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.
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(Translated by Google) Very good experience. Very clear in the explanations and seriousness in the security issue. All the content was addressed to be able to scale with autonomy
(Original) Muy buena experiencia. Mucha claridad en las explicaciones y seriedad en el tema de seguridad. Todo el contenido quedó abordado para poder escalar con autonomía
(Translated by Google) I did an initiation course with Santi and it was amazing, I learned a lot and I had a great time, super nice at all times and above all very concerned about safety. As soon as I can I will sign up for more activities! I highly recommend it!!!
(Original) Hice un curso de iniciación con Santi y fue una pasada, aprendí un montón y me lo pasé genial, super agradable en todo momento y sobretodo muy preocupado por la seguridad. En cuanto pueda me apuntaré a más actividades! Lo recomiendo a tope!!!
(Translated by Google) A fantastic experience with a great guide. Time used to the maximum and total safety on the rock!
(Original) Una experiencia fantástica con un guía estupendo. Tiempo aprovechado al máximo y total seguridad en la roca!
Just finished the 2-day multi pitch course. Excellent experience with our coach Santi, who is a professional and very experienced rock climber and alpinist.
We were taught all the techniques and logics to complete a multi pitch route in the mountains (the second day in Montserrat is amazing!).
We also had many nice small talks about risk management, how to start climbing multi pitch for beginners, etc.. Very nice people and vibe here ;)
Santi hosted 5 of us amateur climbers in Siurana for 5 days, most of whom had never climbed outdoors before. We felt so safe with Santi as a guide, and he was able to provide climbing support as well as local recommendations (and jokes) at the same time! We all definitely leant a lot from him.
(Translated by Google) An excellent experience highly recommended to start scanning. Looking forward to repeating!!!
(Original) Una experiencia excelente muy recomendable para iniciarse a la escaneada. Con ganas de repetir!!!
(Translated by Google) A highly recommended course. Theory based on practice, which is the best way to learn. 🤗
(Original) Un curs molt recomanable. Teoria basada en la pràctica, que és la millor manera d'aprendre. 🤗
(Translated by Google) A very good experience! The truth is that climbing with Santi I learned many things and had even more fun. The explanations were very practical and useful. I wanted to repeat the experience and continue learning. Thank you!
(Original) ¡Una experiència muy buena! La verdad es que escalando con Santi aprendí muchas cosas y me divertí aún más. Las explicaciones fueron muy prácticas e útiles. Me quedé con ganas de repetir la experiencia y seguir aprendiendo. ¡Gracias!
First of all, I want to thank Santi - our rock climbing guide - for an excellent teaching!!⚡️
He was consistent, attentive to our strengths and weaknesses, inspiring confidence and really professional (technically and psychologically)!
I finally overcome my fear of lead rope climbing which followed me for a long long time… A friend of mine had his first time real rock climbing and now he already knows both types (lead and top) of climbing and belaying!🤯
And it hasn't felt like a boring studying with a tired of all this annoying tourists instructor. Santi was behaving not just as a mentor, but also as a friend of us🤝🏻
Hope to climb together one day again✨🏔️
My family was in Barcelona on vacation and wanted to go climbing. Santi picked us and took us on what we all thought was the BEST day of our vacation. He asked what kind of climbing we wanted and found the perfect spot. He offered to take us to a restaurant for lunch that had amazing food, perfect atmosphere and the best sangria you could find. Without a doubt I would highly recommend Santi for any activities you may want to do. He is very attentive and offers a lot of local advice! Thank you Santi!
