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October 11, 2019 | TRIPS

VERDON GORGE CLIMBING TRIP

A short tale about a climbing trip to the iconic Verdon Gorge.

It was my second time visiting this little paradise in the south of France, and still it felt a bit intimidating and exposed. There is nothing easy about the Verdon Gorge. It was hard to get lodging at a decent prize in town, so we ended up booking a mobile home in Castellane, about 25/30 min drive to the Parking of La Carelle. And we made it. We only had three climbing days ahead of us, so we had to use them wisely.

Topping out after the first route in Verdon.
Topping out after the first route in Verdon.

For th first day we decided it was best to choose some ¨easy¨, routes. The guys I am travelling with have little experience on multipitch route, and let alone handling all the exposure at Verdon. So We went for some routes at the Belvedere de la Carelle. We splitted in two teams and got ready to rap down.

Climbing in Verdon implies full commitment. You choose a route, you rap down and pull the rope, and then you have ti be able to climb up. If you do your homework, you have look around for alternative exits. and also have the topos for an easier route, in cas you can´t make it up the route you have choosen.

Rappeling down at the Verdon Gorge.
Rappeling down at the Verdon Gorge.

First day went down and it was great. We climbed fun routes and enjoyed a nice day in the sun.

Next day we went for a slighty harder route. Hellfest, 7a, 260mts. It was a blast. ONe of the better routes i´ve climbed here so far. Sustained climbing on amazing rock and very well protected. It was much fun.

Third day we went for a route i´ve been wanting to climb for some time. L´Encastete. 7a+, 280mts. we climbed the first two pitches and got shut down by some rain. So we ended up bailing. The first two where something amazing. I will come back to climb this route to the top.

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You can contact us via email at [email protected] or by phone to (+34) 645 432 307, or by filling up the contact form in the following link.

Client Reviews
Excellent!

(Translated by Google) Santi is one of the best guides I've met, I did the sport climbing course with him, the long route course and I also went for a couple of days to do sport climbing. He has always been very kind and friendly, the explanations he gives are clear and very useful. He knows the areas he goes to perfectly and gives very good recommendations to return there on your own.
(Original) Santi és un dels millors guies que he conegut, he fet amb ell el curs d'escalada esportiva, el de via llarga i també he anat un parell de dies a fer esportiva. Sempre ha segut molt amable i amistós, les explicacions que dona son clares i molt útils. Coneix perfectament les zones on va i dona molt bones recomanacions per tornar-hi pel teu compte.

– Lluís Blasco
Excellent!

(Translated by Google) Highly recommended, they took us in a perfect environment for climbing, with other options in case it was very crowded, they taught us everything we needed to be able to be autonomous in terms of the most appropriate security techniques, practicing everything from there. first moment: go first, place the tapes well and plate, use the grigri in the safest way, make a meeting also in the safest way, and even fall and dynamization techniques. I am very grateful because they solved all my doubts and even helped me choose material!! Nice day of climbing, good people and a lot of learning! A hug to Santi and Yoel
(Original) Muy recomendable, nos llevaron en un entorno perfecto para escalar, con otras opciones por si estaba muy lleno de gente, nos enseñaron todo lo necesario para poder ser autónomo en lo que se refiere a las técnicas más adecuadas de seguridad, practicándolo todo des de el primer momento: ir de primero, colocar bien las cintaa y chapar, usar el grigri de la forma más segura, hacer una reunión también de la forma más segura, e incluso técnicas de caída y dinamización. Estoy muy agradecida porque resolvieron todas mis dudas e incluso me ayudaron a elegir material!! Día agradable de escalada, buena gente y mucho aprendizaje!! Un abrazo a Santi y Yoel

– Suc De Llimona
Excellent!

(Translated by Google) I've started climbing through @southclimb and it's been a wonderful journey. Thank you Santi for everything you have learned, for motivating us to continue growing, for transmitting values ​​to us, for highlighting our small achievements and for the laughter, which is also important. Apart from being a great professional, a great person.
(Original) Me he iniciado en la escalada a través de @southclimb y está siendo un viaje maravilloso. Gracias Santi por todo lo aprendido, por motivarnos a seguir creciendo, a transmitirnos valores, por realzar nuestros pequeños logros y por las risas, que también son importantes. A parte de gran profesional, una gran persona.

– Joana Conesa
Excellent!

(Translated by Google) An unforgettable experience, thank you very much Santi!!!
(Original) Una experiencia inolvidable, muchas gracias Santi!!!

– jon zarco
Excellent!

(Translated by Google) An unforgettable day in Gorro Frigi, Montserrat, thanks for everything
(Original) Un día inolvidable en Gorro Frigi, Montserrat, gracias por todo

– Manuel Pérez Medina
Excellent!

The Via Ferrata was amazing.
* Personal guidance
* High quality pictures
* Very good price
* Guide is good company
* Route has beautiful scenery, very exciting and Santi knows it completely

You do need to bring your own shoes, which may be expected but wasn't mentioned on the website.

– Marco Dijkxhoorn
Excellent!

(Translated by Google) Great experience from Santi's hand. We did two long routes in Monserrat and Santi was very professional at all times and a wonderful person. 10/10!!
(Original) Buenísima experiencia de la mano de Santi. Hicimos dos rutas largas en Monserrat y Santi fue muy profesional en todo momento y una persona maravillosa. 10/10!!

– Sergio H
Excellent!

(Translated by Google) Thanks to santi for the formation of the long way course. Very complete, practical and satisfactory, I put a 10 !!
(Original) Gracias a santi por la formación de curso de via larga. Muy completo, practico y satisfactorio, pongo un 10 !!

– Adrià Jarque Garcia
Excellent!

(Translated by Google) I did a long route with Santi, a real experience. I had a great time, I felt very safe all the time and I would very much like to repeat it one day with better weather and visibility!
(Original) Hize una vía larga con Santi, una verdadera experiencia. Lo pasé súper bien, me sentí muy en seguridad durante todo el tiempo y me gustaría mucho repetirlo un día con mejor tiempo y visibilidad!

– Tanja Wohlgemuth
Excellent!

I had a great experience today climbing with Giordano in Garraf! Just driving to the location was beautiful and the views once you reached the top were spectacular! I felt very safe with my instructor and he balanced making sure I had fun with safety, which you could tell was his priority. He was so encouraging throughout my climbs and made me feel good about what capabilities I had. I will be looking into taking a course with southclimb now and would recommend them to others. Santi was exceptional with communication on WhatsApp and made the entire process very smooth and simple. Thank you!

– Tie Crisi