, France

By Dave Westlake

Area & Style of Climbing
Venasque – Sport Climbing

Location
France, South

Overview
Lesser known than some of the other areas in the region, Venasque is a good choice for those who are looking for somewhere a bit quieter than the usual hotspots but with routes that are just as good. The climbing style varies from very long, steep stamina pitches on flat edges to shorter, more boulder routes. This all takes place on an unusual type of limestone that seems to have a significant sandstone content.

The area itself is beautiful, and typical of rural France. The 4th century village of Venasque is small and picturesque, and classified as a “Monument Historique” as it was built on the remains of a Roman temple.

Best Time to Go & Conditions
The best conditions are generally found in spring (March – May) and autumn (September – November). It is possible to climb throughout the year; even in the summer it should be possible to find some shade due to the fact that many buttresses are shaded by trees and face various directions.

Getting There
The climbing lies about a ten minute drive South East of Carpentras, on the D4. Carpentras is around a 1hr 15 min drive from Nimes (head North East on the E15 towards Orange) or around 2 hours drive from Grenoble.






Once you pass the small village of Venasque on your left, there is a small car park a little further along next to the obvious crag. Buttresses are scattered throughout the valley but this is a good place to start, and get your bearings.

Accessibility
Having a vehicle is not essential, but it will make things easier. Getting to Carpentras is possible on public transport and hitching from here should be ok, although I’ve not tried! (It’s only about 13km). Once in Venasque the climbing is all within walking distance.

Accommodation & Provisions
The best place to stock up on supplies is probably Carpentras, which is a fairly large town with shops and 3 supermarkets.

Gites and Hotels/restaurants are available in the Village of Venasque itself, and there are campsites in the Carpentras area.


Guide Book/s
Title: Avignon Soleil (English Guidebook containing many areas in the Southern French region)
Price: £19.95 (click image to purchase)


Grade Spread and Recommended Routes
Venasque is best for the 7 grade climber but there are also several good routes in the 6 and 8 grade bands. My recommendations would be Petite Marie (6c+), Petite Man (6b) Aller Plus Raut (7b+), and Misanthropies thérapeutiques (7b).



General Tip/s
The area is good for both onsighting and redpointing. Some of the routes we did were pure stamina climbs so if you are fit when you arrive then you are likely to have a good trip – if not you will no doubt get fit while you are there! On the other hand, for those who like their routes more bouldery, we were told about some of the shorter routes having Font 7C sections on them.


For those who do not have a guidebook, the names and grades of most routes are painted on the rock. The area is also popular with locals and during our visit there was no shortage of people who could help identifying routes.

It would be wise to combine a visit to Venasque with some of the many other crags in the region, as most of the classic southern French crags are within striking distance.

Useful Links
Flights: www.ryanair.com
Campsite: http://www.camping-les-cedres.fr
Gites: http://www.gites-de-france.com
Guide book: Avignon Soleil Climbing


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