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| Orpierre, even the out of the way cliffs were busy |
From Orgon we moved on a couple of hours northwards and had a week in Orpierre. The first few days were pleasant, there were quite a few climbers around but it was possible to get stuff done by being flexible and shuffling around. Then came Thursday and the Bank Holiday/long weekend - I have never seen so many climbers in one place - every cliff in the area was packed.
Of course this is the downside of Orpierre as a destination - despite it being a lovely mellow spot, the fact that you can walk to many of the cliffs means that it is always popular and especially with 'groups'. Also many of the routes are badly polished now, which detracts from the overall experience.
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| Briançon - a bit more like it |
Briançon is a different kettle of fish, a small city, high in the mountains and surrounded by cliffs of all shapes, sizes and rock types. The extra altitude (4,400') means it is cooler than most venues at this time of year. The sheer amount of climbing on offer means that cliffs are generally quite - though it is always worth keeping a look-out for mini-buses in the parking areas and having a Plan B.
Next week it is onwards to Aussois and the Maurienne - if our experience from last September is anything to go by, that is one area that should be really quiet.
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