UKC

Might be able to get some time off last two weeks of April to first week of May - seems like slightly awkward time of year for sport climbing but anyone got any recommendation where's best for conditions??

Thanks!

In reply to Short&Savage:

Ceuse
st ledger maybe, not sure.
Rodeller.
Chase the shade at siruana. Or shady crags in catlunya.
Malham, gordale, kilnsey etc
Surely some adventures to be had in the picos de europas or Pyrenees.
Verdon

In reply to snoop6060:


Hmmm. Thanks for suggestions

Ceuse is a possibility but heard there might be snow still in Easter time, but by end of April this should be cleared??? Anyone know more about this?

St Ledger - don't know much about this place

Shady crags in Catalonia is a possibility - Tres Pont??

Was thinking about abroad so prob not malham etc...

In reply to Short&Savage:

I mis spelt st leger.... A guide here: http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=4574

Tres pont is a great crag, plenty to go at, but it's not massive and defo not a place you would want to spend 3 months. There are other options around there but perhaps not quite as good as tres ponts, and defo not as good as Bruixes, but that is south facing pretty much i think.

Not sure on snow up at ceuse, but in general france would seem a good option. There is bucket loads that should have reasonable temps then.

In reply to snoop6060:

What have you got against the UK? Peak Lime/North Wales would be lovely in April/May

In reply to Short&Savage:

Portland

In reply to ianstevens:

Not me ian but id imagine the persistent threat of rain, polished lime that consists of mostly of undercuts or the utter spanking on offer at gordale or kilnsey might put a few off. In any case, who wants to spend 3 months they have off work at home.

In reply to Short&Savage:

What about Paklenica in Croatia. We went at that time of year and the weather was perfect. There is lots of single and multi pitch to choose from.

In reply to Short&Savage:

Doesn't the OP mean 3 weeks - Apr/May rather than 3 months?

In reply to Short&Savage:

Surprised no-one has said Kalymnos yet

In reply to Short&Savage:

San Vito Lo Capo

In reply to Carless:


Or Ariege...

In reply to Short&Savage:

In Lleida:
Bruixes is OK for that time, on sunny days (most days tbh) you have to climb in the morning and the evening.
Abella de la conca is supposedly OK for that time as well.
Tres ponts is good as well
Much of Camarasa is also OK.
^all these are fairly close together and possible to combine on one trip.


Rodellar can be good. Most tufa routes can be wet, depends on how much rainfall there's been in the winter/spring. Plenty of climbing in the shade. Drawback: not much else around there.

St Léger can be good. Most tufa routes can be wet, depends on how much rainfall there's been in the winter/spring. Plenty of climbing in the shade. Drawback: not much else around there.

Gorges du Tarn/Jonte is good.

Verdon can be awesome at that time

In reply to snoop6060:

Done ceuse early may before - perfect conditions.on nice days but unstable weather so,not many of them. Wouldn't do it again personally.

In reply to Short&Savage:

Depends whether you like good redpoint conditions or good holiday weather. The higher French crags, like Ceüse and Verdon, are likely to be very climbable if you're the kind of person who waits for winter to climb on grit, but unless it's sunny they will be cold and if you're unlucky maybe also snowy. Down the hill in Provence you may even have the opposite problem and you'll be shade-hunting, which I'd find great but some may think too warm.

Here in Ariège it's a good time of year, largely because the variety of crags, altitudes and orientations gives plenty of scope for choosing conditions that suit. Plenty of other Euro venues could be good then too, including crags in Catalunya, where if you're mobile you can cover a wide variety of crags and temperatures from a well chosen base.

In reply to john arran:

Thanks for all the suggestions - yes it's 3 weeks, not 3 months. I think I would want reasonable (but also reliable!) climbing conditions. Kalymnos I've been a few times and might go again in autumn / winter so that's out. Got rained/gopped out of Rodeller around Easter time last year so having different options might be a nice idea. Sounds like hiring a car in South of France or Catalunya and just being flexible might be the best bet?

By the way, nothing against UK sports - just that I plan on spending the summer doing that so hence the trip away in spring

In reply to scott titt:


+1

or Kalymnos, or Tenerife.

In reply to Short&Savage:

If you do that, hire the car in Spain and drive to france. Car hire in France is really expensive i have found.

In reply to snoop6060:


Be careful with that strategy though - some rental companies charge a daily excess to go into France and I got stung some years ago. Worth knowing in advance if yours is one of them. Not sure how common it is.

In general I think car hire is very expensive in summer in France but not far from UK prices at other times. Spain is unusually cheap.

In reply to Short&Savage:

+1 Verdon

what an incredible place, and good at that time of year I believe

In reply to Short&Savage:

Akchour In North Morocco It's a really special place in spring. Chefchouen is a very nice pace to visit too and its Very cheap!