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valley crags North French Alps

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 kenr 19 Apr 2017

Good to have fun things to do on a day when the climbing or skiing up in the mountains is not so promising. Much new sport route development and new guidebooks in the last ten years. But some of the information has not had its omissions and mistakes "shaken out" yet, so I think it's useful to have more detailed and careful English-language reports (which can be found by web searches).

I'd be glad to see more ideas for fun places to climb (and more accurate info details).

. . . Starting from yesterday afternoon Sharon + me . . .
_____________________________________________________________
Pierre du Carre
. . . sometimes called "La Pierre du Quart"
. . . see on Map: https://goo.gl/maps/y4Lrav1PZfS2

I found out about this crag in Edition 2016 of the new FFME guidebook, Escalade en Savoie (Tome 1, page 166) - (French language only).

Three small rock towers and a larger west face overlooking the Lac du Bourget (a ways north from Aix-les-Bains). The easy routes we tried so far had rather interesting climbing moves. 7-15 minute steep approach (80 vertical meters).
Some noise from the major road below. Also could swim.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
GPS latitude longitude I captured on my visit April 2017 were:
* parking: N45.7856 E58618
* big rock tower: N45.7862 E5.8631
Note that this is 300 meters north from the GPS given on c2c for this waypoint as of 19 April 2017.
Note that the GPS numbers in the FFME guidebook edition 2016 are way wrong.
The numbers above agree roughly with the GPS numbers on ClimbingAway.

This climbing area has at least seven sectors:
1) la tour face W
2) la tour face N
3) la tour face E
4) la petite tour nord
5) grand face W-versant
6a) la petite tour sud (face S)
6b) face cachée W-versant

Approach: Up the stairway between the information panel and the monument. Diagonal up NE 20m to meet dirt/gravel lane. Turn Right up 10m E on lane. Turn off Left onto trail up NE 30m to a junction. To reach sectors 1, 2, 4 take the Left trail (at first N, later E). To reach sectors 3, 6a, 6b take the Right trail -- up steep E 40m, at first straight up on gravel, then switchbacks to reach sector 6a. Just past that sector turn Left for sector 3 (and 5), turn Right for sector 6b.

Sharon and I enjoyed the rather interesting climbing in sector 6a. It was well sheltered from the strong N wind that afternoon.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
**sector 6a** -- la petite tour sud (face S) - (GPS N45.7859 E5.8630)
. . . 15-20m tall.
. . . three 2-bolts-with-chain anchors at top.
. . . good rock with good equipment (modern glue-in bolts), but
. . . vegetation needs more cleaning.
. . . loose steep base area
routes Left to Right . . .
* 6a : left of arete SW - (interesting moves all the way mostly 5b-5c, short interesting 6a crux sequence.
* 5b : arete SW - (interesting moves all the way)
* 5a+ : center face S - (interesting moves all the way) - (If only this were longer).
* 5a+ : right side face S - (at first mostly 4c, then last 7m harder more interesting) - (perhaps more interesting more sustained difficulty to start on the route to the L).
_____________________________________________________________
Post edited at 14:19
OP kenr 22 Apr 2017

Brison les Oliviers . . .
New crag on the E side of the N end of the Lac du Bourget in department Savoie.
www.oblyk.net/outdoor/accueil.php?id=1053

Unfortunately the FFME guidebook Edition 2016 of Escalade en Savoie
(yet again) got the GPS latitude-longitude numbers way wrong.

So I wasted a lot of time driving and walking and bushwhacking without success.
Lesson learned: Always check the print FFME guidebook with web sources before going out there to find the crag.
. . . (In this case the print guidebook GPS numbers did not agree with the map for this crag on the FFME's own website, which I suspect is correct about parking, yet wrong about the crag location).

My suspicion is that the guidebook authors did not capture the lat-long numbers out there on the ground with a GPS unit out there on the ground. Rather they tried to guess the location of parking and crag from an aerial photograph (or Google Earth).
. . . (Another possible source of confusion and error is that this guidebook uses the confusing "number base 60" format instead of our normal "base 10" decimal system).

So I'll post the correct GPS latitude-longitude numbers (and more details about the climbing there) when I get a chance to capture them with my own GPS unit out there "on the ground".

Ken
Post edited at 21:13
OP kenr 24 Apr 2017

Peyrieu . . .
Slab next to the road in a pretty setting beside the river Rhone -- between Chambery and Lyon, about 10 km south of Belley.

Sharon and I visited a few days ago but didn't climb because it was not sheltered from wind direction that day (rock faces East) - (and we didn't feel like slab-style climbing that day).
GPS for Parking (and climbing): N45.6579 E5.6835
. . . (the numbers in the FFME Savoie print guidebook page 22 only off by 300m this time).

Instead we drove north to a crag we hoped would be better sheltered from N wind, and so it was:
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Verieu le Grand . . .
Featured vertical limestone in the department of Ain, between Annecy and Lyon, about 13 km north of Belley the chief city of the region of Bugey.
GPS latitude longitude:
* parking: (N45.8552 E5.6555)
. . . (includes 0.5 km driving on dirt road).
* climbing - sectors 2+3: (N45.8568 E5.65335)
print guidebook: Roc'in Bugey (Edition 2009), by Club Hot Roc.

* quick access and fairly nice base area for sectors 1-3,
. . . which face SouthEast.
* frequent railroad noise (not a problem for us).
* near a large marsh, so be prepared for insects when warm after rain.
* difficulty for sector 2 easy climbs were one or two letters harder than the quoted grade.

Approach hike:
Start about 150 meters W + N + W on dirt road. Turn R onto wide trail flat N about 90 meters. Turn L onto trail uphill W about 50 meters to reach rock at right side of sector 3.
. . . (Effort: about +30m vertical uphill over 0.35 km distance to reach sector 2).
Post edited at 20:57
OP kenr 25 Apr 2017

Col du Tamie . . .
Small area in NE edge of Bauges mountain group about 6 km west of Albertville. About 2 km West from the village of Mercury, but my current guess is that the "Mercury" crag is different from this "Tamie" crag.

As usual the GPS numbers in the FFME Savoie guidebook - (also on a major climbing-directory website) - were way wrong. Unfortunately I could not access the c2c website as an independent source. I wasted an hour wandering around, until I got a clue to try a different direction. So here's the hard-won result of my labor:

GPS latitude longitude:
* trailhead with parking nearby: (N45.6699 E6.3092)
* crag sectors 1+2: (N45.6697 E6.3105)
- - - - -
* facing East at altitude about 930 meters.
* variety of grades from 5b - 7.
* possible access to top of cliff for at least one sector.

Hiking access:
From the obvious parking (N45.6711 E6.3085) on south side of main road just W of the Col du Tamie, on the road flat S 100m, next turn Left onto the Collet du Tamie road, and go E 75m to obvious trailhead sign for "Escalade", turn off the road R onto a trail and go flat SSE about 30m. Next turn off uphill Left onto another trail - (Do _not_ continue straight flat). Follow this trail East up hill 50-60 meters and see crag sector 1.
. . . effort: +20 vertical meters uphill over 0.3 km distance.
. . . time: typical range 5-10 minutes.
Post edited at 16:32
 Toerag 25 Apr 2017
In reply to kenr:

Are the FFME numbers always off in the same direction? If so, it could be a datum thing (e.g. WGS84 on your GPS, ED50 in the book). Otherwise I think your assumption of using some sort of online mapping is correct (but not googlemaps as that give you decimal readout).
OP kenr 26 Apr 2017
In reply to Toerag:
> Are the FFME numbers always off in the same direction? If so,
> it could be a datum thing (e.g. WGS84 on your GPS, ED50 in the book).

Good suggestion, and I wish it were correct -- because then I could just temporalily change the datum in my local mapping software while I was inputting their lat long waypoints.

with the guidebook,
most of the errors are not just 20 or 50 or 100 meters, more like multiple km.

And sometimes the GPS numbers are not even in a valid format (e.g. the number "seconds" is greater than 60).

So I'd say they basic problem is taking data from multiple persons and sources who don't understand the "base 60" format, or who were just guessing from aerial photographs instead of capturing out there on the ground. Then editors who couldn't do basic checking of the numbers before they published (or who didn't really understand the different "base 10" versus "base 60" lat long formats themselves).

It's not just the guidebook, for example the www.climbingaway.fr website is accurate for the Trailhead for Col du Tamie, but completely wrong about the location of the Climbing. CampToCamp is about 80 meters off on the Climbing (does not give a separate trailhead/parking waypoint).

Further trickiness is because I like to hope by checking multiple sources on the Web, I have a better chance of finding accuracy. But some websites just copy misinformation from others.

So basically I have come to accept that _finding_ the crag is just a different sport from climbing.
In recent years I do the two sports on different days.
Or if I'm hoping to actually climb at a new crag, I leave the ropes and climbing gear in the car, go out first with only guidebook and GPS for a (hopefully entertaining) session of exploring + bushwhacking.

Ken
Post edited at 07:17
 jon 26 Apr 2017
In reply to kenr:

It's just their way of trying to keep you off the crags, Ken. Happens all the time
OP kenr 27 Apr 2017

It was a drizzly gray day, so I got out and found out that I was not well-prepared for how cold it was on my fingers making notes and capturing points with my GPS unit. It snowed down below altitude 1000m. But I succeeded in finding 3 more crags in the department of Savoie.

Don't have time to write the details, or explain which sources were wrong about the latitude+longitude of each crag. For now, here's my approximate location data captured out there "on the ground" . . .

Brison les Oliviers
Along the E side of the Lac du Bourget, N of Aix-les-Bains:
* Parking: (N45.7534 E5.8818)
* Climbing: (N45.7502 E5.8832)

Mouxy
On the W slope of the Bauges mountain group, N from Chambery and E from Aix-les-Bains.
* Trailhead: (N45.6795 E5.9574)
. . . with parking close by.
* Climbing: (N45.6782 E5.9616)

St Thibaud
Slab SW from Chambery.
* Parking: (N45.5118 E5.8358)
* Climbing: (N45.5107 E5.8331)

Hope I get time for more details soon.
Post edited at 22:08
OP kenr 28 Apr 2017

St Thibaud . . .
Slab about 9 km SW from Chambery, NW up from village of St-Thibaut-de-Couz.

GPS latitude longitude:
* Parking: (N45.5118 E5.8358)
. . . only space for 2 cars.
* Climbing: (N45.5107 E5.8331)
Print guidebook Savoie FFME edition 2016 has its Parking + Climbing numbers reversed.

more . . .
* guidebook says interesting rock features on the slab (I didn't climb there, so far only hiking exploring to find it).
* 2 or 3 pitch routes available, with easier first pitch (so could also do single-pitch cragging).
* base area unfriendly, sloping.
* approach hike steep with some sections very steep -- recommend hiking poles.

Approach: from Parking go SW up dirt road 40m, next N 50m and turn L off road onto steep narrow trail. Up this steep-ish SW 230m, finish steep W 10-15m to bottom of slab (perhaps find the (thin) cable for aid - or protection?).
. . . effort: 115 vertical meters uphill over .38 km distance
. . . time range: 14-28 minutes.
Post edited at 07:43
OP kenr 28 Apr 2017

Mouxy . . .
Variety of climbing on the W slope of the Bauges mountain group, 8km N from Chambery and 4km E from Aix-les-Bains (1.5 km east up from village of Mouxy).

GPS latitude longitude:
* Trailhead: (N45.6795 E5.9574) - with parking close by.
. . . At the ancient bottom station building for a mechanical lift that used to carry passengers
. . . . . up to the Le Revard viewpoint on the W edge of SW plateau of Bauges massif.
* Climbing: (N45.6782 E5.9616)
Guidebook Savoie FFME edition 2016 basically accurate. But CampToCamp was way off -- I think whoever supplied the numbers tried to guess from an aerial photo -- I'll try to get those numbers fixed on c2c soon).

Approach: Start up past the right side of ancient building on well-maintained dirt road. At first up SE about 300m, then it curves NE for 200m. Turn off R onto trail ESE up through boulders, about 50m meet the right end of crag at sector Salamander (N45.6778 E5.9610).
. . . effort: +120 vertical meters uphill over 0.6km distance.
. . . time range: 17-34 minutes.
To reach the left end of crag, instead continue N on dirt road about 120m and just before crossing a small creek, turn off R onto trail ESE, about 50m meet the crag at sector Central Gauche.
. . . effort: +115 vertical meters uphill over 0.75km distance.
. . . time range: 18-37 minutes
Post edited at 08:13
OP kenr 28 Apr 2017

Brison les Oliviers . . .
Variety of climbing along the E side of north end of the Lac du Bourget, 6km N of Aix-les-Bains.

GPS latitude longitude:
* Parking: (N45.7534 E5.8818)
. . . space for 2 cars at switchback -- could also park earlier 250m N at cemetery.
* Climbing: (N45.7502 E5.8832)
Now that I've found the crag on the ground, what's funny is that the Savoie FFME guidebook is accurate on their printed map -- so I think the lat-long numbers are way off because someonie mis-guessed from an aerial photo, instead of capturing with an actual GPS unit "out there" on the ground.

more:
* faces WSW, shaded.
* some noise from passing trucks and trains.
* the easy routes on low right side of sector 2 are short.
* sector 3 is high above right from sector 2, reached by steep scramble with old fixed rope.
* so if walk along base to right past sector 2, you next reach sector 4.

Approach: From parking at the switchback, start gentle S on overgrown forest road. Very soon pass by a dirt road going steep down, and after 90m turn off L onto narrow rough trail going steep down. After about 20m down W, trail turns S and traverses roughly horizontal across steep slope, with some significant ups and downs. About 150m reach sector 1 (N45.7509 E5.8827). Traverse S another 40 meters to sector 2 (with sector 3 above right high). Another 40 meters to sector 4, and another 30-40 meters to sector 5 and the south end of the climbing (N45.7496 E5.8834).
. . . effort: ups+downs over 0.45 km distance to sector 4.
. . . time range: 7-15 minutes.
Post edited at 08:55
OP kenr 28 Apr 2017
Mouxy: Just now I fixed the latitude-longitude numbers shown on c2c:
https://www.camptocamp.org/waypoints/459293/fr/mouxy

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