Barre de la Lèche · Vésubie (Le Boréon) · France
The best easy multipitch at the Barre de la Lèche: eight pitches of slabs and short walls on rough mountain gneiss above Le Boréon, very well bolted. A good first route for newcomers to multipitch climbing, with a stiffer pair of 5c pitches low down.
Climbing mode: Big type, screen kept awake, tick pitches as you go.
Highest point 1320 m above sea level (camptocamp route 912653).
5cVI5.98 pitches · 170 mEasy to bail
La Dalle à Delphin starts at the lowest point of the Barre de la Lèche and climbs the whole band in eight short pitches. The hardest climbing comes early: a technical pitch 2 and a pitch 3 that finishes through an overhanging flake (layback) with an awkward foot move. Above that the route eases into a long slab (pitch 4), a grassy ledge and three more easy, enjoyable pitches. The gneiss is excellent and the glue-in bolts are close together.
The atlas doesn't show topos: they are the work of the people who bolt and document these routes. See the topo in La Verticalité en Vésubie-Valdeblore.
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Bolts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 3b | 15 m | – | Easy steps to a ledge with three chained belays; take the middle one. Optional, as it is very short. |
| P2 | 5cVI5.9 | – | – | Straight up to a chained belay left of a fallen tree. Technical; some parties call it 6a. |
| P3 | 5cVI5.9 | – | – | Up the slab, then out through the big overhanging flake in a layback, with a tricky foot move. Of the two belays above, take the right one (the left belongs to La Petite Toju). |
| P4 | 5aV+5.7 | 40 m | 13 bolts | A beautiful run of slabs. |
| P5 | 2 | – | – | Easy grassy steps rightwards to the big ledge; bolts are present but sometimes hard to spot. Take the right-hand belay (unlinked); the left one is Tomawak's. |
| P6 | 5aV+5.7 | – | – | Slab, exiting right of a pointed gendarme to the belay. |
| P7 | 5bVI-5.8 | – | – | Climb the crack above the belay, then easier ground. Links well with the last pitch. |
| P8 | 4aIV5.4 | – | – | An easy final slab to the belay on top of a small block. |
From Nice take the M6202 and M2565 up the Vésubie to Saint-Martin-Vésubie (about 1 h 15), then the road to Le Boréon. At Le Boréon turn left onto the Col de Salèse road and park where it is closed to traffic at the first hairpin (about 1670 m, roughly 1 km after Le Boréon; in winter it may be barred lower). Signpost 399 marks the start of the track to the crag.
About 20 min. Follow the forest track that zigzags below the Barre de la Lèche; after the last hairpin under the face, a path marked by a cairn leads to the foot. The route starts in the middle of the face at the lowest point of the rock, right of three bushes (number 8 or 11 painted at the base, faded).
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Coordinates · crag
Parking
Point from camptocamp waypoint 992645
Contains the route point and parking.
Points from published sources, not surveyed.
Coordinates: 44.12696, 7.27548 (crag) · Parking: 44.12556, 7.26167
Abseil the route. With 50 m ropes alpes-sud.net uses R8, R7 to R5, then down-climbs pitch 4 (easy, but watch for loose stones on the ledges), then R4 and R3 to the ground. Parties who tried the walk-off shown in the FFME topo in 2023 and 2026 found it dangerous and hard to follow and strongly advise abseiling instead.
Easy to bail
Abseiling the route is the normal descent and the belays are chained, so you can retreat from any stance. Below the central ledge you abseil from R4 and R3 to the ground.
France
112Emergency; sends PGHM or CRS mountain rescue
Emergency; sends PGHM or CRS mountain rescue
Position of the crag
44.12696, 7.27548
Marks the crag, not the route: give route and pitch.
Say what happened, how many are hurt, and where you are. Checked October 2026 (sourceofficial sources).
12 quickdraws and belay kit. Two 50 m ropes for the abseils. Helmet.
South facing at about 1800 m, in the sun from the morning. Climbable from about June to October; in early summer snow may linger in the approach and the road may be closed after storms. Afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer.
Forecast · next 7 days · 1320 m
Loading the forecast.
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| High °C | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Low °C | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Rain mm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Chance of rain % | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Strongest gusts km/h | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Model forecast for 1320 m. It cannot tell you whether the rock is dry. Data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
Time plan · 8 pitches
Working out sunrise and sunset.
An estimate. Queues and route finding cost time, and shaded walls go dark before sunset. Local time (Central European time), flat horizon.
Sun on the wall · S-facing
Working out the sunlit hours for this month.
Sun on the wallDaylight, wall in shade● Usual season
From the aspect alone; terrain is ignored. Local time, 15th of each month.
| Measure | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun (usual season) | Jul (usual season) | Aug (usual season) | Sep (usual season) | Oct (usual season) | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 5 | 1 |
| Mean daily low °C | −7 | −7 | −5 | −2 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 3 | −3 | −6 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 8 | 7 | 9 | 13 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 9 |
● usual season. 1991-2020 averages at about 1895 m; rain is for a 10–25 km grid cell. Weather and climate data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
No reports yet.
France · Vésubie (Le Boréon)
The harder companion to La Dalle à Delphin: two steep, athletic 6b pitches low down, a black wall and a bouldery overhang, then easy ground and two fine short pitches to the top of the Barre de la Lèche.
6bVII5.10c6bVII5.10c6 pitches150 m
Around 5c · about 8 pitches
France · Ailefroide
An even 5c on the big wall directly behind the Ailefroide campsite: a steep corner to start, slabs in the middle and a fine layback near the top. It takes the left side of the face that holds the famous Fissure, and is a little quieter than the other classics of the grade.
5cVI5.95cVI5.98 pitches230 m
France · Orpierre
A popular first multipitch on the south-east face of the Quiquillon: eight short pitches of steep, juggy 5a to 5c limestone, very closely bolted, finishing on the summit ridge. The two 5c pitches at the top are the hardest and polished in places, but can be aided on the bolts. Expect company.
5cVI5.95cVI5.98 pitches180 m
Italy · Bolzano & South Tyrol
A friendly, well-bolted line up the red porphyry below the Gasthof Noafer, just above Bolzano. Three pitches of steep slab and corner lead to a long shoulder, two easy pitches cross it, and two more fine slab pitches finish at the cliff top. Mostly grade 5 with one 5c pitch, the third, which is the best of the route.
5cVI5.95cVI5.97 pitches250 m
Greece · Kalymnos & Telendos
The friendly long route of Kalymnos: seven short pitches that spiral up the face and slabs right of the crest of a buttress above Arginonta bay, never harder than 5c. A good first pitch, an easy second and a scramble lead to three better pitches on the upper wall. Some parties find the rock scrappy in places, so wear a helmet.
5cVI5.95cVI5.97 pitches150 m
Read the cautions
Researched and aggregated by AI from published sources, last compiled October 2026. It can be wrong, and bolts, anchors and access change: check a current guidebook and read the disclaimer.