UKC

Hey, Me and my pal want to go climbing in Verdon this summer around june/july.


What cheap places would you recommend for camping or staying (close to crag)
Also what guide books are good?

Taa, any general info would be great please.

In reply to Somerville:
If you mean close to the gorge abseils, there's a cheap campsite in La Palud, 5 euros a night per person or something like that. You can get the local Verdon guidebook from the climbing shop in La Palud.

It could be very hot at that time of year. I was there in May last year, and it was getting too hot.

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

Hi dude,

Thanks for that!

How hot was it getting, over 25c?

In reply to Somerville:

It was over 30c for 3 or 4 days, but it can vary a lot. It went from 33c to 4c in 24 hours. Usually September is the best month I believe, usually very dry, getting cooler, less tourists. Although I went in September a couple of years ago, and it was forecast rain for 4 days, so we left.

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

When it's too hot (we had the cotton rot on our tent seams!) there is good climbing on the shady side of the gorge, but it's a bit for a drive round.

In reply to Somerville:

33, HOT HOT HOT!

Im of to kalymnos for a couple of weeks 12th may so ill probably be okay with heat.

Thanks man, what are the bolts like?

In reply to Somerville:
the bolts and anchors are generally very good indeed- not necessarily as spaced as verdons reputation might suggest. i would echo the warning about heat, it would be pretty easy to get in over your head and spend longer than you expect extracting yourself (been there, done it and climbed la demande without water accidentally...!)

it can be a great introduction to bigger/harder routes (had a quick look on your profile and couldn't get a good idea of what you've done/where you've been so apologies if I'm teaching you to suck eggs!) but it can also catch you out as it did me.

my advice would be stay at chez maurice (small campsite 5/10 min walk from la palud) owned the inimitable maurice and drink at lou cafetie (friendly bar with a barman called Fab who is very helpful with route info)

guidebook wise, the rockfax is good but you should buy the local guide which is excellent and to be found in the green parrot climbing shop (support the locals, they put a lot of hard work into re-equipping these monster faces!)

wear a helmet, stuff gets chucked/ dropped by tourists over the edge. or more likely italians launching their ropes down your line without checking first (sorry to single them out, it just always seems to be italians with me)

wear factor 50 on your back, you will need it.

last but not least, don't underestimate the grades, and totally ignore anyone who tells you la demande is hvs........

In reply to Somerville:

Always further apart than your average sport crag, and most likely further apart than you would like at times, but that's usually the case on multi-pitch anyway. It varies a lot from route to route, some routes need trad gear, but the guidebook will tell you.

The climbing can feel very hard for grade, add to that spaced bolts and being very exposed and committed...I'd start out very gently.

In reply to Somerville:

I've climbed there a lot in the summer (my wife lived in Nice) and found it fine. Hit the crag at 6am, ab down to one of the gardens climb about 6 pitches to the top, head home for a kip. Set off once more at 4pm.

Wear a long sleeved shirt.

In reply to Somerville:

You guys are ace, cheers for that.

my experience lies mainly with peak climbing -grit & Lime. done some multi pitch stuff but want more experience, hence verdon.

thanks for info chaps. big help

In reply to Somerville:

Hi - there is another local guide out published last year, called Verdon Climbing I think.
Available in many local shops around Palud and beyond.
Have just returned from Verdon. It is an awesome place. There is an expatriate guide called Alan Carne based out there - he has written an article about Verdon for this site. I suggest you search for it and read it. Some very useful information. Alan himself is available for guiding if you are inclined / can afford it!

In reply to Somerville:

I've had apples left in the back of the car literally stew in May ! Bit of care choosing when to do routes to keep maximum shade is worth while

you say its hot, we were there in june last year and they had hailstones the size of malteasers, no joke!
Iv been twice now and the campsites are great for the social side of climbing but if you want to get decent climbing done before its too hot then camp at the cliff edges, no need for a tent, just bivvy. then get on the rock as soo as its light enough to see or before 11am it wil be too hot to deal with.
we have made this mistake before and were stuck on the rock in 30+deg and the rubber on our feet felt like it was melting the rock was like climbing the inside of an oven!

In reply to minirollsrule:

Remember our first multi-pitch there, stuck ropes and all? That was pretty hot.

In reply to Somerville:

The verdon will blow your mind..

Its awesome. You can't acclimatise to 30 degrees, as x pat dude says you need to adapt and do the siesta thing. Given the time of year I would go further north and higher but I'm sure you'll have a blast. The bolts are solid but more spaced than horse shoe. Some lines need trad kit but the guide makes that clear.

Nice clip about Verdon here

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01xd1p4

In reply to Somerville:

<slight hijack - anyone in Verdon next 5 days? Fancy hooking up for some single pitch stuff? Got little Ent with me so can't really commit to the gorge. Cheers>

E

In reply to Somerville:

Go to the south side of the gorge. Most of the walls there are North facing. At that time of year you will die on anything in the sun (and frankly it would certainly be too hot for me, even in the shade).

The guidebook is called "Verdon, Rive Gauch", it also says "Aiguines" prominently on the cover. You can buy it in several shops in Aiguines.

You can fill up with water in Aiguines and camp for free if you are discrete anywhere along the road that runs out of Aiguines and thence along the south side of the canyon. There are masses and masses of places to pull out and I've stayed in a van all over the place in the Verdon and never been asked to move on or go to a campsite.

My only advice would be "Go in March or October"!