UKC

Sitting just twenty minutes drive from the world famous climbing town of Chamonix, the village of Vallorcine can be a haven of tranquility in comparison to the manic hustle-bustle just down the valley.

If you are more interested in climbing perfect granite than posturing in a bar, then a quick trip to Vallorcine and its surrounding crags could be the perfect antidote to an overcrowded or weather threatened alpine trip...

Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=5586

In reply to UKC Articles:

Nice article. And a neat guidebook too - pride of place on my bookshelves, with a haughty, "When am I going to get used?" air about it. Thanks Jon!

Mick

In reply to:

Looks good - heading out that way with the family in the van over the summer so might take a detour on the way to Mello..

Out of interest how far from the Cham tunnel is this by car?

In reply to Duncan Disorderly:

Barberine is right on the Franco/Swiss border which is a 20 minute drive from the centre of Chamonix. For the tunnel, allow another 10 minutes.

In reply to UKC Articles:

You can also get the train to Vallorcine and it's not far to some of the crags.

In reply to Kid Spatula:

You can normally but it's not running at the moment - lots of work (still) going on, on the track. A bus service replaces the train, so no problem.

In reply to jon:
We were in the Hotel le Buet on Monday and spotted a grizzled veteran with a mass of white hair & whiskers. We seemed to remember you were based locally and did wonder, but then we were going off the photo of you on the Nectarine Run in the 87 Llanberis guide...

In reply to jon:

Any idea if it'll be running by the 2nd of August? I have a rematch with a hilariously undergraded 4c due.

Also this time I'll take water on the climb maybe and not get delirious through dehydration and have to ask for a top rope >_<

In reply to Jock:

what a great photo that is

In reply to Jock:

Not me Jock (today, that is). I was mowing the lawn and gardening all day.

In reply to Kid:

Not sure when the railway will be up and running. There's a bridge missing at the moment, so not any time soon. The replacement bus service is excellent though, so you can have your rematch anyway. Which route was it?

In reply to jon:

...... a grizzled veteran with a mass of white hair & whiskers..


That's nice innit!


Chris

In reply to UKC Articles:

For anyone interested, Jack's selection of the 'most popular' routes comes straight from the UKC database ticks. However, popular doesn't necessarily coincide with recommended or best... So here are just a handful of recommended/best routes on a few of the more popular crags.

Afrique: L'Epée de Damocles 6c, Physiotherapie 6c, Guillotine 7a

The Gorge: In Absentia 7b, Samedi Soir 7c, Objectif Terre 7c+, Rêve de Singe 8a.

The Zone: La Zone 6b+, Sam's Route 7a, Talisman and Play it again Sam 7a+, Génératrice 7b.

Long routes: Cacao Girls 6a+, Autoroute Blanche 6c, Barbourine 6c, Méduse, Bon Voyage and Mirrors on the Ceiling 7a.

Tonnes of others...

In reply to Chris Craggs:


'Lord, what would they say
Did their Catullus walk that way?'

Mick

In reply to Mick Ward:

Had to google that Mick!

In reply to Mick Ward:
I think Yeats and your goodself are straining a bit there - Catullus was considerably younger than Jon and there's no evidence that he ever climbed in his fairly short life.



[ this is not indicating erudition on my part - just a rapid use of Google.....]

In reply to jon:
Great minds think alike