Map of the rock climbing areas south of Gap, including Ceuse

Map of the rock climbing and sports climbing areas south of Gap

Rock climbing areas south of Gap
Crag	Total	Up to 4+	5 to 6a+	6b to 7a	Over 7a+
Ceuse	198	0	20	61	117
Orpierre	212	12	98	61	41
Sisteron	75	5	32	27	11

The above information has been extracted from the Rockfax guidebook, which covers this area, called Haute Provence and can be bought from our shop.

This guidebook describes selective routes, as there are over 350 routes at Ceuse and 650 routes at Orpierre.

Ceuse rock climbing

Ceuse is often described as the best sports climbing crag in France, and some would even go as far to say as the best sports crag in the world! Well Ceuse is certainly blessed with beautifully pocketed limestone rock, outstanding lines and a magical location. The majority of the routes are single pitch and the rock climbing various enormously from overhanging jug feasts to steep technical walls. The routes at Ceuse have a reputation for requiring lots of stamina and having the ability to climb between good but well spaced bolts.

There are around 350 routes at Ceuse that range from F5a to F9a+, though the majority are in the range of F6b to F7c. A new guidebook by Rockfax called Haute Provence details nearly 200 routes at Ceuse. This guidebook can be bought from our shop.

So is the reputation of Ceuse too good to be true? Well the magical location has its good and bad points. The good being the rock climbing is at an altitude of over 1,600m. This along with its close proximity of the main Alps massif, means that the ideal time to climb here is from late spring through to the autumn, which is something very unusual for the south of France! The bad point is the walk-in, which is long, steep and takes on average about an hour.

Ceuse logistics – accommodation and travel

The majority of rock climbers stay at Les Guerins campsite that is located at the base of the hill just outside the village of Sigoyer, though there are numerous hotels and gites in the area.

Flying into Grenoble, Nimes, Marseille and Turin airports are several low cost airlines, with the travel time to Ceuse being no more than one and a half hours.

Overall the climbing at Ceuse is very enjoyable with the best time to visit being from late spring through to the autumn, though it does get busy in the August.

Other areas

If shorter walk-ins are your style then Orpierre is only 10 minutes and Sisteron is a roadside crag. Of the two Orpierre is definitely the most extensive with over 650 routes up to 200m high, with the majority of these in the F5 to F6b range. At an altitude of 700m the best time to visit is spring and autumn.

Within a couple of hours drive away there is some extensive climbing around Avignon plus the other world class areas of Buoux and Verdon.

Click on the thumb nails opposite to view a larger image.

All of these photographs appear in the Rockfax guidebook called France Haute Provence, which describes the sports climbing around Ceuse, Orpierre and Sisterone.