Adjacent Areas
< La Grotte aux Fées | La Loubetière >
Sport
Sun to mid-afternoon
Up and Down
4 minsDry in the Rain
50m right of the Grotte aux Fées, this steeper sector has a great set of quality routes. A spoulga is a fortified cave, often elevated, used for protection from assailants. There are fifteen or so notable spoulgas in this part of Ariège, many of which are twelfth century and are rumoured to have been last inhabited by Cathar priests evading persecution by Catholic forces. Guidebook page 130.
| Route (click for voting and user comments) | Symbols | Grade | |
1 |
Beijing express Sustained technical climbing, offering just enough balance to hang around and get pumped. | 2 Stars Pumpy | 7b |
2 |
Dragon ball Start 3m right at a brown wall. Short and not too hard if you can reach the holds. | 1 Stars Reachy | 6c+ |
3 |
Bébé run Varied and interesting, particularly through the reachy roof. | 2 Stars Reachy Pumpy | 6c |
4 |
Bull rider Good but short-lived, with tough moves low down. Head through the centre of the bulges after the start. The best of this... | 2 Stars Reachy Technical | 7a |
5 |
Les eaux coul directe From an ivy-covered flake, make fierce fingery moves to join the parent route after its traverse. | 1 Stars Crimpy | 7b+ |
6 |
Les eaux coul Wonderful weaving technicality with just enough urgency. From the arrival point at the crag, follow the first couple of... | 2 Stars Technical Pumpy | 7a+ |
7 |
Les eaux troubles Top 50 From the same start as Les eaux coul, follow the glue-ins up the face on the right, then the bulgy groove above. | 3 Stars Pumpy | 7a+ |
8 |
Survivor Super-thin moves up the lower wall. Good edging shoes a must. | 1 Stars Technical Crimpy | 8a |
9 |
Shangrila The main diagonal is followed with increasing urgency to a rest in Cathares. Then head right again more easily to finish up the... | 2 Stars Technical Crimpy | 7c+ |
10 |
Shaolin From the first crux on the traverse of Shangrila, move up with difficulty and follow the flake back leftwards. | 3 Stars Technical Crimpy | 7c+ |
11 |
Cathares Top 50 Start at a large, chalked undercut. Opinion is divided whether this deserves 7a+ but all agree it's superb, with delicacy and... | 3 Stars Pumpy | 7a |
12 |
Les figues sont vertes Sadly the direct on Cathares is almost impossible without a long reach. Even with one, the tricky slab crux might catch you... | 2 Stars Reachy Technical | 8a |
13 |
Les figues sont mûres Follow Cathares into Shangrila. Leaving Cathares is tough. | 2 Stars | 7a+ |
14 |
Les visiteurs Good pumpy climbing along and up the diagonal crack. | 2 Stars Pumpy | 6b |