Chaîne du Clapis – secteur Vistemboir · Dentelles de Montmirail · France
Bail with caveatsBolting confidence: medium
The best long outing on the Clapis south face: six pitches that start up easy slabs beside Vistemboir and then slant left across the orange ledges of the upper wall, with a horizontal crack traverse, a thin traverse on rough 'pebbledash' rock and a short, fierce 6b to finish. Technical climbing on very sculpted rock with plenty of atmosphere for a 150 m wall.
The route
The Diagonale links the first pitch of Viva la Vida, just left of the start of Vistemboir, with pitches of Philippus, Les Vires Rouges and Andromède. The first two pitches are easy; from the third the line starts to slant left and the grade rises to 6a, and the last two pitches are sustained and technical at 6b. It is listed among the hundred best long routes of Provence. Because much of it traverses, the second needs to be as solid as the leader. The descent is by two long free-hanging abseils.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| P1 | 5a | The first pitch of Viva la Vida, on glue-ins left of Vistemboir, on small knobs. Belay on the ledge. Another combination gives this pitch 5b and 25 m. |
| P2 | 5b | Glue-ins almost straight up to a chained belay. |
| P3 | 6a | The bolts are further apart just as the climbing gets harder, and the line starts to slant left. A 2026 party went directly left to reach the last bolt of the neighbouring route. The stance is not comfortable. |
| P4 | 6a | A horizontal traverse along a fine crack on glue-ins, then an athletic exit on the right flank on jugs reinforced with resin. Belay 10 m left after an easy ramp. Parties call it the outstanding pitch, well protected; the reglued flake in the overhanging part is the worry. |
| P5 | 6b | Expansion bolts. A very thin traverse on rough, pebbledash-like rock, then up to a belay at a group of four bolts. Sustained and technical. The belay is sheltered from rain but not comfortable. |
| P6 | 6b | Traverse left, then straight up with a very high first right-hand hold: a short, hard crux. Finish rightwards up a thin crack, with a little loose rock at the very end. |
Getting there
From Beaumes-de-Venise take the road towards Lafare. About 2 km before Lafare turn left onto a small road (signed for the Domaine du Grand Montmirail according to a 2026 report) and follow it almost to its end, to the compulsory car park with an information board about the vultures that nest here. This is 'P5' in the local guide; the road towards the Col d'Alsau is closed to traffic and the old P4 car park can no longer be used. An on-demand bus runs from Carpentras to Lafare and Beaumes-de-Venise; the car park is about 2.5 km from Lafare.
From the Clapis car park follow the blue-and-yellow-dotted path towards the walls and take the well-marked right fork two thirds of the way up, then come back left at the end to the Vistemboir sector. The route starts just left of Vistemboir, in the small wood left of the painted name 'Égoïne'; 'Viva la Vida' is painted at the foot. Allow 15 to 25 minutes.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Parking
Parking du Clapis (camptocamp waypoint 189183)
Point from camptocamp waypoint 43247 (Chaîne du Clapis)
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: 44.15222, 5.03889 (crag) · Parking: 44.14660, 5.03353
Getting down
From the top belay make two free-hanging abseils straight down, 30 m and then 50 m. The rope can jam on the rock at the edge where the first abseil starts: in May 2026 a party lost about an hour climbing back up the rope to free it. The alternative is to follow the crest rightwards for a rope-length of 50 m (airy, not bolted, a few belays and trees), taking great care not to knock stones onto people below, to a chained belay with a fixed snap-gate karabiner. From there a 47 m abseil, swinging slightly left facing the cliff, reaches the second belay of the route, and another long abseil from its chain lands exactly at the start.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
From the first two belays retreat is simple: camptocamp says a long abseil from the chain at the second belay lands exactly at the start. Higher up the route slants and traverses left, so abseiling back down the line is awkward; a party caught by a shower in May 2026 did go down from below the last pitch, without saying how.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
South facing below a crest at about 487 m and well sheltered from the mistral: a May 2026 party felt the north wind only at the top belay. It is a cool-season wall: most reports fall between November and May, and one party in May waited for the morning to warm up. The fourth and fifth belays stay dry in a shower. Between 15 June and 15 September the Vaucluse massifs can be closed by prefectoral order on days of high fire risk; the decision is published after 18:00 for the next day and there is a fine for being on a closed massif. In autumn and early winter organised boar hunts take place in the massif on some days of the week.
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.
Climate figures for Dentelles de Montmirail are not available yet
What to carry
12 quickdraws, 2 slings and two 50 m ropes for the abseils. 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 Diagonale des Vires Rouges.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
France · Dentelles de Montmirail
A west-to-east traverse of the six towers of the Florets crest, alternating short pitches with five short abseils and ending on a knife-edge. First climbed in 1928, it is the classic introduction to ridge climbing in Provence. The moves of 5 are short but polished and cannot be avoided, and all the rope work makes it slower than its length suggests.
5b9 pitches120 m
France · Dentelles de Montmirail
A short, generously bolted beginner's multipitch on the north face of the Gigondas chain: an easy corner, a fine vertical wall, a rising traverse, and then a squeeze through a natural window in the crest to finish on the sunny south side. Polished from traffic but full of character, and done in an hour or so.
5b4 pitches65 m
France · Dentelles de Montmirail
The classic easy multipitch of the Clapis south face, first climbed in 1964 and now fully re-equipped: a slab, an easy rightward ramble, an obvious corner and a superb steep 5c pitch on very grippy rock with a short airy traverse. A 5 m scramble reaches the crest for a view of both sides of the chain and Mont Ventoux.
5c5 pitches90 m
France · Dentelles de Montmirail
A ridge traverse along the knife-edge crest of the highest of the Dentelles, from the Brèche de la Pousterle to the Roc du Turc (627 m): a bolted arête, a pillar, an abseil onto a rock arch above a hole, a steep 5c or 6a pitch and a crest 50 cm wide in places. Lots of rope work and a lot of air for the grade, with escapes on both sides.
5c11 pitches90 m
Read the cautions
Around 6b · about 6 pitches
Spain · El Chorro
A good continuation above Nitti. Highlights are a short, thin 6b slab on P4 and a pumpy steep start to the final 6a+ pitch.
6b6 pitches138 m
Read the cautions
France · Dévoluy
Six closely bolted pitches beside the great diagonal crack-chimney that splits the Gicons cliff, visible from the car park. Four pitches at about 5b on very grippy limestone lead to a crux where you either cross the chasm on two moves of 6b (or with the aiders in place) or climb the corner at 6a. Short, shaded until midday, and a good introduction to the Dévoluy.
6b6 pitches150 m
Morocco · Todra Gorge (Todgha)
The most approachable route on the Scorpion wall. A thin 6a slab move on pitch 3 (A0 possible), then a jug-haul over a roof into a fine slab for the 6b. Some loose blocks at the top of the last pitch.
6b6 pitches150 m
Read the cautions
Austria · Ötztal
A varied line between Südwind and Amelie: slabs, then steep but juggy gneiss, a short, very well-bolted overhang as the crux, and a very long traversing pitch to finish.
6b6 pitches215 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.