rock climbing in Céüse, France
350 rock climbing routes, outlying areas 100

Céüse is regarded to be the best crag in Europe, we approached the area with a sceptical mind but soon had to agree, Céüse is beautiful and the crag offers superb rock climbing. Furthermore, if you like the feeling of freedom on higher altitudes, with a grand view, there is no problem to be a belay monkey in Céüse; the view is beautiful.
Nothing that was bad then? There is a long and steep approach, absolutely no nightlife and a long trip by car to get food.

Few areas have such a good reputation, and except from a quite hard approach to the crag Céüse is almost perfect.
One long crag on an altitude of 1600 metres, a superb view over the landscape in Gapencais and the mountains in the direction of the Italian border.
Almost 350 routes graded from 5a to 9a+, with the major part of the routes graded from 6b to 7c.
By the crag you meet climbers from all over the world, as in El Chorro, Arco and Frankenjura.
The climbing is very enjoyable, and if the long approach finally is to much; you will find Ardèche, Buoux and Verdon within a couple of hour's drive from the crags in Céüse.

The nearest town, where you will find supermarket's, is Gap. North of Gap we picked out two smaller areas, Pont du Fossé with almost 100 routes graded 3a to 7b with an easy access and Rouanne Haute, a small but very beautiful crag in a pre-Alp scenery with harder routes.

The whole area is perfect for activities on resting days, small winding roads for mountain- bike, several spots for Parapente, possibilities for to try sailflying, public pool's, footpaths and of course, the town Gap with boutiques, sport shops and restaurants. The spots covered by the Topos have good possibilities for wild camping.
The abc of rock climbing in France, Ardèche, Buoux and Céüse, is recommended. There are a lot of nice spots in Europe, but don't miss the halo. Corsica and Arco might have a change to compete, and several other areas has something extra as Montserrat, Mountain of Prades or Frankenjura in Germany, but the abc of rock climbing can't be missed.
The Topos contain detailed maps and all the details you need to find the area and the routes.