Climbs 265
Rocktype Limestone
Altitude 55m a.s.l
Faces all
Crag features
Stunning! You park 100m from a busy motorway and all the petro-chemical mess around the Etang De Berre. Walk 150m up the track and you're in another world. OK you never quite lose the drone of the motorway traffic but otherwise it's dead peaceful. And rock everywhere at all grades and facing all directions.
I've adopted the local guide arrangement of sectors for ease: Starting with La Salle Inclinee at the head of the valley the sectors are arranged roughly from L to R down the West. side The smaller 'trackside' buttresses come next (Les Pins, la Rape, la Petite Dalle and the pinnacle of la Sucette. The upper sectors then go from L to R from the bottom of the valley to the top of the East side (again 'roughly')
Rock quality is ace and the environment is lovely. Enjoy!
Oh. And there's 31 named boulders with about 150 problems to go at!
Approach notes
Approaching from Marseilles on the A55 autoroute leave at the 'La Mede' exit and head for La Mede'. Almost immediately after the first roundabout go L over the railway and follow the minor road going back alongside the autoroute past some big quarries.
Where the road swings L to go back under the motorway (after a kilometer or so) go straight on. The road gets rougher! After about 100m swing R into a large parking area.
Those worried about the car theft reputation of the Marseilles area could park in Chateauneuf Les Martigues and walk under the motorway to join the bend up to the parking.
No Access Issues
None - though in this whole areas closures for fire risk are possible.
| The access to the valley is open again, after a rock fall necessitated some pinning and netting on the Grand Face buttress.
I did three really good 5b/5c , but hard, that had excellent equipment to the left on the "Obsolete" area. The tops are more like 35m than 40m if you start from the logical spots on a vague terrace. Perhaps the top gives 40m in case people belay at ground level. Several new lines and mid route lower off options as well as the new equipping of old routes. Absolute sun trap yesterday (17/11/22).
Stairclimber - 18/Nov/22 |
Climbs at this crag
| Name | Grade | Stars | Type | Logs | Partner Ascents |
|---|
These climbs you have climbed by seconding or top-roping.
These climbs you have Dogged.
These climbs you Did not Finish.
Climbs are waiting to be checked by a crag moderator, and may not be accurate. Climbs can't be verified by a crag moderator, and they need more information to confirm it. Climbs are no longer climbable.
Moderators Updates to this page are checked by a UKC volunteer Andy Say