Looping the Loup!
I am currently lying on our air bed enjoying the last few hours of the evening sun before we cook dinner. This has been our first week of travelling and climbing in France. Time has passed so quickly that it’s hard to believe we have been out for that long. It certainly doesn’t feel like we have done that much, but driving and general moving around has eaten up a lot of our climbing time. However, we have still been having fun living the dream in Alex’s big orange van - swimming in rivers, visiting
pretty villages and pulling hard on French limestone.
We began the long and arduous (perhaps too strong a word!) journey from Edinburgh to France by first taking the train to Sheffield. We were then picked up by Alex Barrows and began the drive south, stopping off in the van not far from the eurotunnel in anticipation of an early start to catch the 6:30am train across to Calais. We stopped off at La Balme, which was way too hot to do any climbing, so after a day spent there we continued on to Gorges du Loup.
On our first day I managed to tick an 8a second go, Super Mekanik. I had tried this route once or twice 4 years ago when I came to Loup with some foreign friends (the Baby Bichos!) It was too bouldery and powerful for me back then, but this time I felt so much stronger and was pleased to get it done. My next project was Sika 8a, another route I had tried on my previous trip. On my retro flash attempt I managed to get up to about 3/4 of the way, messing up my sequence and getting too pumped! After a rest day I tried again and managed to fluff the second last move about 5 times before finally ticking the route on Monday. I worked the next section of Sika 2 8b, a route I would like to get back on before the end of the trip.
My sights had been set on my next route since first trying it 4 years ago - Deverse Satanique 8a+, a true classic of the crag and a route which gives the Deverse sector it’s name. I had one attempt to try and retro flash it, falling just after the crux and getting very tired and pumped. I worked the moves and the next day I managed to tick it 3rd try! I was really happy to get it done after years of wanting to go back and sort out my unfinished business!
At the end of the day yesterday I worked an 8b called SataniX, which starts up the same line as the 8a+ and then flows straight up a tricky tufa section onto a crimpy vertical section. I really enjoyed climbing the moves, despite feeling knackered and in need of a rest day! Tomorrow I will try and red point it - I think it may take some time but to tick my first 8b in Loup would be amazing! Robbie helped me work out the top section as he is trying Hot Chilli X 8c, which also follows the top vertical line.
We are all having a great time despite finding the climbing tough, although I think the boys are finding the freezing cold river more of a challenge than the climbing - I seem to be much better suited to enduring cold water temperatures. Maybe I should take up swimming? :p