Lazy days cragging at Les Etoiles & Les Petites Dalles

The amazing thing about Ailefroide is that the climbs are just minutes away from the campsite. Palavar Les Flots was just a twenty minute walk and we could hear shouts from climbers on the routes on La Fissure as we sat outside the van. One night, after ten o'clock, we sat and watched the headtorches of some climbers who were finishing off one of the classic routes. It can't have been much fun doing all the abseils in the dark.

For rest days, we found lots of crags nearby but we made the mistake of going to Les Etoiles area at midday. The rock melted our fingers on Mars (5b) and Saturne (4b) as we sweated our way up before deciding that it would be a better place to go for some evening cragging.

Les Petites Dalles was a good area for a hot day as it gained some shade from the trees and the slabs were smooth, thought-provoking and fun!

(Guide book for both areas - Escalades autour d'Ailefroide)