We aborted yesterday’s climbing plans due to the discovery of another splendid alpine lake and spent the day swimming there instead!

Also discovered another nice evening stroll that goes up the mountain side behind the chalet with more far reaching views.

We finally got down to another of our local crags after yet another leisurely start. The balcony of our chalet is so nice, it’s hard to leave after breakfast! And as the crag is north facing and always shaded, there seemed no rush to get there.

However, by afternoon, even in the shade, it was incredibly hot as we made the short walk across the hillside to Le Simoust, enjoying the dramatic views of the gorge below as we sweated over to the shady cliffs.

It was pretty busy at the crag, which gave it a strange vibe, but the climbing was fantastic. It took a route to get used to it as it all looks so improbable! Some ancient cataclysmic geological event caused a load of river beds to get washed away and then set like concrete. The cliffs are over 40m high with pebbles and boulders of all shapes and sizes glued together in a random matrix.

And somehow it all holds together! Thankfully!!

We climbed three superb routes and could have done more were it not for the crippling heat!

Instead, we opted for another trip to the lake to cool off!

Climbs at Le Simoust:

-L’homme six 400 voices, 5b+*

– JMC, 5b*

– Perfo Man, 6a***