UKC

Tunisia's First Sport Climbing is Born

© Youri Picart
In this report Youri Picart from Grenoble University tells us about a recent bolting mission to Tunisia.


Beraka allah fika - 8a  © Youri Picart
Beraka allah fika - 8a
© Youri Picart

Bolting trip in Tunisia #3  © Youri Picart
At the GUCM (Grenoble University Club for Climbing and Mountaineering) we receive quite a few foreign students. After climbing with us, most of them are keen to keep it up once back in their own country. Our friend 'Slim' was one of them, but bad luck: he lived in Tunisia.

There are plenty of quality crags in Tunisia, many of them feature amazing rock in amazing places. But up until last June, only three routes had been opened there (in Djebel Ressas, near Tunis), classic routes, protected by pegs and passing sections of loose rock. No sport routes existed.

Slim gave us all the info we needed to formulate our plan, and with fourteen fellow climbers, we set about bolting up new sport routes of all levels in Djebel Zaghouan, so Tunisians could have a new playground for climbing. With the support of the local caving club, of Petzl and of the French CNDS (National Centre for Sports Development), we bolted twenty-five new sport routes (from 4a to 8a), and four multi-pitch routes (from 6a to 6c). This sparked the founding of the first Tunisian rock climbing club in Zaghouan.

The local climbers there, as well as ourselves, would be proud to give you more information if you are keen to go and repeat our routes!

FOR MORE INFO: Download the guide-book and watch the movie trailer


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3 Aug, 2012
What a great story. Well done to all concerned - it looks a great area and the route in the main picture looks superb.
3 Aug, 2012
Good Job! just when you think that every route out there has been done you realise that there are whole countries with probably hundreds of undeveloped crags in them.
3 Aug, 2012
That 8a looks fantastic. Also looks pretty runout.
3 Aug, 2012
I had a close look at these cliffs when I was last in Tunisia in 2008 and was very impressed before some plain clothes security service heavies in leather jackets started to take an unhealthy interest. I'm not at all surprised this area's been developed; it was only a matter of time. The whole setting's superb too. Tunisia's potential for climbing is huge, with big undeveloped limestone cliffs in the south and south west as well. It'll make for a far more adventurous sun rock destination than the Costas! Dave
3 Aug, 2012
Good effort. Congratulations to the team who put all this work in. 2 years ago I did a few new routes in Greece in a very remote area that no one will probably visit for a long time. Ah well. Now I'm feeling about ready for another thrash with the bolt gun and fancy being involved in a great looking new area like this where the routes will surely see plenty of traffic. What's the deal with others wanting to come and contribute new routes? What's the best time of year to visit? Cheers Colin
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