Le Socle de la Candelle (Sugiton) · Calanques · France
Read the cautionsBail with caveatsBolting confidence: medium
The classic of the Socle de la Candelle, the big plinth of white limestone below the Grande Candelle. Eight pitches slanting right to left, sustained at 5c with a 6a slab, steep and athletic for the grade and well polished by sixty years of traffic. Often combined with a route on the Candelle above for one of the great days out in the Calanques.
Bolted and very popular, but the bolts date from 1993, are moderately spaced on polished rock, and the upper pitches are friable; keep to the bolted line on pitch 6.
The route
La Civa, first climbed in 1964, takes a natural right-to-left diagonal across the Socle de la Candelle above the Calanque de Sugiton. It is continuous at 5c to 6a from the first move: two steep, athletic pitches, a crack, an easy link, a fine slab and then cracks and walls to the garden above the plinth. The rock is excellent on the first six pitches, less so above, and polished throughout. It appears in the 'Parois de légende' selection as the first half of a link-up with a route on the Grande Candelle, and the sector is busy: several routes share its sixth pitch, so queues form.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| P1 | 5c+ | Athletic: an eroded groove with a crack, then a slab. About 30 m with roughly 8 bolts according to a 2023 report. The local guidebook grades it 6a. |
| P2 | 5c+ | A water-pocket slab and an athletic wall; traverse left, climb a crack for a few metres and traverse left again to the belay. Mahavishnu crosses here and continues up the crack. Guidebook 6a. |
| P3 | 5c | A delicate step 2 m left, then a fine crack straight up. |
| P4 | 4c | A wandering easy pitch, about 15 m to the left across slabs. |
| P5 | 6a | Go left on easy ground, then climb a pleasant, not too steep slab with a few moves of 6a. You join Le Temple here at a comfortable belay. Guidebook 5c. |
| P6 | 5c+ | Climb the crack, then traverse left to come out directly at the garden. Continuing straight up the crack is the same grade but protected by rusty pegs. Shared with other routes. Guidebook 6a with a move of 6a+. |
| P7 | 5c | A steep passage above the belay. The rock is less solid from here. |
| P8 | 5a | Straight up to the top. Loose in places. |
Getting there
From Marseille follow signs for Luminy and park at the entrance to the university campus (leave nothing in the car). Bus B21 runs from Castellane to the terminus 'Luminy Parc des Calanques'.
About 1 hour. From Luminy follow the track to the Col de Sugiton, continue on the level track south-east and then take the path that runs along the foot of the wall. Gulliver adds detail: after the big bend below the Falaise du Virage with its large roofs, do not follow the waymarks that climb left but continue straight on, slightly downhill, on a faded red-marked path past a metal barrier; after the Couloir du Candelon, when level with the wall, leave the red marks for the obvious path slanting left to its foot. A large broken tree trunk marks the starts. La Civa is the third route, about 20 m right of the trunk, starting up a wide eroded groove; Mahavishnu (6b, name at the base) is to its left and Le Temple (5c+) starts up a cracked corner to its right.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Parking
Luminy campus car park and bus terminus (camptocamp waypoint 106826)
Point from camptocamp waypoint 40732 (Calanques, Sugiton, Le Socle de la Candelle)
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: 43.20944, 5.46528 (crag) · Parking: 43.23117, 5.43656
Getting down
On foot. From the top climb an easy ridge; at its end a cairned path leads left almost to the foot of the Arête de Marseille on the Candelle. Take a path going left (partly faded black marks, dashes or crosses) into the descent gully, minding parties below. Then either go all the way down the gully to pass back under the route; or leave it on the right at a small needle to return directly to the Col de Sugiton; or go up the gully to a chain on its left side, cross with the help of the chain and follow the black marks up to the GR and along it to the Col de Sugiton. Two abseils are also possible from the fifth belay.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
Camptocamp states that a descent in two abseils is possible from the fifth belay. Nothing is said about the lower belays or the rope needed, and the line slants leftwards, so abseils do not retrace the climb. Above the sixth pitch you are close to the garden and the walk-off.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
South facing between about 130 and 300 m above the sea: a route for autumn, winter and spring, and too hot in summer. Camptocamp ascents run from October to May. Allow 2.5 to 4 hours on the route; parties who read the topo at every belay take longer.
Sun on the wall · S-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.
| Measure | Jan (usual season) | Feb (usual season) | Mar (usual season) | Apr (usual season) | May (usual season) | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct (usual season) | Nov (usual season) | Dec (usual season) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | 10 | 11 | 14 | 16 | 20 | 24 | 27 | 27 | 23 | 19 | 14 | 11 |
| Mean daily low °C | 4 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 16 | 13 | 8 | 5 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 8 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 8 |
● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 182 m. Area climate from Open-Meteo reanalysis. Temperatures are adjusted to the height of the crag; rain comes from a grid cell of about 10 to 25 km, and summer highs on sea cliffs can read a few degrees low. The wall and valley can differ. Data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
What to carry
The sources give no quickdraw count; a 2023 report counted about 8 bolts on the 30 m first pitch. A 50 m single rope is enough for the climbing and the walk-off (a 2026 party linked the last two pitches on 50 m). Some parties carry a few wires or small cams; medium cams are only needed for the peg-protected crack variants. 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 La Civa.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
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France · Calanques
The big modern classic of the Calanques: eleven pitches in three tiers from the foot of the Candelle plinth to the summit, sustained in the sixth grade on grey water-pocketed limestone above the sea. Two walking ledges split the day and offer escapes. The eighth pitch, a 6b+ diagonal along a flake, is the one people remember.
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France · Calanques
An easy adventure on the brown pudding-stone of the Bec de l'Aigle at La Ciotat. You abseil into a sea-level gorge, traverse a few metres above the water and climb cobbles past two caves to the crest, finishing with an airy bolted ridge. The climbing is never hard; the unusual rock, the abseil approach and the setting make the day.
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Committing
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Committing
Around 6a · about 8 pitches
Morocco · Todra Gorge (Todgha)
Eight pitches up the middle of the Levant wall, with the 6a on the first pitch and steady 5a–5c above. Morning sun. Camptocamp rates the commitment a little higher than the gorge-floor routes because of the length.
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Italy · Arco & Valle del Sarca
A popular plaisir line up the lower south-west wall of Piccolo Dain, starting at the gate of the weir in Sarche. Cracks and small corners lead to a fine 6a slab on water drops, then a long corner pitch. Expect queues: three routes share the opening traverse.
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Switzerland · Gastlosen
A modern eight-pitch plaisir route up the east side of the Gross Turm, with a summit you can scramble to from the last belay. Mostly 5a to 5c on slabs and small pillars, with one delicate 6a traverse on pitch 3 that goes at 5c+ with a pull on a bolt. Pitches 3 and 4 feel stiff for the grade.
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Spain · Riglos & Agüero (Mallos)
A varied and unusual route: polished cobbles, a chimney belay in an old vulture nest, and an ochre corner. It is recent and not fully cleaned, and two earthy gullies are crossed on pitches 4 and 7.
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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.