Croix de Provence – Dalles Grises · Sainte-Victoire · France
Bail with caveatsBolting confidence: high
The long bolted route of Sainte-Victoire: 400 m from the foot of the mountain to the priory beside the Croix de Provence, in thirteen pitches up to 6b. Conglomerate walls low down, superb grey slabs higher up, and short walks between the tiers. Sustained around 6a, with a hard traverse on the second pitch.
The route
La Commande links the successive tiers of the south side below the priory into one long climb, and with 135 logged outings it is the most travelled bolted multipitch on the mountain. No tier is more than three or four pitches high and you walk between them, which breaks the atmosphere but also means escapes exist. The climbing itself is good throughout: a strenuous conglomerate traverse on pitch 2, a corner, a bouldery wall, then the two slab pitches of the Jardin des Moines tier at 6b and 6a, and a final steep wall that tops out in front of the priory terrace. Allow a full day and treat it as training for longer mountain routes.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 5b | 30 m | A wall of conglomerate to a belay on a small promontory on the right. |
| P2 | 6a+ | 30 m | A rising traverse left on conglomerate pebbles. Very sustained and a shock when cold; camptocamp writes it '6a++'. The bolts are close enough to pull on. |
| P3 | 6a | 30 m | A small, well-protected corner just above the belay that needs reading, then rightwards and 10 m of walking to a belay at the foot of the slab opposite. |
| P4 | 5c | 45 m | No bolt for the first 10 m, on very easy ground. Pass right of a small tree to find the first bolt. The pitch ends the first tier on a wide ledge. |
| P5 | 4+ | – | Walk, following cairns, and at the last one go left. A 3 m wall with one hanger leads to a single-bolt belay with a ring; it can be walked round on the left. Vertical Pirate gives 10 m. |
| P6 | 6a+ | 40 m | Walk 10 m through vegetation to the foot of a dark grey wall. A subtle, fierce start, then easier. |
| P7 | 6a | 15 m | Two athletic, bouldery moves at the start; well protected. A short pitch. Escape possible from this belay. |
| P8 | 4+ | – | After a walk to the next tier, an easy wall of 5 to 10 m and 10 m of walking to the foot of the slab. It can be avoided on the left. Vertical Pirate reports that the belay at the foot of this tier was removed. |
| P9 | 6b | 40 m | The crux: a slab with a marked mantel high up, on friction, undercuts and reach. Recent parties found it reach-dependent. |
| P10 | 6a | 45 m | Pure steep slab. You pass a peg in a notch with a bolt just above, where you could belay; it is more logical to continue 5 m to two closer bolts at the top of the slab. |
| P11 | 5c | 30 m | After walking towards the left side of the Prieuré notch: slab rising rightwards, then a steep wall on good holds. One bolt just after the start is far enough to risk a ground fall. |
| P12 | 5c | 30 m | A steep, juggy wall; Vertical Pirate finds it slightly run-out. |
| P13 | 6a | 35 m | A short thin traverse right in view of the people on the priory terrace, 10 m up, a traverse left, then a big flake to the exit. Hard for the grade and prone to rope drag. The two belay hangers are far apart but linked. |
Getting there
From Aix-en-Provence take the D17 through Le Tholonet towards Puyloubier and stop at the Plan d'En Chois car park, before the bends that lead up to Saint-Antonin-sur-Bayon. If it is full, try the next car park, Le Bouquet. Bus 110 (Aix to Puyloubier) stops here. Aix has all services.
From the car park follow the red-marked path to a junction with a well, a small building and a sign about closure periods. Take the path to the right and join the brown-marked path; do not take the yellow one. The brown path leads to the foot of the route, where a cairn stands directly below it. The route is the leftmost line of the Dalles Grises sector and starts between bushes on gold-coloured hangers. Allow 25 minutes.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Parking
Plan d'En Chois car park on the D17 (camptocamp waypoint 106972)
Point from camptocamp waypoint 1253705 (Sainte Victoire - Les dalles grises)
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: 43.52786, 5.57719 (crag) · Parking: 43.52380, 5.56464
Getting down
From the priory go west and north-west down the blue-marked path, then the red one. At a large cairn on the ridge cross to the west side and descend to the Cézanne hut and the car park. Allow 40 to 45 minutes.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
Camptocamp lists two escapes on foot: from the belay at the top of pitch 7 a ledge leads west to the yellow-marked path, and from the foot of the last tier a path also leads west to it. A party used the first of these in 2022. Abseiling is not described, and several belays on the linking sections are single bolts.
Safety
Sun and weather
South-facing limestone between roughly 400 and 950 m, a winter and mid-season venue: camptocamp lists January to May and September to December for this side of the mountain. Summer is too hot, and from 1 June to 30 September access to the massif depends on prefectural fire-risk orders, which can close it day by day; check before you set out. A party that tried it in a July heatwave had to escape after pitch 7, close to heatstroke and almost out of water; an April 2026 party already found the rock hot.
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 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 20 | 25 | 28 | 28 | 23 | 18 | 12 | 9 |
| Mean daily low °C | −0 | −0 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 12 | 9 | 4 | 1 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 7 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 7 |
● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 499 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
No source gives a quickdraw count or rope length. The longest pitches are 45 m and the descent is on foot, so parties climb on a single rope. Take long slings for the single-bolt and widely spaced belays, and plenty of water. Helmet: stones lie on every ledge.
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 Commande.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
France · Sainte-Victoire
A sunny winter route on Sainte-Victoire's south-side socle. The highlight is a beautiful marbled slab on L5, and a stiff move off the last belay can be aided on a sling. Bring long slings to manage rope drag around the trees.
5c+7 pitches180 m
France · Sainte-Victoire
A six-pitch outing at 5a to 5b on the compact 'marble' breccia of the Socle de la Carrière, running alongside La Marbrière. Short climbing sections on fine rock alternate with stony terraces. Bolting is friendlier than the local tradition, which makes it a good first route on the mountain.
5b6 pitches170 m
France · Sainte-Victoire
Four pitches on perfect grey rock at the left edge of the Surplomb de la Carrière: two friction slabs, then a surprisingly juggy roof and a long, thin slab at 6b+. Probably the easiest bolted route on this wall, but a serious one, with dry grades and 6b+ obligatory.
6b+4 pitches120 m
Read the cautions
France · Sainte-Victoire
Five pitches of demanding slab climbing on flawless grey rock at the left side of the Surplomb de la Carrière: two pitches of 6c, one of 6b+ with a finger crack, and a pocketed final wall. Closely bolted where it is hard, with an obligatory grade of 6a+.
6c5 pitches120 m
Around 6b · about 13 pitches
Switzerland · Grimsel
A Grimsel granite classic: low-angle slabs lead to the famous 6a+ crack pitches and a thin 6b traverse, then steeper, sculpted ground. Sustained at 5c/6a throughout.
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France · Aravis
A varied summit route in a quiet pastoral corner above the Cenise plateau: a string of short, surprisingly compact walls separated by wooded ledges, each with a different crux. The hard moves are brief and athletic. North-west facing and cool in summer.
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Read the cautions
Italy · Sardinia
A 400 m plaisir route above Pedra Longa with the sea behind you all day. Eight easy, vegetated pitches lead to a steep finish: the last three or four pitches, up to 6b, are the real climbing. Closely bolted throughout; the long abseil descent through bushes needs care.
6b12 pitches400 m
Austria · Inntal (Haiming Geierwand)
bergsteigen.com calls this the best route on the Geierwand: steep, almost always vertical pocket climbing on the left side of the wall. The hardest move comes on pitch 2, but the upper half stacks several 6b pitches one after another and tires the forearms. Recommended to climbers who are comfortable at 6b.
6b+13 pitches355 m
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.
