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Trip advisor Europe

vwills

27-Nov-2013
9:30:47 AM

Not really a chance to gloat about heading overseas for 5 months- hoping for some tips and practicalities from places to stay to routes to climb and even "dont miss" tourist things to do.... two of us travelling-we have heaps of guide books (about 10kg!) but trying to tell what is not so good eg in the Swiss Plaisir series, or the masses of multipitch limestone around Annecy for instance is tricky. Want to prune what books to take/ or digitisise. The end of the year is rapidly approaching and our research time is limited. I need some inspiration! Five months isnt really long enough to waste time ending up in an old quarry in Switzerland (like St triphon) which has happened to me before, when it turned out there was spectacular limestone not that far away.

Will have full trad rack, 2 ropes (a single 70m and a 60m 8.6mm) and fly into and out of London. Havent yet decided whether we should take an ice axe and crampons as doing stuff like walking up Jezbel Toukbal in Morroco and some alpine rock could be quite fun. We climb to grade 25 sports and trad (if its got good gear)

Interested in mixing up multipitch/adventurous routes with some sports climbing.
The 90 day limit in Schengen countries explains the lenght of time in Morocco and Turkey (but they also sound great). As an indication the most memorable route for a previous trip was Steger route on East Face of Rosengartenspitze and Rebuffat route on Aigulle d'Midi whereas all the little crags have faded from memory.

Plan at the moment:
FLy to Morocco 31 January for 5 weeks (Anti-Atlas and Todra Gorge)
Fly to Turkey (climbing Imzir, Olympos, Geyikbari, Ala Daglar NP) 4 weeks
Ferry to Kalymnos 2 weeks
Ferry to Crete 1 week
Get to Rome somehow, lease car
Northern Italy 2 weeks
Car ferry to Corsica 1 week
Ferry to France, than France /Switzerland 4 weeks
UK 2 weeks- fly home early July

thanks
Vanessa

prb

27-Nov-2013
11:02:27 AM

I'm mostly into peak bagging in the Alps but I did talk up the rock routes on Piz Badile in a previous thread (with pictures) called "moderate adventures in Europe?"

http://www.chockstone.org/Forum/Forum.asp?Action=DisplayTopic&ForumID=15&MessageID=19547&Replies=18&PagePos=380&Sort=LastMessage#NewPost

The North Ridge and the Cassin Route are long easy/moderate classics and the Bregaglia is a very pleasant part of the world to spend a few days (when it's not raining of course!)

nmonteith

27-Nov-2013
11:21:10 AM

When in France don't miss Verdon, Ceuse and Gorge de Tarn. Any other crags are a steep down from these areas and are only worth visiting after you've done those! With only 4 weeks in the area I wouldn't go anyone else.

Neil

27-Nov-2013
12:06:33 PM

Verdon –agree, it is awesome and will stick in your memory. Albeit often rather frightening ! La Demande is a must.

Ceuse – you could take it or leave it @ grade 25 IMHO, especially given you have plenty of other sport climbing crags on your list.

Piz Badile in the Bregaglia is great fun and based on your memorable routes above, I think you would like it. There is plenty more climbing at the next two huts up the valley and also on the Italian side. (Val de Mello….). We did North Ridge of Piz Badile in ~ 4hours as its mostly pretty easy. Another Day in Paradise looks good too. You might need some spikey stuff if you are there early in the season.

Chamonix – did you get up to the Envers hut ? There is oodles or “sport alpine” climbing from there and it is loooong and excellent. (“Sport Alpine” = trad, but with little approaches where you don’t always need a bag full of spikey stuff, and you can generaly bail anytime by rapping down). Maybe too early in the season though…

If you take you spikey stuff think about the Hornli Ridge on the Matterhorn as it is a fun adventure. And not just for the climbing, the dungeon of the Hornli Hut is not to be missed, nor is hauling up the icey fixed ropes while some French guide with a cigarette slides down them.

Some of the more memorable sport climbing we have done was at the 80’s sport crags (Buoux and Finale – Arco too but haven’t been there). If you are passing I would check them out and by the sounds of it you have plenty of experience to decide if they are worth more time or not.

Some pics and what not for some of the above:

http://kateandneil.smugmug.com/Europe-Climb/European-Alps-2012/25719910_PQCxLz#!i=2126323957&k=F6MHHLM

pei

27-Nov-2013
12:19:16 PM

In Morocco at the Todra gorge, you can stay at Abdul Majid's family home (Kasbah des Pyramides) in the village about 10 min walk down the road from the gorge. You can pitch a tent on the roof or he has rooms also, they make great food and the family is lovely. Abdul also used to be a climber and knows a lot about the climbing in the gorge.

I didn't get a chance to climb elsewhere in Morocco, but other people I met raved about Tafraoute, Taghia and Akchour.

gfdonc

27-Nov-2013
3:15:27 PM

Not Austria?
Lots of rock with less people. Long routes. Nice mountain huts. Beer. Spätzle.

"Ende Nie", 38 pitches gr 19.

http://www.bergsteigen.com/sites/default/files/topos/536_Topo_14567375-3c8f-4cb4-86d6-f69c87a0429c_topohigh.jpg

http://www.bergsteigen.com/klettern/tirol/loferer-und-leoganger-steinberge/ende-nie

vwills

27-Nov-2013
9:19:06 PM

Great ideas, keep them coming.
Havent yet booked transport to Crete and Corsica and it would be much easier (and cheaper) to avoid islands but they look like there is lots of potential. Has anyone climbed there?
Saw a show on the ABC (which was about the high political murder rate in Corsica) and the journalist was sweeping around bends in mountains with some amazing rocky scenery. Certainly seems like a lot of options both places.

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