In order of date this is what I have been up to since I did Donnafugata on Torre Trieste. After Donnafugata I was waisted for about 3 or 4 weeks, with no real energy to do any thing real hard plus it was warm. Then La Saume came in to play. Its a new crag at 2300 meters that is in the shade all day. I sent a few 7c and 7c+ up there all mega cool routes and I have worked on a 8a+. Well its a summer crag and this morning I got word that its been snowing 30 cm at 2700 meters in the area of La Saume.... Draws in! Might have to go with my Ice tools to get them back down? The picture below is from La Saume.
Gorge du Tarn is back in play! And its all about "ABUS Routes!"
In fact Tarn has never been out of play its just been on the back-burner due to the lack of a dated topo and the huge re-bolting project, but the area has never been closed.
I have a few thoughts on Tarn...
First its 12 years since the last topo was published. Climbers not respecting the area is one reason this has kept back publishing a new topo. An other reason is the fact that it needed to be re- bolted. That has now been done. But its not FREE as many climbers seems to think. Its costed 104.000 Euros to re-bolt and a hundreds of man hours to make that happen. Some old areas are not in the new topo, respect that as FFME has most likely not secured agreements with the landowners.
The new topo is in in French, English, German, Italian and Spanish. The pictures are super good and plenty of new stuff to do. Tarn is all about the "Abus" for me! Abus is the local term for the long and committing routes that are plus 60 meters. You climb this routes ground up in one pitch using a "Tarn" specific technique and PLENTY of quick draws.
The grading.
Well this is a sensitive topic... No shit... And its very personal how grades apply to different individuals. In the new topo I noticed that the über popular "Moules frites" has been downgraded to 7c+ from 8a. It was talk last summer of down grading "Premiers choux fleurs" from 8a+ to 8a. I would have disagreed with that! A few other routes have been down graded like "Mosaik man" and that is more like it I think . What I find after trying some of the 8a:ish "Abus" routes is that the routes on "Tenessee" have "survived" any downgrading and quite frankly that is surprising to me. Compare "Premiers choux fleurs" to "Les ails du désir" or to an other 8a "Au temps d'avant" on "De Que fas Aqui" and you are miles apart in terms of difficulty. The two 7b+ on "Tenessee", "Une cologne derriér les versus" and "Les ails du désir" are both soft and in my opinion more of 7b. But I might be off. The same with "Pyromania" 7c+ its just not consistent with how other routes are graded to keep it at 7c+. When it comes to "Les ails du désir" 8a part of the grade must come from the huge flights you get if you fall off. If that route had 3 or 4 more bolts it would most likely not be much more than a 7c. But this is me speculating. Any way this is semantics and not important only interesting to me and this is my thoughts. I lift my hat and say CHAPEAU to the friendly crew in Gorge du Tarn. Thanks for all the hard work and the amazing climbing you have created. Its truly a unique place where chipping is rare! Keep it that way!
Tick list from August:| Order by Date | ||||||||||||
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12-09-02 | 7a |  |
Les couilles au cul 7a,7b+,7c | Gorges Du Tarn / Figues au cul | Hard | hard if you are short, fell off L1 did L2 onsight. L1 is POLISHED! | * | 700 |
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12-09-02 | 7b+ |  |
Les couilles au cul 7a,7b+,7c | Gorges Du Tarn / Figues au cul | Fell on L1 did L2 easy... Strange day | *** | 995 | |
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12-09-02 | 7a | |
Mick ta mére | Gorges Du Tarn / Club house | Soft | one move upside down wonder, but fun! | ** | 845 |
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12-09-01 | 7c | |
*Le piratarn | Gorges Du Tarn | Poorly/Mainly chipped slabish... traverse! Getting psyched? Not?! Its cool even if its chipped. | *** | 1045 | |
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12-09-01 | 7b | |
Une colonne derrière les verrous 6c+,7a,7a+,7b,7b+,7c+ | Gorges Du Tarn / Tennessee | 7b+ in topo but really soft even for 7b I think. Good warmup. | *** | 945 | |
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12-09-01 | 7b+ | |
Les aîles du désir 7b,7b+,7c,8a,8a+ | Gorges Du Tarn / Tennessee | Soft | Cool but soft! | *** | 995 |
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12-09-01 | 6c | |
Tarn is business | Gorges Du Tarn / Trésor du zèbre | Super! | *** | 745 | |
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12-09-01 | 8a | |
Les aîles du désir 7b,7b+,7c,8a,8a+ | Gorges Du Tarn / Tennessee | Soft, Second GO | This is a low end 8a. In fact I think its more of 7c+ and Pyromania 7c. Big Air thing... part of the grade must be the spaced bolting. Mythic! Happy only had to fly on the first try. Jesus you do fly big! | *** | 1002 |
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12-08-31 | 7c | |
Retour à meilleure fortune | Gorges Du Tarn | 40m 6c+ plus 38m 7c in one looooong pitch. About 25 draws. First 7c onsight! | *** | 1045 | |
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12-08-31 | 7b+ | |
La Puerta del Sol 6c,7b+,7c | Gorges Du Tarn / De que fas aqui? | Super 40m 6c+ in to 20m 7b+ in one go! Super *****! | *** | 995 | |
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12-08-31 | 7a | |
Fuck the curve | Gorges Du Tarn / De que fas aqui? | Soft | super! 42 m | *** | 845 |
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12-08-31 | 6c+ | |
Avatarn | Gorges Du Tarn / De que fas aqui | L1 tip top slab. Tried the 7c+ L2 But chipped and not nice. | ** | 795 | |
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12-08-25 | 6c+ | |
Mystic reveur | La Saume / S2 - 2100m | Repeat | rep | *** | 649 |
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12-08-25 | 6c | |
Far right new | La Saume | Repeat | rep | *** | 599 |
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12-08-24 | 6b | |
M'enfin | La Saume | Repeat | L1, rep | *** | 499 |
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12-08-24 | 6c+ | |
Mystic reveur | La Saume / S2 - 2100m | Repeat | rep | *** | 649 |
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12-08-21 | 7c+ | |
La prise du dragon | Arsine / 3 | Soft, Second GO | Cool on granite! Crimp and you are fine. | ** | 952 |
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12-08-21 | 6c+ | |
Mer de nuage | Arsine | hard start. | ** | 650 | |
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12-08-18 | 6b | |
M'enfin | La Saume | Repeat | L1, rep | *** | 499 |
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12-08-18 | 6c+ | |
Mystic reveur | La Saume / S2 - 2100m | Repeat | x 2 | *** | 649 |
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12-08-17 | 6b | |
M'enfin | La Saume | Repeat | L1, rep | *** | 499 |
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12-08-17 | 6c+ | |
Mystic reveur | La Saume / S2 - 2100m | Repeat | x 2 | *** | 649 |
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12-08-15 | 6c+ | |
Mystic reveur | La Saume / S2 - 2100m | Repeat | x 2 | *** | 649 |
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12-08-15 | 7c+ | |
No 8 | La Saume / S2 - 2100m | Soft, Second GO | L1 7a, L2 7b L3 7c+! 50m L2 is hard L3 resi. Cool but sadly some "improved" holds in the first part. Top its thin... | *** | 952 |
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12-08-15 | 6b | |
M'enfin | La Saume | Repeat | L1, rep | *** | 499 |
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12-08-14 | 7b+ | |
No 18 | La Saume / S2 - 2100m | Hard | Nice line! Hard even if its my style. | *** | 995 |
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12-08-14 | 6c+ | |
Mystic reveur | La Saume / S2 - 2100m | Repeat | *** | 649 | |
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12-08-14 | 7c+ | |
Le vent de l'errance 7a,7c+ | La Saume / S2 - 2100m | FA | L2 is One of the KING lines 50m! Exposed aret, spaced bolting and tricky to figure out. Not so much of power or stamina... its all technical stuff. ***** 3rd try | *** | 960 |
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12-08-12 | 6b |  |
M'enfin | La Saume | L1 | *** | 553 | |
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12-08-12 | 6c | |
Far right new | La Saume | Super addition to a super crag! | *** | 745 | |
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12-08-12 | 7a | |
Le vent de l'errance 7a,7c+ | La Saume / S2 - 2100m | Hard | Hard L1 | *** | 700 |
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12-08-11 | 6c+ | |
Mystic reveur | La Saume / S2 - 2100m | Repeat | *** | 649 | |
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12-08-04 | 6c+ | |
Mystic reveur | La Sume / S2 - 2100m | Repeat | rep royal! | *** | 649 |
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12-08-04 | 7c | |
left of Dragée fuca | La Saume / S2 - 2100m | Soft | 3rd, might well be 7b+ not sure at all. New route. For me 7c bloc. 7b up to the finish... Unreal! Bouldery finish. | *** | 900 |
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12-08-03 | 7b | |
Le chibre | Rue des masques / Le Canyon | Log-book, No score OS burn.... Tooooo ticked up to do! | *** | 800 | |
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12-08-03 | 7b | |
La teigne | Rue des masques / Le Canyon | Repeat, Soft, Second GO | rep, soft | ** | 801 |
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12-08-03 | 6b+ | |
La malédiction du voyageur | Rue des masques / Le Canyon | rep | 550 | ||
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12-08-03 | 6b | |
Oîe Liberta | Rue des masques / Le Canyon | Repeat, Hard | rep, bloc | 499 | |
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12-08-01 | 7a | |
Le Feu Sacré | Tour Termier | Hard | 10 pitch MP with hard crux pitch that is 7a in topo. res around 6b+/6c. | * | 845 |