On first sight, the Gorge du Verdon and the small town of Annot do not have much in common. The Verdon is one of, if not the best known climbing area in Europe. Annot? Noone bloody knows. The gorge: rife with tradition. A place of climbing history. The sandstone outcrops in the provincial backwaters: a somewhat established bouldering area, but the extraordinary cracks have been developed only during the last few years. Lime- vs sandstone. Multi- vs singlepitch. Delicate balancy face climbing, brutal jamming cracks au contraire.
But one thing they are both: world class climbing areas that in their particular style don't have to hide behind the big names overseas. And the best is, both lie a mere 60 km from each other.
The limestone cliffs around La Palud sur Verdon are a global reference for quality face-climbing. Famous are the Goutte d'eau, erosion holes from dripping water, which lead to delicate feet on steep slabs and rather fingery climbing. While most of the classics collected a certain patina over the years, the development of the area with new routes is still ongoing. In recent years we were presented with innumerous new lines in more secluded corners of the gorge, with unparalleled exposure and rock quality and, above all, without the slightest bit of polish.
'Annot's climbing history started with boulders. The shape and texture of and the technical finesse needed to climb the sandstone boulders in the area, reminds you of the world-famous Fontainebleau. The more compact outcrops above the bouldering area are of the same rock structure, but riddled with splitter cracks that are equally hard to beat in their uniform aesthetics. Those were kindly left without bolts and now provide some of the best finger and hand jamming venues in Europe. There's even some real offwidth for those who dare.
These two areas of opposed character do have some more similarities:
Namely a certain starting resistance that you have to overcome, before you can start to enjoy climbing there without stress. In the Verdon it's the wild exposure and the fact, that you rappel before you climb. Which, in reverse, means that if the climbing doesn't work out as planned, rappelling is often not an option. You should better know what you are getting into.
Those who want to jam the cracks of Annot, not only need a peculiar technique that seems to have fallen out of fashion and is hardly demanded in a climbing gym. Because bolts mainly shine through absence, they have to be replaced with four to five sets of cams and you should be able to competently handle these.
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On this trip we do not only want to climb a lot but would like to help you overcome the starting resistance to climb the big lines of the Verdon and clean cracks of Annot. Once you are familiar with the demands and peculiarities of the area, a lot of options for your own climbing experiences open up. The trip is therefore planned as a mix of guided climbing and course content for multipitch and clean-climbing.
The chosen routes, the main topics and when we are going to change the area depend on the weather conditions, your travel plans and accommodation. We can stay in a gîte or on a campground. We are happy to organize your stay, you only need to let us know your preferences.
You should have some experience with multipitch climbing and associated belay techniques. You should be able to follow long routes at about french 6a+ (UK E1, US 5.10+). If you want to use this trip to advance in your own climbing, safely leading 5c/6a (UK HVS, US 5.10-) would be reasonable.
We will provide missing gear free of extra costs. If you want to travel light, we can probably help out as well.
Aix en Provence, Marseille or Nice is not too far away. There's even a scenic train from nice passing through Annot. Let us know where you are travelling from, and we'll work something out.
The Alps are the Playground of Europe and Europe is densely populated. Some areas are frequented to a degree that is almost grotesque. Traffic jams, risky overtaking maneuvers and utter chaos on lifts and huts are common sight. Clearly the experience must be suffering.
Clever planning can avoid this and the mountains can be experienced in a pristine way — even on big and renowned peaks. We have a long record of guiding some of the most prestigious summits using bivies and less known routes, or simply climbing acyclic. It has always paid off! Does this sound appealing to you? Let's discuss your next true adventure in the mountains!
The technical basics of alpinism such as knots, crevasse rescue, setting up a belay etc. are rather easy to learn. What takes a lot more time to acquire are experience, judgement, situational decision making as well as all the tricks of the professionals that make life in the mountains easier.
A lot of alpinists were lucky to learn from more experienced mates. Our coachings give you that unique opportunity. We act as supervisors and consultants while you are climbing on the sharp end of the rope. We try to provide you with as much expert knowledge as we can. There is no business secret, we are happy to share our decision making and perhaps even learn something ourselves.
Advanced topics include complex rope techniques (e.g. the infamous short rope), tactics, speed improvement or analytical snowpack analysis. Our coachings are well suited for experienced teams.
Lets face it: social media is a mere marketing tool for many businesses. To us this way of connecting with the audience is somewhat superficial. That's not our style. We prefer the direct contact to our clients - even beyond 'business'.
What does that mean for you? If you are planning a trip to the mountains on your own, get in touch, we are happy to recommend on a summit, region or provide information on the conditions. You need advice on gear? Need a second opinion on the avalanche situation? We are fostering a long term exchange, often on a very personal level, with many of our clients. We are taking the time, because its fun to chat or talk shop with like-minded people!
Environmental protection must not be misused for mere image cultivation. Businesses who earn their money with air travel should not pat themselves on the back because they use recycled paper and green electricity. This is not credible. We clearly acknowledge the undeniable environmental damage our activities cause, and we try to at least partly offset them by the following actions, without too many words:
We encourage you to travel by train. If possible we give you a lift from the train station. We help to reduce your luggage by providing you all the technical gear required for your trip. Given a sufficient number of participants, we cover up to 50% of your train ticket.
We compensate our own as well as the CO2 emissions of our clients travelling by car without any additional cost in a transparent and comprehensive way. Of course, you are also invited to contribute. Get in touch if there are any questions!