Seynes climbing ban to 15 September 2012

Seynes, without a doubt one of the most beautiful sheets of limestone in the South of France with more than 300 routes up to 8c, is closed to climbing until 15 September.

According to the mayor of Seynes Hervé Grimal, the access ban has been put in place because of climbers not respecting some rules such as driving to the crag across private land, wild camping and in particular lighting campfires which are a serious risk to the territory.

The new ban has been decided together with the French Sport Climbing Association (FFME) with which the town council is currently attempting to find a solution. Even if the restriction is provisionally in place until 15 September, the mayor does not exclude a total blanket ban should a compromise not be reached.

The future of Seynes is completely in the hands of us climbers and even though it should be superfluous, in the light of these recent developments we will repeat it once again in the hope that this unpleasant situation will not degenerate further: respecting a series of simple rules are the basis of our free access to crags which, more often than not, are located on private ground. It is up to us therefore to demonstrate – at Seynes as elsewhere – that we climbers are welcome guests and capable of gaining the right to climb at these crags.