October 11, 2019 | TRIPS
VERDON GORGE CLIMBING TRIP
A short tale about a climbing trip to the iconic Verdon Gorge.
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.
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.
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.
We spent 4 days climbing with this two crazy California guys in some of the world best crags. It was a blast.
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Una excursión genial !
Una experiència molt bona. En Santi no només encomana la passió per l'escalada, sino que a més contagia la seva cura per la natura. El seu bon fer i la relació amb tots els nens dels grup ha estat molt positiva. Hem après un munt de coses sobre l'escalada i hem fet un bon amic. Gràcies Santi! Fins aviat!
Excelente monitor!!! pero lo mejor de todo inmejorable persona.
Hemos pasado un gran día mi hijo Santi y yo.
El ha perdido miedo y ha ganado confianza.
Yo me he sentido muy segura y acompañada en todo momento. Con paciencia y sin prisas. Muy bien
Han sigut dos dies genials aprenent seguretat i gaudint de l'experiència i ensenyança d'escalar amb un magnífic professional com es en Santi. Estic molt content d'haver conegut a SouthClimb i de l'experiència. He aprés moltíssim al costat del Santi i espero continuar-ho fent en properes activitats i sortides.
Una experiència genial i absolutament recomanable, amb moltes ganes de continuar l'aprenentatge amb en Santi i el seu equip!
Three days of sport climbing, two days of multipitch. Excellent experiences and beautiful environment at Montserrat and Siurana’s surroundings!
hi Santi,
i'm sorry it took so long to post your review, but i wanted to have time to sit down and write a thoughtful one. thank you so much for a great experience. i truly can't think of anything you could do better than you're already doing. just keep up the good work!
thanks again!
Courtney (and Andrew)
Excelente experiencia....con ganas de repetir!!!!!
Great experience, in which we have enjoyed both children and adults! We hope to repeat! Santi has made It all very easy for us. Thank you!
We had the absolute best time climbing with you in Spain. We will cherish these memories for a lifetime and hope to return to climb with you in the future.
What we loved about climbing with you:
- your flexibility with our travel plans and jet lag
- your excellent communication skills in English
- your knowledge of local culture, places to eat and history of the location (we loved going to the climbers bar, meeting your friends, climbing in Reus and visiting Siurana town)
- your incredible experience with both ski and climb guiding
- your climbing ability!! #mindblown
- your friendly nature and willingness to understand what we (as your clients and friends) need.
- LUNA!!!!
Thanks so much for an incredible time. We can't wait for the next one :)
Hugs
Mahima
