UKC

Just got back from the Tarn and it seems the re-bolting campaign is very much still in progress.

Sectors De Que Fas Aqui, Figues au Cul, Club House, Hollandaise were all fully open.

Sector Tennessee: The 3 right-most routes (rockfax and local guide) were open, the Ailes du Desir cave is open (Court Metrage to Tennessee), everything else was closed.

All of sector Le Naivre was closed, Tresor du Zebre was in progress.

When I say closed, the first few bolts were missing and there was a small 'no-entry' sign on the first bolt stub.

We didn't go anywhere other than the sectors mentioned. We did however go to Le Boffi and Gorge de la Jonte, both are excellent venues and all the routes we did were awesome (all in my logbook if you're interested).

In reply to Luke01: sounds identical situation to last October.

In reply to Si dH: Slackers!

In reply to Luke01: I thought it was more a funding problem - they need to sell more guidebooks before they can afford new bolts, but not many are buying the guidebook as they are.waiting for a new one to come out when the bolting has been finished...catch 22

In reply to Si dH:

According to the Rockfax, the local authority is stumping up most of the cash...

In reply to Luke01:
We climbed at Le Boffi last autumn and didn't find it worth the trip - after two days there, we ended up driving to the partially-open Tarn on a daily basis. A lot of people told us Le Boffi was good, and we're usually just happy to be away climbing, anywhere. Do other people really think it's the same quality as the Tarn? Did we simply go to the wrong sectors?

In reply to sarahjharrison:

What sectors did you climb at and what grades were you after? I'm surprised - myself and most people I've spoken to about it really rated it.

In reply to AJM:
I don't have the guidebook to hand, but on our first day we climbed at a big white wall, which was pretty good but not enough to make a trip. The second day, we walked right (looking outwards)the entire lentgh of the crag, which is a looong way, were completely uninspired, did one route somewhere.
We've since been told that the sectors to the left (looking outwards) are better, but didn't want to take the risk of spending another day of our 5/6 day trip there!
We were climbing in the 6s through to mid 7s.

In reply to sarahjharrison:

Hmmm... Some of the 6cs at Boffi, Damned and it's neighbours, I've enjoyed as much or more than any I've done at the Tarn or elsewhere. And to be fair I've done cracking routes there at other grades too, but Damned does seem to have a sweet spot at 6c...

In reply to AJM: I know it's sacrilegious to say this but I have never really enjoyed the climbing in the Tarn - generally lineless and booringly repetitive. I'd love to be wrong about this as I could go there quite often - what are the routes to do that do not consist of pocket pulling up a relatively featureless wall?

In reply to tomrainbow:
I guess it depends how much you climb there then! I've now had a total of maybe 5 or 6 days climbing at the Tarn, and it's true that I wouldn't base a trip around either there or Le Boffi in the near future (though we had a great time).

In reply to sarahjharrison:

Really?! Personally I thought some of the 6cs at Boffi (mostly Damned sector) were some of the best routes of the grade I have done, anywhere. Shame you didn't enjoy it.

In reply to tomrainbow: http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/c.php?i=61380

One of the best lines I've ever climbed! Slightly overhanging corner-crack for 40m between 2 steep walls.

In reply to sarahjharrison: We went to the Damned sector and stuff below 6c was ok but, as AJM said the 6cs were awesome and we did 2 7a+, a 7b and a 7b+ on the sector just right that were all well worth their 3 stars. We also did a couple of 6s at generation mythe errant that were very good.

We spent two days at Boffi and I could easily have done another two or three there. If I went back I'd be keen to spend more time in the Tarn, if it was all open, and the Jonte.

In reply to Quiddity:
Um, we did enjoy it (as I said), but Sector Damned does not a trip make. My original comment was about the quality compared to the Tarn; I guess by quality, I was combining things not only to do with the lines and the quality of the rock, but also volume of worthwhile routes to be done. Each to their own - it seems we found it worth the trip to the Tarn partly because we hit the wrong sectors at Le Boffi (after a good day at sector Damned, that is).

In reply to sarahjharrison:hmmm
Thats a shame you did not like it.
I went back to le boffi and the tarn last october.Both places I think are superb.Sector Damned give brilliant routes between 6a-6c+.Mythe Errant as well.I had just come from Haute Provence.
For me far more attractive climbing than some of the other areas in say Provence(Haute Provence in particular).Like wise the Tarn, Having climbed quite a bit in spain and in say the red river gorge the tarn is in my opinion one of the best places for the 7a-7c climber that I have been to in europe and probaly compares i feel to the red(almost...at least when its fully equipped).
Such a shame they have not started the bolting it does cut out a good 40-50% of the best crags.
Its all about personal tastes i suppose.