In reply to grubes: In the end I didn't make it to Buoux, bad weather meant we just bombed down to Chateauvert - what a crag!! It's amazing there. Had a brilliant week, loads of good, hard climbing, including two 7b+ onsights and and 'Metaphysiques des tubes' - my first 7c+! It took about six tries over two days, so about four hours of work. Mega chuffed, mostly because it was one of the best routes I've ever done, and I managed to do my first hard holiday redpoint.
Mon - Climbing in the rain at Chateauvert. Warmed up on a really long 6b then got straight on a 7a, which was pretty polished but very good, and harder than expected. I tried the right-hand variant finish at 7b+ but pumped out pretty quicky, cold hands and small pockets! Next I onsighted a really good 7a+ to the right called Le Magicien d'Oz, and finished the day doing Le Chmatex, a 7a at the far right hard end. It was pretty tough as it was but it didn't help that the top section was dripping wet!
Tue - Same crag, much better conditions. Warmed up on another big 6b, and following dad up a 6c that traversed a lot, to retrieve the draws. I tried to onsight a 7a+ called Abolition des Privileges, but it was really cruxy with just one hard move - a big blind slap - so I didn't get the O/S. The next route looked better suited though, a 35m 7b+ called Le Signe du Taureau. It started off fairly easy but sustained to a really good rest, into the first crux, which took a while to work out. I eventually settled on a sequence, involving stabbing up to an upside down two finger pocket, which led to another rest before the final crux. I went up and down about five times from that rest, each time coming down to shake out before commiting to what turned out to be a simple but hard move, slapping up to a good crimp from two slopers, then to clip the chains! First 7b+ onsight of the trip. Finished the day doing a very burly 7a called Cap Horn.
Wed - last day at Chateauvert. Warmed up at Sector Technogene for a change, doing a 6b+ called Canaquie, then a 7a called Caldoquie, both of which had mostly juggy climbing apart from very fingery cruxes, both very good. Went back over to the grande face to try a 7c but it when I got on it, very easy climbing led to a nasty chipped crimpy crux, so I gave it away. I then onsighted a 7b called Transmutation, probably the best route of the holiday, which was all fun jug/tufa pulling apart from one hard move which I called the Grit 6b move - a big slap to a sloper then some clever arete/toe hook work to pull round. Finished doing a 6b called Nuage, which was polished to hell.
Thurs - rest day, drove to Seynes.
Fri - Arrived at Seynes, warmed up the usual 6b+, then used the lower off the put the clips in the neighbouring 7b+ called Monocle, which was a really cool varied route. It went pretty sketchily, with lots of heel hooks and drop knees on little holds to make the tufa less rubbish, but I scraped up it for the second 7b+ O/S of the holiday. Next I did two really thin grey-slab routes, a 7a and a 7a+, both of which had nasty but very satisfying cruxes. Finished off doing another 7a+ called Dinosaure with a really polished boulder problem start and an easy tufa finish. Top day.
Sat - Rain! and lots of it. None of the family were very motivated but I managed to persuade Dad to at least check it out, walked up to find most stuff bone dry! I warmed up on the classic 6c+ of the crag called Le Tube Neurale, which was two mega tufas combined to form a massive chimney, which was nails to get out of! Felt more like HVS 5b with bolts... Next up was another 7a+, which I onsighted after a bit of a tufa-grapple. Didn't know what to do next so I just jumped to the best looking route I could find, expecting it to be straightforward, but fell off at the third clip, only to realise it was a 7c+. I dogged on anyway and surprisingly got all the moves figured out first go, so decided to leave the clips in, which turned it into a two day project. The pressure was on though, because the next day was the last of the holiday, and I was already tired and running out of skin. The route broke down into three sections: the first was a steep tufa system, where a big stretch took you up to the tufa proper. The second section was the crux, which involved lots of techy moves which were easy to mess up leading up the tufa, culminating in a huge slap to a flat rest hold (the only good holds on the route) which were the start of the last section, which was much less steep, but very balancey and easy to slip off.
RP 1 - actually nearly did it this go, mostly by fluke, fell off slapping for the rest hold after the crux section, realised I needed to be less pumped for this bit.
RP 2 - rubbish, too tired so gave up at the end of the first section.
Sun - RP 3 - rubbish, totally forgot crux sequence! Fell of start of second section.
RP 4 - better, but no success, same as RP 1.
RP 5 - rubbish, too tired, demotivated, so I went away for half an hour, ate a bit, then got psyched for...
RP 6 - SENT, 7c+ WHOOP! The difference was shaking out more at the end of the first section so I had more in the tank for the crux slap. Once I'd done that, I did the last section easily but very nervously!
So that was a great way to finish an awesome holiday, despite the rain and Orgon being rubbish!
Final tally is:
5 x 7a onsight
5 x 7a+ onsight
1 x 7b onsight
2 x 7b+ onsight
1 x 7c+ redpoint
Just realised what a stupidly long post that was, sorry but I'm really psyched!
Cheers, Jake