Frank and I swap a gully for four days of multipitch climbing in the Vercors and Diois, from Archiane to Saoû via Les Trois Becs and the crags at Omblèze.
Frank and I are trying something different on this trip! The high mountains don’t look all that inviting. The prospect of wading through heaps of snow to reach a gully that may or may not be in condition doesn’t exactly get us going… A quick look through the binoculars from Ailefroide and we’re hatching plans that sound a good deal friendlier. We settle on the Vercors!
After a day buying time on a lovely bit of rock perched above home, we hit the road for four days of multipitch climbing in the Diois. The area is completely new to Frank, and so are these long outings up big walls! Four magic days with dream weather, empty crags, the countryside looking its best and perfect rock.
J1 — Archiane, Voie du Levant
We start with Archiane, which is hard to pass up. The Voie du Levant is our objective. It’s a lovely classic and a little headroom above the stated grades is no bad thing, especially for the leader. It’s serious climbing, which doesn’t stop us messing about, with tricky route-finding and pegs nearing the end of their working lives… Hardly a beginner’s multipitch!
It’s a wonderful journey up a big wall under the amused gaze of the vultures. Topping out onto the plateau is magic. We settle in the sun for a bit and enjoy the moment. Then we finish the day at a good little restaurant in Die.
J2 — Les Trois Becs, Parfum d’Opale
Next up is one of the area’s landmark mountains, Les Trois Becs. The Parisian gang, Paragot, Bérardini and company, put up a bold route here, all free, which seems pretty unlikely when you first look at the face!
Ever since we started going to the mountains together, Frank has insisted I pick routes I’ve never done. What a hardship! I suggest Parfum d’Opale, six or seven pitches up to 6b.
As every day on this trip, we start with a lovely walk through the countryside. The autumn woods have an energy of their own that puts us in a good mood for the whole day! A sea of clouds over the Diois, the Alpine summits in the distance. Could be worse. The route had a good reputation and we were won over! Those bands of flint are a joy to climb. The final section is overhanging and fairly straightforward, a lovely way to finish. Good choice.
J3 — Omblèze, Jojo le Bricoleur and La Georgette
A different crag every day! To give Frank a bit of a break from racking up kilometres of climbing, we head to Omblèze. There aren’t many easy multipitches there, but Jojo le Bricoleur does the job nicely and we polish it off in three long pitches. I break a terrible rule by repeating a route I’ve done before. It was over ten years ago, though, so surely the statute of limitations applies. Besides, I’d forgotten most of it!
After our little warm-up, we go to see what La Georgette has to say for herself. A change of style. The first pitch is bolted, then it’s two pitches of adventure climbing. Quite nice too, though we wish we’d brought a brush cutter for the end of the last pitch!
That’s it for Frank’s climbing. He patiently belays me on a few lovely single-pitch routes, then we move on to Saoû for the evening. After a meal at a restaurant as unexpected as it is unusual, we settle in the Forêt de Saoû, the most beautiful place in the world according to Haroun Tazieff. No less!
J4 — Saoû, Nomades Land
Last day of the trip and the least sunny. The clouds are in and the mistral is howling up high! Luckily, we’re well sheltered. We climb Nomades Land, an uneven route that’s a notch below the previous days’ outings. Frank uses a long traverse to conduct a few experiments in pendulum motion!
As the morning goes on, the sun comes back. That’s enough to get us on a few more single pitches and use up what little skin we’ve got left before heading home!
Practical Info / Route Topo
J1 — Voie du Levant at Archiane
- Frank and I start on a classic with tricky route-finding and some old pegs to contend with. We top out onto the plateau under the watchful eyes of the vultures.
J2 — Parfum d’Opale at Les Trois Becs
- After a walk through the autumn woods and views of clouds filling the Diois valleys, we climb Parfum d’Opale’s flint bands to the overhanging finish.
J3 — Jojo le Bricoleur and La Georgette at Omblèze
- We polish off Jojo le Bricoleur in three long pitches, then switch to adventure climbing on La Georgette. We finish with a few single pitches and an evening in Saoû.
J4 — Nomades Land at Saoû
- Sheltered from the mistral, we climb Nomades Land, with a few improvised pendulums for Frank. The sun comes back for our final single pitches.
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