Fond du Cirque · Presles (Vercors) · France
Read the cautionsBail with caveats
One of the most reassuring routes at Presles: ten short pitches of corners, cracks and big holds up the Fond du Cirque, with only short hard sections, all bolted closely enough to pull through. The last pitch, on orange columns, is the best.
Climbing mode: Big type, screen kept awake, tick pitches as you go.
Highest point 1200 m above sea level (camptocamp route 55411).
Closely bolted on the hard moves with bolted belays, but some moves away from the cruxes are exposed, and pitches 2 and 3 have shattered rock.
6b+VII+5.10d10 pitches · 240 mBail with caveats
Même pas peur ('not even scared') lives up to its name: a 240 m route at the right end of the Fond du Cirque at Presles, bolted so that any hard move can be aided. The climbing is varied, with a crack and traverse to start, a technical corner, slabs and long pitches on big holds, and a superb finishing pitch on orange columns. Pitches 2 and 3 have some shattered rock, but the rock is generally good. It is a good introduction to the big walls of Presles.
The atlas doesn't show topos: they are the work of the people who bolt and document these routes. See the topo at camptocamp.org, or in Escalades à Presles.
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 6a+VII-5.10b | 20 m | Crack, traverse, then big holds; pumpy straight away. The sling visible from below links two bolts; the belay is higher. |
| P2 | 6b+VII+5.10d | 30 m | A technical corner for 10 to 15 m, bolted about every 1.5 m so it goes at A0, then easier on more shattered rock. |
| P3 | 5cVI5.9 | 30 m | The least attractive pitch, on shattered rock at the start. |
| P4 | 6aVI+5.10a | 20 m | Superb slab and crack-corner on the left; bolts slightly more spaced. |
| P5 | 5bVI-5.8 | 43 m | Big holds weaving left and right, with a harder move below the belay. |
| P6 | 5cVI5.9 | 20 m | Follow a crack, then go left to a ledge; steeper but on big holds. |
| P7 | 5cVI5.9 | 40 m | Steep on big holds; pass the abseil station and traverse left to the belay on the ledge. Watch the rope drag; take all your quickdraws. |
| P8 | 6aVI+5.10a | 15 m | A bouldery mantel off the belay, well protected, then an airy traverse right. |
| P9 | 5cVI5.9 | 20 m | A very narrow corner-chimney, then easy on big holds. |
| P10 | 6a+VII-5.10b | 35 m | Long and sustained, with a superb section on orange columns at 6a+, then easier but continuous. Mind the drag. |
Presles is in the Bourne gorge above Pont-en-Royans, on the western edge of the Vercors. For the approach from below, park at the Cabane Café on the road to the Grottes de Choranche. For the approach from above, park at the car park before the Entre Ciel et Pierres gîte at the end of the road beyond Le Charmeil (Presles plateau).
From below, about 45 to 50 minutes: from the Cabane Café go to the top of their installations (follow the yellow labels) to a cairn, then take the path right that zigzags up to the cliff (red triangles, sawn branches). At the cliff, go left along the foot for about 15 minutes, past two sets of fixed ropes, to 'MPP' painted in white at the start; a rope loop hangs from the first belay. Helmets are advised: stones come down on this path. From above, about 2 hours including four 50 m abseils down Torquemada: follow the yellow Torquemada signs and red triangles from the gîte (the first abseil is from a big tree with a metal ring; stonefall on the last two), then walk 400 to 500 m right along the foot, past Super Crack du Dessert.
Loading map
The point marks the base of the route.
Coordinates · route base
Parking
camptocamp waypoint 176855 (Entre Ciel et Pierres car park, top approach)
Point from camptocamp route 55411
Contains the route point and parking.
Points from published sources, not surveyed.
Coordinates: 45.07159, 5.41365 (route base) · Parking: 45.07750, 5.40480
To return to the Cabane Café, walk off by the Pas du Ranc: take the path due north from the top of the route into the woods, leave it after about 100 m on the right into a sparse combe and follow it down to the GR (15 minutes), then follow the GR with its handrails to the road (about 1 hour from the top). To return to the gîte, follow the red triangles along the clifftop for 15 minutes. Abseiling the route takes 6 abseils with 100 m of rope but is not recommended because the rope snags in box bushes.
Bail with caveats
The belays are bolted and the route can be abseiled (six abseils with 100 m of rope), but box bushes catch the ropes, so the camptocamp page advises against it. Retreat is possible from any belay with care.
14 quickdraws plus belay gear. Helmet for the approach.
South-west facing at the Fond du Cirque (cliff top about 1200 m); in shade in the morning, sun in the afternoon. Presles climbing is possible from spring to late autumn; summer afternoons are hot.
Forecast · next 7 days · 1200 m
Loading the forecast.
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| High °C | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Low °C | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Rain mm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Chance of rain % | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Strongest gusts km/h | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Model forecast for 1200 m. It cannot tell you whether the rock is dry. Data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
Time plan · 10 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 · SW-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 (usual season) | Apr (usual season) | May (usual season) | Jun (usual season) | Jul | Aug | Sep (usual season) | Oct (usual season) | Nov (usual season) | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | 4 | 5 | 9 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 23 | 23 | 18 | 14 | 8 | 5 |
| Mean daily low °C | −3 | −3 | −0 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 9 | 6 | 1 | −2 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 13 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 13 |
● usual season. 1991-2020 averages at about 845 m; rain is for a 10–25 km grid cell. Weather and climate data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
Straight-line distances, up to 30 km.
No reports yet.
France · Presles (Vercors)
A historic 1966 line at Presles, revived by VTNO in 2019 as an eight-pitch combination on varied, mostly unpolished limestone. Steep juggy walls, a technical 6c corner-crack and a magnificent 45 m dihedral are the highlights, with a couple of weaker pitches on poorer rock. Sustained and stiffly graded: obligatory 6b.
6cVIII-5.11b6cVIII-5.11b8 pitches250 m
Read the cautions
France · Presles (Vercors)
A sustained, well-bolted Presles route in the 6a to 6b+ range: an athletic wide crack, steep pocketed walls and compact slabs, with the difficulties concentrated in two or three moves per pitch. Excellent rock for most of its height.
6b+VII+5.10d6b+VII+5.10d10 pitches250 m
Around 6b+ · about 10 pitches
Croatia · Paklenica
A modern line by B. Čujić and I. Matković up the full height of the Trapez sector of Anića kuk: ten pitches, 360 m, steady between 5c and 6b+. It starts right of the classic Mosoraški, crosses it in the upper middle part and finishes to its left. Slabs low down, then a vertical crack, superb vertical slab pitches, a huge corner with a chockstone and an exposed traverse.
6b+VII+5.10d6b+VII+5.10d10 pitches360 m
France · Chamonix valley
The original line on the Barberine wall: four pitches of fine, delicate slab above a bouldery first move, then steeper and more athletic climbing through the upper tier, with a superb 6b layback-and-wall pitch near the top. Ledges cut it into sections, so it never feels very exposed, but it is sustained at 6a to 6a+ throughout.
6b+VII+5.10d6b+VII+5.10d10 pitches250 m
Morocco · Taghia
Ten pitches of even 6b and 6b+ on compact rock ten minutes from the gîtes, mostly technical slab and wall climbing on your feet, with a 50 m sixth pitch on vertical edges that everyone singles out. It is among the most accessible long routes at Taghia, in the shade for most of the day, and a little polished low down.
6b+VII+5.10d6b+VII+5.10d10 pitches330 m
Read the cautions
Austria · Gastein (Hohe Tauern)
Ten pitches of varied climbing on good rock, mostly slabs with some cracks and steeper passages. Largely UIAA 5 with a few moves of 6 and three spots of 7 that go at 6+ A0. A short walk-in and a rigged abseil line.
6b+VII+5.10d6b+VII+5.10d10 pitches350 m
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.