Verdon

If the mountaineering trilogy is composed of the Eiger, the Grandes Jorasses and the Matterhorn, the climbing equivalent is the Verdon, Ceuse and Buoux. In certain respects these “mythical three” were the birthplace of sports climbing during the 1980's and '90's, each different, yet each one with three fundamental characteristics: a breathtaking natural setting, incredible limestone, and hundreds of top quality routes.

The steep walls of the Gorges du Verdon witnessed the entire evolution of this sport: from long trad routes opened from below in the '70's, up to the introduction and systematic use of bolts in the 1980's and ‘90’s. Single pitch routes became the norm, as did top roping, invented here they say, and bolting from above. For obvious reasons. And the Verdon remains unique perhaps also because of this: that to reach the routes, you need to abseil down into a truly impressive drop.

A frightening drop, above routes that have made their way into the history books; classics such as La Demande established over two days in 1968 by François Guillot and Joel Cöqueugniot, Pichenibule, Ctuluh, Gwendal, Debiloff Proffondicum, l’Ange en decomposition, Surveiller et Punir, Papy on sight, Les Specialistes… the list is endless. As is the list of main activists: Jaques Perrier, Jean Marc Troussier, the Remy brothers, Jean Baptist Tribout, Patrick Edlinger, Bruno Clément… all attracted to this incredible limestone which, for its quality, has become world reference point.

Nowadays the steep Verdon walls are no longer the stage for the world’s elite. Their eyes look elsewhere, towards the super-overhangs. But the attraction of these technical slabs, set in magnificent surroundings, remains strong. The triology: a climber’s dream. At least once in a lifetime.