South-west face, left of the Arête S · Baou de Saint-Jeannet · France
Read the cautionsBail with caveatsBolting confidence: medium
The most accessible bolted multipitch on the Baou: four homogeneous pitches of French 5+ with one move of 6a, up a crack, corners and sculpted stratified walls, with an airy traverse on pitch 3. Short enough for half a day. Local grades are stiff, the first pitch is polished and the easy sections are run-out.
Bolted and popular, but the easy sections are run-out, the hangers are ageing and the belays are unlinked bolts with no abseil rings.
The route
L'étrier is a short route on the south-west face of the Baou, about 40 m left of the Arête S, first climbed in 1947 and now bolted. It is the usual first multipitch for visitors: one party places it among the top three accessible equipped routes on the cliff. The climbing is varied for its length, with a well-protected crack, a long second pitch on good holds, a corner and wide crack with an airy traverse, and a last wall of sculpted rock. It stops at the Vire Vernet ledge system rather than the summit. Do not expect sport-crag bolting: several parties note run-outs on the easier ground and suggest a margin at the grade.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 6a | 20 m | Climb the well-protected crack to a steeper, slightly overhanging move that goes by laybacking (5+ with one move of 6a), then traverse left to a belay in a niche. The end of the traverse is easy (4) but sparsely bolted: parties note that a bolt seems to be missing before the belay. Polished. |
| P2 | 5+ | 35 m | Traverse 2 m right, then straight up. You pass a chained belay on a good step on the left; continue about 15 m above, slightly right, to the route's own belay (a 2023 party found a piece of fixed rope on a thread and one hanger there). Rope drag near the top. |
| P3 | 5+ | 40 m | Straight above the belay, then into an easy corner. Loop right to avoid an overhanging zone and climb a wide crack, then traverse left and mantel right onto a small ledge with the belay on the right near a shrub. The vertical wall is the hardest part and the traverse is airy. Follow the same pattern of hangers as lower down, not the newer bolts, which would make you miss the belay. Heavy rope drag: consider splitting the pitch. |
| P4 | 5+ | 20 m | Straight above the belay, then slightly right, and mantel above the first trees to the belay. Sustained for its grade with good sculpted rock; the bolts are spaced where the climbing is easier, and one party advises a couple of nuts or cams. |
Getting there
Saint-Jeannet is reached via Carros and Gattières from the north, La Gaude from the south-east, or Vence. Park in one of the car parks at the entrance to the village (about 410 m): driving through the village is reserved for residents and there is no parking inside it. Bus line 510 of the Alpes-Maritimes network is listed on camptocamp as serving the village.
30 to 40 min from the car park. Walk up through the old village and take the path towards the tiered crags (the 'voie rouge'), then fork left on the mauve-marked path before the first tier, as for the Arête S. Pass a metal box fixed to the rock and the start of the Arête S, then, from right to left, the grey wall of La Tonton Walker, the crumbly corner of Les 3 niches and the yellow wall of Si le grain ne meurt. Go down a little to the foot of a wide crack to the right of a big corner. The route starts in the crack itself: there are bolts a few metres to its right and to its left (Bureau des entrées), which belong to other routes.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Parking
Saint-Jeannet village (camptocamp waypoint 122004); use the car park at the village entrance
Point from camptocamp waypoint 41705 (Baou de Saint-Jeannet)
Contains the route point and parking. Opens in most mapping apps and GPS watches.
Points are compiled from published sources, with the precision stated above. They were not surveyed on the ground: check them against a current topo.
Coordinates: 43.75082, 7.13748 (crag) · Parking: 43.75001, 7.14479
Getting down
From R4 climb carefully a few metres to the Vire Vernet and follow it right (east) to the foot of the second tier of the south-east face. From there walk down the path through the tiers, marked red and mauve, to the village: 20 to 30 min. You can instead continue to the summit by the upper pitches of the original Arête S or by single-pitch routes on the tiers; the Arête S continuation is not rebolted and needs trad gear.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
Camptocamp states that the belays are not equipped for abseiling, and parties confirm they are unlinked bolts. A retreat would mean leaving maillons or carabiners at each stance. A chained belay belonging to a neighbouring line sits on a good step part-way up pitch 2. The route is only 120 m high and ends on a walking ledge.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
South-west facing, low on the Baou (the summit is at 800 m). A November party climbed in T-shirts from the start; overcast or windy winter days are cold. The first two pitches are slippery with polish.
Sun on the wall · SW-facing
Working out the sunlit hours for this month.
Sun on the wallDaylight, wall in shade● Usual season
Estimated from the wall's aspect only. Ignores surrounding terrain, gullies and the wall's exact shape. Clock times are local to the wall (Central European time), for the 15th of each month.
Climate figures for Baou de Saint-Jeannet are not available yet
What to carry
12 quickdraws, two or three of them extendable, and a single 50 m rope. Slings or a cordelette to link the belay bolts. Two nuts or small cams are optional for the easier run-out sections of pitch 4. Helmet.
Derived from the route data; check it against a current topo
From climbers
Reader reports are not being collected yet. Until they are, check a current topo and the local club or guidebook publisher for recent changes to L'étrier.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
France · Baou de Saint-Jeannet
One of the essential long routes of the Baou: seven pitches that hardly drop below the sixth grade, each with a different problem, from thin slab to a steep bulge and a superb layback corner at 6c. The single 7a section on pitch 2 is closely bolted and can be aided. Expect a few loose blocks and a scrappy link pitch across the Vernet ledge.
7a7 pitches200 m
Read the cautions
France · Baou de Saint-Jeannet
A modern bolted line up the left side of the Baou, starting beside the Péril Jaune cave: six varied pitches on unpolished rock, with a steep 6c wall and a fine crack and corner finishing with one hard move (7a on the topo, 6c or 6c+ to most parties). Two walking transitions through scrub break the climbing, so it has less exposure than the routes on the main face.
7a6 pitches230 m
France · Baou de Saint-Jeannet
One of the best modern lines on the main face: nine pitches up a pillar left of the central depression, on overhanging stratified walls, thin slabs, a striking arête and a big flake. Sustained at 6a+ to 6c with one 7a pitch that parties find closer to 6c+, and 6b obligatory. The bolting lets you climb relaxed, but there are jammed blocks to treat gently.
7a9 pitches230 m
France · Baou de Saint-Jeannet
A short, sustained and very well bolted line on the pillar left of the Arête S, parallel to La Tonton Walker. Thin walls, a steep stratified pitch on big holds and one blank slab move of 7a that most people pull through. The friendliest introduction to the harder routes of the Baou, and easy to extend to the summit by one of the routes above the Vire Vernet.
7a5 pitches100 m
Around 6a · about 4 pitches
Spain · Montserrat
An exposed, airy line with unusually good holes and jugs for Montserrat, shaded in the afternoon. The 6a pitch is a sustained vertical 20 m. Going straight up instead of following the line is closer to 6b+.
6a4 pitches140 m
Spain · Vega Baja (Orihuela & Callosa)
A popular modern four-pitch classic on Pared Negra's compact grey limestone, around UIAA 6/6+ (about French 6a). Best on cool, sunny winter days.
6a4 pitches150 m
Italy · Sardinia
A short but superb sea-cliff route on beautifully sculpted limestone in an incredible setting near Pan di Zucchero. Corners and an airy pillar lead to a steep, rounded 6a wall. Camptocamp rates it 'great'.
6a4 pitches120 m
Spain · Vilanova de Meià (Roca dels Arcs)
The best of the easier lines on the Paret de Zaratustra: steep climbing on big horizontal holds, a very vertical wall on the long second pitch and an overhanging 6a finish. Less polished than Txubascos Baskos next door, but with longer gaps between some bolts.
6a4 pitches110 m
Read the cautions
Compiled from published sources and last verified October 2026. Bolts, anchors and access change. Climbing is dangerous and you are responsible for your own decisions: check a current topo and read the disclaimer.