Ariege - Blank on the Map - an article I originally wrote in 2012

Binky on the classic (as in Front Cover) of Sabine (5c) at Auzat

Some climbing destinations broadcast their delights far and wide and are well know and secure on ‘the circuit’ but others can creep up on you askance, having been mentioned in passing in a busy pub or briefly alluded to in magazines. The Ariège was one of the latter, initially, I didn’t even know exactly where it was with any certainty, I had heard of huge routes on the Dent d’Orlu and a few Brits who had moved out to the area, settled in and never come home - but not much more.
A little research pinned it down to the French Pyrenees, close to Andorra and the Spanish border. A bit more digging found that RyanAir flew to Carcassonne, about an hour from the area, and as an underused route the prices were less than reasonable; late 2006 four of us flew in for a long weekend, (£30 return from East Midlands) to check the area out. Considering it was the 1st week in November we were impressed, gorgeous weather, quiet crags, granite and limestone to go at, in four busy days we visited four crags, did 30 routes and got a small feel for the area.
We were back the following Easter to do a bit more exploring, and then kept then popping in on a regular basis at least once a year.

Poisson d'Avril (7a) Calames

By 2011 I was at a bit of a loose end with ‘projects’ so contacted John and Anne Arran who I had never met but knew lived in the area to see if they wanted to help write a guidebook the Ariège - they were keen, so in February 2012 we loaded up the car and drove down spend a few months the area. In the event it was a great move - instead of the usual scenario of jetting off somewhere for two weeks, rushing around like mad dogs then heading back home to sort the mess out, we could take our time, pop out to take critical crag shots, or go back to check approaches etc as the book progressed.
John and Anne proved to be superb ‘checking machines’ doing 26 routes on one particularly intense day on Sibada - and most importantly, promptly writing up the information in a useable format. Many other locals chipped in with advice about routes and grades and things moved on nicely.
Long time buddy Colin Binks called in on a regular basis on his travels between the UK and Spain, and as winter turned to summer a large and jolly Rockfax/UKC team came out for an intense week's climbing and checking routes in glorious weather. By the autumn the book was well advanced, we popped back in for another week in the area in September (on the way to the Costa Blanca) help to tidied up a few loose ends. The book was published in December - possibly something of a record; less than 12 months from 1st keystroke to being on the shelves. So once again and just before Christmas, we trekked back across France again to spend more time in this great area - this time with a boot full of shiny new books.

Calames - plenty of routes (200+) to go at there

So what’s the area like? Quiet is the 1st word that springs to mind, and varied is the 2nd. Despite several large campsites in the main valleys the area always seems almost deserted. Apparently July and August are busy with holidaying French, but for much of the rest of the year, you will often have crags to yourself. The rock faces in all directions, there are routes from tiny roadside stuff to 20+ pitches. There is granite and limestone and gneiss, there are mega-caves and huge slabs. There is also a bit of trad around for those who like that sort of thing, on the Dent d’Orlu and Sinsat, though a bit of uphill hiking will be required. On top of the climbing, there is skiing, canoeing, caving plus, cycling (on and off-road) mountain walking and ice climbing and even Cathar castles to visit.  Of all the places we have climbed this is one of the most varied, especially when you consider that the area isn’t much more than 30 miles across.

As an added attraction, the main Ariège valley is at a height of only around 450m, but the surround peaks rise to over 3000m. Climbing and skiing are possible on consecutive days and the option of driving uphill to escape the summer heat is a real attraction. The 1st time we visited Andorra is was 14C at Chez Arran and -9C with a savage wind at El Pas de la Casa - we were seriously underdressed!

South Face of the Dent d'Orlu - 26 pitches big enough for you?

Main Climbing Areas (numbers refer to routes in the guidebook)

Calames - 190+ routes. One of the main venues in the area, high-quality limestone, with a full mixture from slabby to very steep, from 4+ to 8b+ and from tiny to seven pitches. The crag is south facing and can be very popular at weekends - once of the few crags you might have to share.

Alliat - 125+ routes. Another limestone area, with a selection of cliffs scatted across a wide hillside. The crags get afternoon shade which is useful in hotter weather. Many of the best routes are in the upper grades, with the big wall pitches of the Passe Murailles and the fine sculptured lines of Le Livre being the showcase venues.

Auzat - 185+ routes. A lovely set of granite slabs and buttresses scatter across the hillside above the old aluminium smelter. A good set of grades, lovely rock and even some small multi-pitch climbs all add to the attraction of the place, as do the easy accessibility and tree-shaded bases.

Sinsat - 190+ routes. The spectacular rocky mountain that runs along the side of the main for several kilometres has a full range of climbs broadly split into single pitch routes down by the river and bigger ‘mountaineering’ type routes higher up the hill.

Dent d’Orlu - 30 routes. A huge granite peak, and a summer-only venue. There are a trad and bolted route here up to an astounding 25 pitches long, and many finishing on the summit of this spectacular mountain. Early starts and the ability to move quickly are a good idea here if you don’t want to spend a night out or get caught in an afternoon storm.

Logistics:

Season: climbing is possible year-round and although snowy weather can make things tricky in the depths of winter there are many south-facing cliffs. Summers are hot, though the option to go high is available.

CC on Los Bire Fireal (5c) at Sinsat

Getting there: Flights into Carcassonne and Toulouse are good options, being about 1hr 15 min from Tarascon sur Ariège. Perpignan and also Girona and Barcelona are options, being 2 - 3 hours drive away. From Calais it is about 12 hrs drive to the Ariège - a night crossing to St Malo is a good option, leaving an 8 hr drive through western France.

Where to stay: As mentioned there are many campsites in the area, several of which have cabins and/or caravans to rent - check out the Tourist Info.  Several ex-pat Brits have good accommodation in the area - a web search for Base Calames Chez Arran, La Gite de Borde, My Pyrenean Adventure and The Forge is a good place to start.

Guidebook: Rockfax France: Ariège (£24:95 -312 pages) by Chris Craggs, Anne and John Arran was published in December 2012
and covers the majority of the good climbing in the central part of the Arège valley and several of the outlying cliffs. It includes 25 crags and almost 1400 routes. It also covers brief details other activities available in the area including cycling and snow-related activities.

In seach of the Sun

Plateau de Beille - magical

Our six weeks at Chez Arran have passed a pleasantly as ever, though for the past couple of weeks the weather has been about as unsettled as we have ever known it with a lot of snow, rain and cloud. Colin called in for a week on his way back to the UK, and in the event we only got one day's climbing in which was a disappointment. We kept busy with hiking, caving, snowshoeing etc but I missed the chance for him to tow me up a few good routes.

The forecast remain very unsettled so we have made a decision to bring out trip down to the Costa Blanca forward a couple of weeks. There is so much snow in the mountains we are probably going to have to go 'the long way round' but needs must.

Beautiful Briançonaise

Autumn in Ailefroide

We moved a couple of hours over the mountains from the Maurienne to the Briançon area. We have stopped around here quite a few times in recent years, out of season the area is exceptionally quiet and the altitude (around 4500') means it is often pleasantly cool, especially when compared to the lowlands further west and south.

Mi-Nöel (5c+) Rocher Baron -
this one is quartzite!

There is an amazing variety of rock on offer in this Alpine orogeny collision zone with granite, gneiss, quartzite, limestone, conglomerate and probably some sandstone. There is also a very good spread of grades, from easy stuff for old guys to some seriously impressive crags and routes of every length from tiny up to major multi-pitch.
Then there are the passes, that allow you to get even higher, when it does warm up and a serious set of Via Ferrata to go at. Ailefoide has long been popular but the rest of the area much less so, which seems a bit odd.
Anyway it is onward now, Ariege next and next month a trip to exploring the Greek mainland with Colin.

Back to the Peace of the Maurienne

Above Saas Fee - 11,000+ feet

 A few days in France then a week in Switzerland gave a bit of time for the crowds to head for home and everywhere to start to quieten down. The time in Saas-Grund was great, it isn't the best climbing destination - but a small 'tourist tax' allows free access to the cable-cars, so we spent quite a bit of time high up, hiking the various high level trails.

Climbing in the Maurienne

The plan had been to head to Ponte Brolla and the Italian Lakes for some climbing, but the forecast was hot (28C) and prices seemed very expensive - still high season down there. After a bit of thought we decided to head back to the Maurienne, the deep valley running up to the Italian border north west of Turin.
We were here last year and were impressed with the peace, quiet and variety of climbing available. The face that we managed to get a six bed ski chalet for £18 a night was a major bonus - the beauty of being here out of season.

Col de Mont Cenis at the French/Italian border

A week into September and I have already done 36 routes - compared to 20 for the whole of July in the UK. For many years now I have found it much more motivating to explore new crags and poke around areas I don't know very well - I guess this a not very subtle way of hiding the 'decline into decrepitude'.

2017 Done and Dusted

• Ariege,

• Catalunya

• Kalymnos,

• Orgon,

• Orpierre,

• Briançon,

• Aussois,

• Chamonix,

• Sheffield(!)

• Ötztal,

• Pitztal,

• Sheffield(!)

• Ariege

• Kalymnos,

• Leonidio,

• Kyparissi,

• Nafplio,

• Kalymnos,

• Catterick for my father's funeral

• Kalymnos

• Ariege

 .... and probably a place or two I forgot

Sampling Sicily

 Two weeks in Sicily meeting a bunch of 'the Grumpies' from Sheffield seemed like a fair idea. We found we could fly cheaply from Girona, an easy three hours from Chez Arran, and there was a spare cabin available on the San Vito camp-site so it was all systems go. Car Rentals UK sorted us a complimentary vehicle with their usual efficiency and the 1st afternoon we ticked 5 easy routes.

In the event it was a great trip, there are around 450 routes within walking distance of the camp-site, the setting is lovely in a really wild corner of Sicily. The place was busier than we were expecting - having imagined it might have been completely deserted in late Feb/early March. The weather was a teeny bit unsettled, though we only actually lost one day through rain. Generally temperatures were fine, the crags dry quickly, access takes minutes from the accommodation, and as the cliffs face west, afternoons climbing were pure pleasure

From the road the cliffs look a bit scrappy, but the climbing was excellent almost without exception, the routes of all grades tend to be steep and the bolting is encouraging. Many of the pitches are very long and a bit on the sharp side - the norm for Med limestone I guess.


In summary - a great spot that deserves to become popular, the combination of sea-side setting, the great climbing, the easy accommodation and superb accessibility sure take some beating. There are 'only' around 600 routes in the area at the  moment - compared to Kalymnos's 1700 - but that is a great starter.
Top marks to Jim and Scott Titt plus all the other equippers have done us a great service.

NOTE: we discovered that a few of the glued-in bolt runners and a few of the 'pig's tail' lower-offs had a bit of rotational movement (1-2mm) in them - slightly worrying when this are single point anchors. I e-mail Jim about this, they are aware of the issue and have a fix, though interestingly they tried to remove one of the 'loose' lower-offs and failed despite exerting an outward force of 6000kg on it - so it sounds like they are actually fine!

Some you win.......

The last two Septembers we have had great trips to the superb granite slabs of the Handegg area in Switzerland, and we fancied sneaking in one more. We are due out there on Sunday but in the event the forecast for whole of next week looks atrocious (though we still have the flights) so for the 1st time in 25 years we have cancelled - bugger!
We have looked at the options, but all of the Med is still far too hot, and the high hills far too unsettled - so it looks like we will be stopping at home.
I have been working flat out to get Peak Limestone ready to hand over so at least the pressure is off there. As ever Graham and Dan (the Parkes Twins) have helped get more shots for the book, we have visited some pretty esoteric places in our travels!
Anyway we are heading back to Kalymnos in four weeks so that is something to look forward too.

I had a days driving up at at Croft Circuit in North Yorkshire, under the auspices of the AIM 'Skills' programme. The weather was kind and it was an excellent chance to see what the Sti could really do; 300 bhp, four-wheel-drive and fat tyres all add up! The fact that we could raid Colin's garden on the way up and visit my parents for fish 'n' chips on the way back were bonuses.

Update: the forecast for the Alps is much better again - trip back on!

Monday Morning Blue

The magnificent Arhi was deserted, so we had the whole place to ourselves which is rare event. Last time we were there (New Year's Day) it was rammed. Despite the showery forecast there was a cool northerly breeze and wall to wall sunshine, perfect climbing conditions. Factor in the great routes, beautiful rock and the fact that it was Monday morning - could it possibly get any better? Oh and Sherri has booked the flights home - bummer!

Not set to leave for four weeks mind!!

Back to School

The great weather continues into the last week in November - the cheerful chap who told us last year that autumns in the Aegean were unsettled may just have been wrong. Saturday we visited a newish cliff on Telenos - clearly visible from our pad and at night Babis took us out for a meal in down-town Pothia. A quiet restaurant on the seafront was the venue, the evening started well when he offered ouzos all round and got better as a continuous array of seafood (exotic in many cases) came our way - excellent stuff indeed.
Sunday was time for another new cliff Jungle Book/School was the venue, a bit of a grind up past Iliad, and of course we had the place to ourselves. The routes were better than I expected, and the spacing of the bolts was best described as 'encouraging'. I did a steady eight - which tallies up to a nice round 150 so far.

Woosh......

That's that then - Colin and Mark dropped off at the high speed ferry this evening and a strange calm descends - we are on our own for the first time in five weeks. Whilst they were here Colin cracked of 155 routes and Mark 135 - all in all impressive numbers.
It hammered it down last night and piled up some impressive debris round the appartments. By dawn the sun was out so we finished of with a gentle five at Noufaro this morning (trundling a huge loose flake in the process) then had tea on the terrace as the sun set into the Aegean - they both went a bit pensive!

Time for a Change

The apartments (and island) have really started to clear out and we have moved 'upstairs' into out winter residence - a bigger apartment previously occupied by four Frenchies. It is a year to the day since we left Kalymnos heading for home so it was quite fitting to get up on Ghost Kitchen, one of the few major cliffs I hadn't climbed on. Joy in the Garden (6b) was the highlight for me and Colin steamed up the superb Resistor (6c+) - I managed to follow to in one push so was well pleased. He also made short work of Totenhausen (7a) up an amazing set of tufas.

On top of that Lofoten Rock won the Outdoor Writer and Photographers Guide Book of the Year award - marvellous stuff!

Prime Pembroke

We decided to head back to Pembroke to test drive the new guide - the journey down was steady, despite reports on the radio of some horrendous traffic jams up and down the country. After five hours on the road and some impressive rain storms we stopped briefly at the Thorne Chapel Bunkhouse for a brew and drop the gear off, then scooted out to St Govan's. Conditions were glorious, a low tide, big waves, wheeling gulls and a fresh wind. We zipped down the abseil and did Front Line (HVS 5a) and The Arrow (E1 5b). Both routes are a bit more polished than the last time we did them, but are still as glorious as ever, The Arrow in particular is a magnificent climb - well deserved of all its plaudits.
Saturday was cooler and bit on the grey side, but still dry. Whilst wailing for the tide to drop (a really low spring tide) we popped into the Leap and did Shape Up (E1 5b) - the start was a touch greasy but the rest was great. Then it was onto Saddle Head. The extra-low tide got us to Eavesdripper, a great first pitch, though the upper one felt more like a bold E1 5b than the given HVS 4c. Next a hop and skip over to Bosherston Head, for a trip up Baker's Door (E1 5b), fine fingery climbing on great rock. As we topped out Gary Gibson stuck his head over the cliff top - prospecting for the new CC guide due out by next Whit - or so the story goes!

Flaming June

After a mixed but excellent few days in Pembroke the weather in the Peak has been a bit unsettled, despite the meteo forecasting a lovely (hot and sweaty?) summer. A day getting beaten by easy routes at Ramshaw and battered by the wind on Stanage was enough - we booked a passage to Handegg via Hull. With that sorted the weather perked up (of course) and it was a big team outing to Stanage. A glorious June day - the longest - with highlights of Mississippi Varient Direct (E1 5b), Paucity (HVS 5b) and Good Friday (HVS 5b) - all of which were easier than Mantrap (HVDiff) at Ramshaw!

Colin's down for a few days later in the week - now where shall we head?

Climbing - no really!

Back home for two and half weeks and the weather had been, to put it mildly, crap! One midgy day on Stanage and two visits to the climbing wall about cover it. But today I got out with Dave Gregory on good old Birchen Edge, we did eight routes and only got wet twice! Every renaissance has to start somewhere - so easy does it.

Another day out and another dousing - after a solitary route; the UK can be so demoralising! It doesn't help that the weather in Lofoten has been glorious.

At least there are plans afoot, Clwyd and Pembroke for starters - we just need the weather.

Another Baby Put to Bed

Western Grit is just about packed up and ready to go to the printers, and should be out in about a month, which is bang on schedule. It continues the approach we used on the Lofoten guide and despite some initial worries it looks quite superb - Jack Geldard has even suggested we might get 'done' for making the crags look too good!
I have lost track of how many guidebooks I have written now, but there is absolutely no doubt that if Ken Wilson and his cronies hadn't stuck their oars in and managed to sink my little black and white Gritstone Select guide that I wrote for Cicerone Press, then I wouldn't have called Alan James around for a meeting on April 1st 2001. I wouldn't have gone on to win three awards, pack in teaching and spend the winters in nice places working on more guidebook; funny how things turn out - cheers Ken!
We have three more weeks down here to get the final few shots for the Cote d'Azure guide, then I want to reacquaint myself with the Verdon. We have booked into a place in Moustieres for a couple of weeks so that should be good.
Then there is the summer - where to go?

Busy, Busy, Busy

Beach-walks, hill-walks, exploring, bouldering, researching, climbing, writing, editing, photoing and photoshoping.

Projects and places; Lofoten, Mallorca, The Peak, Lancashire(!), Catalunya, Verdon, Kalymnos, Cote d'Azure. Planning, travelling, book reviews, more climbing, sorting, shuffling, blogging, hiking, logging, chainsawing too.

Publishers, printers, deadlines, places to go, people to meet, rocks to climb and books to write, awards to accept - how did we ever have time to go to work!

Its a tough job, but someone has got to do it - glad its me! ;-)

Rock On Tommy!

A few of days later and we have the car (a bright yellow Fiat) and I have done a bit of climbing, 18 routes so far up to 6a. A quick storm has freshened things up nicely so climbing in the sun is a pleasure rather then a chore.

First thoughts, grades a bit soft and quality ratings a bit generous, we will soon see if they are representative - still a great spot though!

It has been real treat, can't remember that last time I went on a pure climbing holiday - and wasn't scurrying around checking stuff.

Today is Sherri's birthday so we went snorking, a novel experience and all a bit spooky, not sure what's lurking down there!

Kalymnos

Well that was easy! The flight only took just over 3.5 hours, a brisk tail-wind meant we were covering the ground at at over 600 mph. Two taxi-rides and ferry and were were there. A meal and a beer on the terrace overlooking the Agean (Greek Salad, Moussaka and Dolmades) and it really felt like we had arrived.

Next morning we took a walk out to the headland to the north just to get a look at the area.

First thoughts:

1) Hot - a shade temperature of 28 C is to hot to climb - for me at least!

2) Busy - the crags look like they are heaving - I counted 50+ climbers on up on Oddessy

3) Scruffy - the amount of litter scattered in the hedgerows looks like Spain did 20 years ago.

4) Very friendly locals.

5) Lovely unspoiled spot (always excepting the litter!).

The scooter culture looks a bit dodgy - we might hire a car instead!

Once in a Millenium

Bank Holiday Monday - Dave and Brian were keen to help me to the 1000th Stanage route so we tootled out to the Plantation car-park. It was windy yet again, a bit of theme this summer, but we cracked on - this time it was the turn of Elastic, Pedlar's Wall, Bouldering Matt, and Blue December Day. No classics amongst them but a few worthwhile offerings.

Just as I was about to set of on number 1000 (perhaps aptly it was to be Old Smoothie, an odd traverse above BAW's Crawl), Sherri rolled up to join in the moment which was nice, even better, once back at base she pulled out a bottle of bubbly and four glasses so we celebrated in traditional fashion!

It has taken 40 years and 8 days - not a very impressive rate but we got there in the end By the look of it there are still a few more to do too!

Three (***) Stars

We (myself, Dave and Steve) had set off for Wimberry, but once over the hill, the clouds were lowering and there were spots of rain in the wind. We stopped below Alderman for me to get a crag shot and it looked so inviting we decided to head up there without further ado. Dave and Steve had never visited the place and I had done precious little there. The grind was soon over and we zipped up Great Slab, two pitches and three stars (at least in my guide!), the first a pleasant and mild slab, and the second a steep strenuous and tough jamming crack. 

I did a bit of soloing, then we skidded back to the car in heavy shower and tootled round to the interestingly named Running Hill Pits, a series of quarries above Diggle. I have climbed there a few times over the years but had never done THE low grade classic - Plumbline VS 4c. Steve dispatched it in good style, Dave and myself nipped up it (superb actually) then we toured the rest of the quarries so I could photograph them for the new Western Grit.

Heading back to the car it rained yet again, but we didn't care, only a gentle day but two three star routes I hadn't done before - now that is a rare event!