Cirque du Bout du Monde (Pochette Surprise sector) · Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert · France
A short, sustained and very steep limestone line at the back of the Cirque du Bout du Monde. Four pitches of technical, hard-to-read wall climbing on sharp, grippy rock, with the crux on the third pitch. The grades on the local topo are widely considered stiff.
Climbing mode: Big type, screen kept awake, tick pitches as you go.
Highest point 350 m above sea level (camptocamp route 1040241).
Well bolted and abseilable, but the bolting date is unknown, a 2023 party found a rusty bolt and loose hangers, and the site is only tolerated.
6cVIII-5.11b4 pitches · 120 mEasy to bail
Paradis Perdus is a four-pitch, 120 m route at the head of the Cirque du Bout du Monde, on the Pochette Surprise sector of the right bank. Every pitch is steep and sustained, on rock that grips well but is sharp on the fingers. The local topo grades the crux pitch 6b+; the camptocamp author thinks 6c is the minimum, and a 2023 party called the topo grades very stiff and advised having climbed 7th grade first. The bolting is good, if sometimes oddly placed, and the route can be abseiled from every belay.
The atlas doesn't show topos: they are the work of the people who bolt and document these routes. See the topo at Topo Thaurac – Paradis Perdus, Topo Thaurac – Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert introduction, or in Guide des escalades en Pays d'Oc, Falaise de St Guilhem le Désert.
| Pitch | Grade | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| P1 | 6aVI+5.10a | Straight up, then left at the end to the belay. Very vertical and sustained for the grade. The 2023 party thought it 6a+ and found the start confusing: the gold hangers nearby probably belong to Yellow Diamond. Go past the first ledge with a chained belay (marked Yellow Diamond), trend up left and belay on two bolts with a maillon next to a tree. |
| P2 | 6aVI+5.10a | Go left to find the first bolt, then trend up right, with a short traverse just below the belay. A little easier than pitch 1 (5c with one 6a move according to the 2023 party). Watch the rope drag if it catches in the trees; the belay is not very comfortable. |
| P3 | 6cVIII-5.11b | The crux, rated 6b+ on the local topo but at least 6c according to camptocamp. The first few bolts wander, then a fine slab on water-worn pockets leads into a corner of slopers, compression moves, jugs and crimps, steepening to a final boulder move. Hard to read but well bolted. A 2023 party noted one rusty bolt. Comfortable chained belay. |
| P4 | 6bVII5.10c | Under-graded on the topo according to camptocamp (6b rather than the topo grade; the 2023 party gave 6a+). Start right with a boulder move at a small roof, then sustained, thin climbing on pockets and crimps to a final mantel. Clip the left-hand line of bolts; the bolts on the right belong to the 6c of Dominus Vobiscum. Hangers needed tightening in 2023. |
Drive to Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert in the Hérault gorges and use the paid car park at the top of the village, parking as far up as you can. Parking is paid all year and spaces are limited.
From the village follow the path up the Verdus stream towards the back of the cirque. Shortly before the end, turn right at a large oak, climb two metres of easy rock and traverse a narrow ledge to the stream bed (usually dry). Cross back left, pass below the Africaine sector along a narrow ledge, then climb a short step with a fixed rope to the broad, vegetated ledge at the foot of the sector. The section between Africaine and the start is awkward and overgrown, so take care. The route shares its start with Pochette Surprise, with Dominus Vobiscum to the right and the vegetated 3c first pitch of Fissure Dainat to the left. The approach time is not given in any source.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Coordinates · crag
Parking
Point from camptocamp waypoint 441212
Contains the route point and parking.
Points from published sources, not surveyed.
Coordinates: 43.73915, 3.52953 (crag) · Parking: 43.73642, 3.54761
Abseil the line of the route (the topo site describes an abseil line in the route). Alternatively walk off: from the top, follow the path behind the cliff to the GR 74 below the Roc de la Bissone and back down to the village. The 2023 party found the walk-off overgrown and needed some scrambling to reach the path, going round to the right after the last belay towards a notch.
Easy to bail
The topo site gives abseiling the route as both the escape and a normal descent, so you can retreat from any belay. The belays are bolted, with chains at R3.
France
112Emergency; sends PGHM or CRS mountain rescue
Emergency; sends PGHM or CRS mountain rescue
Position of the crag
43.73915, 3.52953
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).
Quickdraws only: the topo site lists no specific gear. Neither source gives the number of quickdraws or a rope length; plan ropes for abseiling the route.
South-east facing at about 350 m. The 2023 party climbed in the shade on an October afternoon at about 20°C and found the belays cool in wind. The crag sector is sheltered from the prevailing north-west wind. Best in spring and autumn (inferred from the aspect and altitude).
Forecast · next 7 days · 350 m
Loading the forecast.
| Measure | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °C | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Low °C | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Rain mm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Chance of rain % | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Strongest gusts km/h | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Model forecast for 350 m. It cannot tell you whether the rock is dry. Data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
Time plan · 4 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 · SE-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 | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct (usual season) | Nov (usual season) | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | 9 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 20 | 24 | 28 | 27 | 23 | 17 | 12 | 9 |
| Mean daily low °C | 2 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 10 | 5 | 3 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 10 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 12 | 11 | 10 |
● usual season. 1991-2020 averages at about 350 m; rain is for a 10–25 km grid cell. Weather and climate data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
No reports yet.
Around 6c · about 4 pitches
Italy · Sardinia
The harder classic on the Goloritzè spire: compact grey walls and smooth water-drop slabs at 6b to 6b+, then a 6c scoop and an airy finish to a tiny summit above the turquoise bay. Shaded, technical and on the feet.
6cVIII-5.11b6cVIII-5.11b4 pitches135 m
Greece · Meteora
A short, steep and very well-protected line up the middle of The Bell's smooth south-west wall, on typical Meteora cobbles. Three sustained pitches of 6a to 6a+ lead to a short 6c bulge that goes at A0. An unusually reassuring introduction to Meteora conglomerate.
6cVIII-5.11b6cVIII-5.11b4 pitches100 m
Read the cautions
Spain · Liébana (Peña Cigal)
Long, sustained 6a pitches of slab, cracks and corners, then a technical 6c wall of small crimps on the third pitch, on the left side of the Peña Cigal wall. Stainless bolts and ringed belays throughout. Above the first pitch it is an autumn-only route because of nesting vultures.
6cVIII-5.11b6cVIII-5.11b4 pitches150 m
Read the cautions
Bosnia and Herzegovina · Spijonik (Visočica)
A new four-pitch sport route on the tallest section of a remote limestone wall high on the Visočica range, with corners, cracks, small roofs and bulges. It is sustained in the 6a to 6b+ range, and the last pitch has a 6c crux: an overhanging, wide block that you pass with slaps and a knee bar.
6cVIII-5.11b6cVIII-5.11b4 pitches100 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.