Fantastic 5 days on the big walls of L’Escales with Graham Baxter returning for his 2^nd visit to the Verdon.

Really seizing each day and clocking up 42 pitches and 1200m of climbing. Here he is on an amazing 14 pitch link up of ‘ULA’ and ‘Au dela du delire’ 7a+.

‘The Optimator’ 5.13.

https://www.facebook.com/Alpinist/photos/pb.19611322705.-2207520000.1451498027./10152386651067706/?type=3&theater

‘Sacred Cow’ 5.13- Really pleased to finally send this one after trying it unsuccessfully 13 years ago. A historic early 5.13 in The Creek put up by Steve Hong  in ‘86.

Check out the video from my friend Jacob Cook.

 https://vimeo.com/148069803

‘Sandstone Samurai’ 5.11 R is one of the more mentally challenging routes I have climbed this year. It is a rarely repeated testpiece from the 80s, sparsely bolted and with sometimes 40 ft runouts between bolts. Small ‘Aliens’ and many micro stoppers were needed as back up the protection.

Onsighting this 5 pitch gem was an intense experience with difficult routefinding on a 300m high wall. The clean rock had no signs of recent passage and the 8mm bolts and anchors were 30+ years old, rusted and invisible from a distance.