Alpes – Maritimes: a beautiful mixture of the alps and the sea next to each other in southern france. The region is blessed with hundreds of sectors of climbing possibilities for every taste and  difficulty be it a wall of tufas, ledges or overhanging grips. If you are situated in Nice, the furtherst crag to reach is at most 1.5 hrs away. The border to Italy is just about an hour away from there and every view you inhale is one of blue skies, sun and sea, one of the things which is essential for the beginning of a great climbing holiday in Côte d’Azur.

It must be our 6th time here in this region. And each time, there are newly equiped crags and sectors to discover on. When the Alpes Maritime guide book came out in 2005 it was one of the first things we had to get. Till then, we’ve seen the Gorges du Loup in ’99 while passing through to a spain trip and were astonished with what climbing possibilites it had to offer. It’s a no wonder that the Bindhammer brothers were a steady visitor to the then secret spot: Jurassic Park. This place not only offer a fantastic view on top of the world, but had a variaty of overhanging routes decorated with tufas here and there. Around the corner was Cayenne with countless beautiful long endurance routes. The way to get there is an adventure itself leading you through tunnels of water pipelines with a few glances of the opposite top area of the locals – Pupuce Surplomb. Don’t forget your head lamps, it can get really dark in the tunnels.

Pupuce Surplomb: If 8a is not the level you’re feeling at ease with, it’s best to just take a glance of the area on a rest day. “Diverse Satanique”, “Sika” or “New Power Generation” are some of the classical routes of the area. In the later years, the locals developed the area further with more than 50 routes, all graded in a similiar level, one looking better then the next. It’s a good place to get to when it rains (which is seldom in Nice, but when it does seep through, then you’ll know how tufas are created) for the first few days. Mesa Verde has developed into a favourite spot in the last few years, making the crag pretty crowded in the weekends. Faboulous routes in the 7th french grade, lightly overhanging and sheltered from light rain, its a no wonder it’s a local favourite. In the winter time, it’s better to head off to sun laid areas like Castillon, Gorbio , La Turbie or Peilon as the Gorge du Loup can blow a strong, chilly wind through your down.

Castillon lies above Menton, is sun laid and an absolute winter crag. The routes call for a bulging biceps be it a 6b or 8b. Coming from Menton, head for signs to castillon. Just a few kilometeres from the town itself, the imposant crag appears and there’s no doubt that you’re just a stones throw away from the crag. Park at a sharp left hand curve and descend to the crag for 10 mins. If there’s time left after your climbs, head off to the artistic town of castillon with it’s arts and crafts, who has also a fantastic bakery and patisserie all baked in the original stone oven.

La Turbie is definately not the place to miss if you’re in Nice. Situated just right above Monte Carlo, it’s where when you can combine doing your climbs and watching the Formule One races in the first row The crag lies just below the astrological observatorium with differant sectors to choose from. There are shady and sunny areas, routes for all grades and tastes. The atmosphere is amazing, overlooking the city, sea and being right on top. Park right before the observatorium along the road, walk right to the tip of the summit and from there descend, depending on which sector you would like to head for. For hot sunny days, Sector Jakob is east facing, for cooler days, Big Ben, Pheripherique or La Lourbie are sunny the whole day. Avoid any wild camping in the area.

Gorbio is the right place to go if you’re looking for something really sunny. The majority of the route lies from the 6th to 7th grade and is also well bolted with a sum of 150 routes. There are a few sectors to choose from, and yes, there are is also a north sector if it gets too warm. The crag is situated right next to the town. It’s also a good idea to camp in the town if Gorbio is going to be your main destination. You could leave your car parked and hit the climbing area within walking distance.

Another area which has a huge selection is the massive of St. Jeannet. The area offers sports climbing as well as alpine climbing with up to 500 differant routes. Park right at the beginning of the town, pass by the little city and head for the different sectors. In summer, Sector “La Source” offers shades in the different blocks. It was newly bolted in 2008 thus making the area perfect for those feeling at ease on easier levels. There are a min of 30 routes between the 4th and 5th grade, another 30 between 6a and 6c. Since this is ideal for families and children, the routes are very frequented. On colder days, head for “La Cagne” which was equipped a couple of years back and has been since then a favourite. Note that some of the routes don’t dry that awfully fast and it could get rather windy on cold winter days. Majority of the routes around 6c. There’s a climbing shop in the heart of the town if you need chalk or any new equipment for your climbing pleasure.

New Hot Spot in St. Cezaire. Your eyeballs would pop if you see how this place has developed in the last year. New sectors popping up at every crag you would see, well almost.   The topos will be found in the new guide book from Alti Coop which will be out this year supposedly in May. Apparently there’s a delay. We’re still waiting for it to get published to the world. Nevertheless, we’ve tried out 3 sectors of it and have given it **** stars to all that tufa climbing.

Climbing in Côte d’Azur is great, never boring and always with a little surprise in each vacation you spend there

Guide Book:
L’escalade dans les Alpes-Maritimes, from Alti Coop

Rock:
Limestone, tufas, overhangs and ledges, holes

Climbing shops:
Nice, Http://www.alticoop.com

Best time to go:
All year

Rope:
70 – 80m

Accomodation:
Gorbio, Menton
Nice
Eze, entrance of Villefranche and la Turbie
Tel: 04-93-01-81-64 / 04-93-76-70-43

Vence:
Camping de la Bergerie
Les Romarins :
Sur la grande corniche,

La Laune :
A Peillon – téléphone 04-93-79-91-61

Le Mas Fleuri :
A Sospel, sortie A8 Menton. 45mns de Nice
Camping, locations : tél. 04-93-04-14-94 / fax 04-9304-14-86

Apartments:
http://www.vence.fr/-Tourisme-d-Azur-.html
http://www.cote.azur.fr/

Where to eat:
Vence, Tourette, St. Jeanett. Best Pistazia cakes in Castillon that comes directly from the Wooden oven

Supermarkets:
diverse Supermarkets in Vence (L’eclerc, Casino, etc)

Crags:
Blessed with over 50 equipped crags and thousands of routes, a two week holiday would not be enough to cover the Alp Maritime district. We recommend you to settle down in the outskirts of Vence, and spend the rest of your life climbing there.

Rest days:
Don’t miss St. Paul or Tourette if you’re interested in medivial villages finely refurbished and decorated with the artist’s work.
Hit the beach from Vence. This is just a 20 mins drive.
Joing the Parcour de la Nice.
Market days in Vence, St. Paul, Grasse
Consfiserie du Florian – curious to know how the turn a rose petal in to a petal of sugar? Everything a sweet lover found find to satisfy himself
Grasse, the famous perfume city. Take a walk through the streets filled with perfumed goods, visit the perfume museums and take home bottles of good smelling scents with you.
Monte Carlo – willing to spend your last earnings in a Casino?

Useful Links:

Nice-climb.com
www.facebook.com/pages/Climbing-South-of-France-Escalade-Sud-de-la-France/316704815836?ref=mf