Map of the rock climbing and bouldering areas in the French Pyrenees

Map of the rock climbing areas in the French Pyrenees

Rock Climbing Areas in the French Pyrenees
No	Crag	Type of climbing	No of routes	Grade Range	Popular Grades
1	Superpene/Pene Haute	Sports	213	3c to 8c	5c to 8a
2	Sinsat	Sports	127	3c to 8a	5c to 6c
3	Targasonne	Bouldering	1,100	Fb 3b to 8b+	Fb 4a to 6c
4	Sadernes	Sports	153	4 to 8c+	6b to 7b
5	Montgrony	Sports	207	3 to 8c	6b to 8a
6	Cavallers	Sports	220	4- to 8a	5c to 7b
7	Rodellar	Sports	315	5 to 8c+	7a to 8a
8	Alquezar	Sports	83	6a to 8c+	7a to 8a

The above information has been extracted from 2 guidebooks for the area, which are; the bouldering guidebook for Targasonne called Le Chaos de Targasonne Topo Guide; and the selective guidebook to this area called Pyrenees Rock that offers a selected number of climbs at the crags shown on the map. Both of these guidebooks can be bought from our shop.

Rock climbing in the Pyrenees

The Pyrenees Mountains form a natural border between France and Spain, and in the foothills of these mountains there are many excellent sports climbing, rock climbing and bouldering areas. Generally the rock here is usually very good and well bolted.

Bouldering at Targasonne
The best place for bouldering in the Pyrenees is at Targasonne, known locally as “The Chaos”, and is located close near the town of Font Romeu on the border with Spain near Andorra. The granite boulders scattered along the Pyrenees mountainside have been developed into the second best bouldering area in France (after Fontainebleau) and offer a good range of grades to suit everyone.

The bouldering consists of plenty of slabs, walls and overhangs, with the rough granite providing good friction. The boulders themselves are between 3 and 4m high, so bouldering mats are essential though the landings are usually very good. The best definite guidebook for Targasonne is called Le Chaos de Targasonne Topo Guide, which describes over 1,100 problems ranging from Fb3 to Fb8b+ in 17 different sectors and can be bought from our shop.

The bouldering at Targasonne is at an altitude of over 1,600m, which means the best time to visit is from late spring until early autumn. For accommodation there is a campsite called “La Griole Camping” that is situated within “The Chaos” or there are plenty of gites to rent in the area.

Sports climbing in the French Pyrenees
The majority of the crags described here offer single pitch sports routes, though there is some multi-pitch climbing at Superpene & Pene Haute (both up to 70m high) and at Cavallers (up to 120m high). Also there are many more climbing areas across the border in the Spanish Pyrenees and Catalunya areas.

Situated either side of the town of Arreau are 2 crags, Superpene and Pene Haute that offer the largest number of sports routes on the French side of the Pyrenees. Here the climbing is quite technical though there is a good number of multi-pitch routes up to 70m high that are 2 to 3 pitches long. The crags face south or south east, though the base of the crags are forested so there is always enough shade when it is hot.

Sinsat offers lots of good mid grade climbing on vertical or just off vertical routes that are generally well bolted. Again the crags face south, though there is no shade, so the best time to climb is late autumn until spring.