We were up and out early this morning - well, just after ten. Having said our goodbyes to Audrey and Adrian (our hosts at the ranch) and been for the obligatory morning bakery stop, we set off south in search of a new cliff and eventually the airport at Marsaille. Driving through the valley towards Malaucène, we passed loads of little churches on top of outcrops of hillocks, but this one was on top of a crazy little cliff all on its own. It's as if they built it and then quarried away the rock around it!
The guidebook directions on how to get to the crag 'Combe Obscure' were a little vague, but we eventually managed the first challenge of getting to near the car parking area. Having decided that we were in the right layby, we set out on foot. Again, the description didn't quite give enough away and although we got a wonderful view of the valley, half an hour later, we still hadn't seen the right crags!
A bit of lateral thinking and some detailed scrutiny of a photo in the guide eventually put us where we needed to be and thankfully our efforts paid off. The crag is superb and littered with three star routes.
The limestone cliff is slabby or vertical and well covered with pocketed handholds. This is a style of climbing that I really like. From below, the climb seems devoid of features, but as you climb, the incut pockets reveal themselves. Some of the edges were painfully sharp to hold.
We did a few routes on the two different sectors and could have stayed much longer. That is if my toes didn't hurt as much and if we didn't have a flight to catch!
At around 16:30 we decided that we ought to start making our way back to civilisation and a few hours later had repacked our bags, returned the hire car and checked in to Marsaille Airport. Later that same night we crawled into bed back at The Cottage...
Combe Obscure:
- Vision 5***
- Le Chandelier 6a+***
- Elegance 6b+***
- La Brise de la Pastille 6b***
- Et Moi Alors 5**
No comments:
Post a Comment