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Ariege - Wet Weather Options

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 KatieB 23 Sep 2019

Hi All,

I found an archieved discussion from many years ago suggesting there may be some Ariege residents on here able to offer advice???

My Husband and I fly out this coming Saturday (28th sept) for our 3rd visit to the area and are staying in Ussat just outside Tarascon Sur Ariege.

In previous years we have been very lucky with the weather (if anything it's been too hot and sunny - I know, us English are never happy with the weather). But current forecast for next week is looking pretty wet.

I could do with some advice, mainly:

Which craggs tend to be quick drying if we get a few dry hours in the afternoons?

(Our grade range is 5+ to 6b/6b+ so no caves or super overhangs however dry they may stay! lol)

Are there any half decent climbing walls nearby?

Should we be forced to do something other than climbing any recommendations?

 john arran 23 Sep 2019
In reply to KatieB:

If I were you I would find a better weather forecast

Joking aside, the Meteo France site is currently predicting good weather all next week: http://www.meteofrance.com/previsions-meteo-france/ornolac-ussat-les-bains/...

although to be fair it's hard to rely on any forecast for more than a few days in advance unless there's a notably stable weather system around.

Having said that, most of the rock around here dries very quickly after rain. Crags you may well be interested in such as Calamès and Sinsat tend to hold no seepage hardly at all so will be dry very soon after any rain stops. Auzat will take a little longer to dry, being shadier and with more trees around, but even then it will not stay wet for long. Other fast-drying crags of interest for that grade range include Baychon, Appy (if not still in cloud), and Sibada.

If the weather were to turn really wet there are still some climbing options. Génat has a perma-dry slabby sector under a big roof, which is pretty much always climbable, and right by where you're staying I've equipped a small sector No match for crag id:25456 with several routes in those grades that won't get any direct rain at all, with one or two more on the adjacent Ornolac. The names are all on the rock so you shouldn't need a topo but if you want to pop around to our place (chezarran.com) you'll find a couple of topos on our outdoor noticeboard you're most welcome to take photos of. If you do, please call in and say hi!

Hope this helps

John

 alex_arthur 23 Sep 2019
In reply to KatieB:

We really enjoyed visiting the thermal spa up at Ax Le thermes on a rest day.

 Mark Bull 23 Sep 2019
In reply to KatieB:

>  Should we be forced to do something other than climbing  any recommendations?

There a some good show caves in the area: I'd especially recommend Niaux which has some incredible prehistoric art. There seems to be at least one English language tour each day, and you need to book in advance, but you can do so online here: https://sites-touristiques-ariege.oxygeno.fr/?categorie=GN

OP KatieB 24 Sep 2019
In reply to john arran:

Thats great thankyou! I used YR.nor last week and it was all doom and gloom but checking again this morning and as you say it's looking pretty good all week. But thanks for the info, always good to check out some new places!

OP KatieB 24 Sep 2019
In reply to alex_arthur:

Was that Les Bains du Couloubret?

Post edited at 08:51
 Simon Caldwell 24 Sep 2019
In reply to KatieB:

I gave up with yr.no last time we were there, it got it wrong as often as it got it right (better than when we were in Greece and it was wrong every day!). Best forecasts we found were from http://www.meteofrance.com

 Mark Bull 24 Sep 2019
In reply to Simon Caldwell:

yr.no does have a convenient web interface with good English language support, but, from a technical point of view, there is no good reason to believe that the Norwegian met service can provide better forecasts for other countries (such as France or the UK) than their own national met services. 

 alex_arthur 24 Sep 2019
In reply to KatieB:

That’s the one. Excellent rejuvenating rest/wet day activity! 

OP KatieB 26 Sep 2019

Thanks for the advice all, one final question.....

Any recommendations for good places to eat? Both for a good pizza lunch and somewhere nicer for the evening.

Staying in Ussat and prefer to walk but happy to walk into Tarascon.

 john arran 26 Sep 2019
In reply to KatieB:

> Any recommendations for good places to eat? Both for a good pizza lunch and somewhere nicer for the evening.

> Staying in Ussat and prefer to walk but happy to walk into Tarascon.

Best pizza in town has long been La Mandoline, a very friendly place on the main road. Several other good places in Tarascon too. People report Le Vieux Carré is good but it's not great for veggies so we rarely go there. La Bellevue is good too and has improved a lot over the last year or so. Then there's Le Manoir, the posh (for Ariège at least!) hotel over the road from La Mandoline. Le Manoir is more expensive and can feel a bit stuffy but has genuinely creative dishes and gives much more of a gastronomic experience rather than a traditional dining one.

There's another nearby restaurant, not really in walking range, up the valley a short way in Les Cabannes. It's called Le Cube and it's a very good compromise between fine dining and friendly atmosphere, with pretty much all of its produce sourced incredibly locally. Probably my top recommendation along with La Mandoline.

Don't forget to wander along to the small cafe (buvette) in Ussat-les-bains for a tranquil coffee and ice cream in the sun. But remember, because it only sells snacks and not 'proper' meals, it closes for lunch!

 Mark Bull 26 Sep 2019
In reply to KatieB:

I haven't been for a while but: La Mandoline on the main road in Tarascon for pizza, and Le Vieux Carre near the big church in the town for more traditional food. The bakers on the main road (50m north of La Mandoline on the other side of the road) is good for cakes etc. 

OP KatieB 30 Sep 2019
In reply to KatieB:

So today's question is the complete opposite: What time of year is best for us pasty English folk more used to peak district wind and rain to climb at the sunny craggs? Went to baychon today and managed a couple of warm up routes before the heat got too much and we ran away to Auzat in search of some shade. Have had the same problem at Sinsat and Calames in the past. We were hoping this year would be cooler because we came a bit later. Do we need to leave it later still, like November? Or is spring better? We were in Margalef in April and that was spot on.

Any good shadey spots not in the rockfax guide? We discovered Lordat last year and loved it. 

 Chris Craggs Global Crag Moderator 30 Sep 2019
In reply to KatieB:

Have you come across Junac on the CAFMA website - it faces the sun but has plenty of tree cover? Good spread of grades and great rock,

Chris

 Fiona Reid 30 Sep 2019
In reply to KatieB:

We were at Lordat hiding from from sun today. We have also been recommended Junac but haven't been there yet. 

It's due to cool down a fair bit from tomorrow afternoon onwards. Rain forecast too so might have to resort to the spa or hillwalking. 

 john arran 30 Sep 2019
In reply to KatieB:

If you want Peak District conditions you've maybe come to the wrong place

However, apart from Auzat, you can find good shade at Sibada in the morning and at all of the Alliat sectors in the afternoon. Roc à Steph also offers quite a lot of shade. Then by going higher you can get cooler conditions at Appy and at Rocher école at Rulhe (which isn't in the Rockfax but is on the CAFMA site at http://cafma.free.fr/rulhe/fr_rulhe.htm)

Worth noting also that yesterday was unseasonably hot, at nearly 30 deg C, and the rest of the week will be quite a lot cooler, mostly around 20 deg C, so you might well find that being in the sun becomes a pleasure again.

 john arran 30 Sep 2019
In reply to Fiona Reid:

The rain should only be a problem from lateish tomorrow until Wednesday afternoon. Apart from that I think you'll be fine.

 Fiona Reid 30 Sep 2019
In reply to john arran:

Thanks John. Will keep our fingers crossed. 

We're planning an early start in the morning to maximise climbing time just in case the rain arrives early. 

On Wednesday I guess we'll see how quickly it dries up and see what we can get done or go for wander. 

Coming from Scotland I'm used to having plans A through Z to accommodate pretty much any weather 😀

 martin09 01 Oct 2019
In reply to KatieB:

There is a currently a ban on climbing at Junac. The crag is privately owned and due to problems with climbers it has been closed. On the subject of where to climb when it is too hot try  Pic de la Madelon at Soulcem - see Club Alpin Foix topo guide for route info. There are other high altitude routes on there. Also much of the site at Lourdat is north facing hence not too hot.  

OP KatieB 01 Oct 2019
In reply to john arran:

Definately not after peak district conditions, had enough of that 😂. Might give Junac a try, looks pretty decent for our grade range 👍

 john arran 01 Oct 2019
In reply to KatieB:

> Might give Junac a try, looks pretty decent for our grade range

Please note what martin09 said above, that Junac is off-limits right now. I wasn't aware of that so thank you Martin. The CAFMA site confirms this: " Les propriétaires de la falaise on décidé d'interdire la partique de l'escalade jusqu'à nouvel ordre." So we need to await a negotiated outcome.

 Fiona Reid 01 Oct 2019
In reply to martin09:

Man thanks for the heads up. We'll avoid Junac as requested.

Cheers Fiona

 Fiona Reid 02 Oct 2019
In reply to Fiona Reid:

Man -> Many 

Stupid predictive text! 

Wet weather plans needed today... It's gone a bit Scottish outside!

 john arran 02 Oct 2019
In reply to Fiona Reid:

> Wet weather plans needed today... It's gone a bit Scottish outside!

Well this is always fun: https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/features/le_trog_subterranean_adventure... and it's probably about a 3-minute walk from where you're staying.

Can't understand why it isn't more popular!

OP KatieB 02 Oct 2019
In reply to john arran:

That looks pretty cool, don't rate my chances of getting up the final 7a pitch though 😅. We went for the slightly less adventurous pizza lunch (Pizza de Peppo, La Mandoline was closed today) and La Grotte de Niaux. 

Post edited at 17:08

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