UKC

A couple of questions for Ariege.

On the longer routes such as those on the Dent d"Orlu or routes described as semi equipped what items of trad gear are worth taking? I don't want to take everything including the kitchen sink for a climb if it isn't needed.

Second question any suggestions for purely trad routes? Looking for stuff the be comparable to severe to HVS.

Thanks in advance Andy.

In reply to PanzerHanzler:

I can't be of much help as I've done very few semi-equipped or trad routes here. The semi-equipped ones I have done have had pretty good fixed gear on the crux sections but very little where it's easier, so it really depends on how confident you are climbing a couple of grades below the route grade as to how much gear you might need. In general it is only the easier routes that tend to have much available gear, even on the granite, so the grades you mentioned could work ok. Unless you're a particularly nervous leader I'd suggest a full set of wires, up to quite big ones, and then maybe a small selection of small to medium cams. Big gear rarely seems necessary.

There's huge amounts to go at on higher crags, and fine exploratory possibilities. Plenty of things have been done and not recorded or not publicised, so you might find old pegs occasionally, but if you've never tried heading up a buttress not knowing whether anyone has ever climbed it before, then I'd certainly recommend it.

In reply to PanzerHanzler:

Can't help much, but to add to what John wrote...
I can only speak for the one, but is Zinkeria described as semi-equipped in your book? According to my logbook we climbed it without trad gear. I remember raising an eyebrow at the gaps between bolts, but the bolts were there on the hard bits and my memory (which may be very fallible) is that the run out parts were easy ground. I seem to remember thinking that a few small/med cams, a couple of slings, and a handful of nuts would make a big difference though.

And I can second John's comment about the higher crags. We had a couple of great adventures up in Andorra, on routes described in the CAFMA guides online, but you got the impression the routes saw very little traffic indeed.

In reply to john arran:

Thanks John - I'm usually fairly confident and not adverse to the odd long run out, managed to do Admirals Arete on Lundy without placing any gear on the upper section - it felt easier to keep climbing, probably an inexplicable bout of idiocy. I'll leave the no 6 Camalot at home then.

Quite like the idea of the adventure and just setting off into the unknown - the difficult bit is finding like minded people.

In reply to jonny taylor:

Zinkeria described as 'equipped' tut tut. 6 bolts in 50m :o some wet rock when I did it. But thats an exception. Bastien & Adissiatz are more modern.

Ariege is not a prime destination for trad multipitch. Biotope de Friend is however a fine exception

In reply to LeeWood:

Cheers - the trad question was more for another pair on the trip - they have an expectation of it being a trad mecca and are pretty much taking a full rack of trad gear... I'm more than happy with the sportier stuff. Some of the situations / settings look stunning especially on the Dent.