Bec de l'Aigle (La Ciotat) · Calanques · France
CommittingBolting confidence: high
An easy adventure on the brown pudding-stone of the Bec de l'Aigle at La Ciotat. You abseil into a sea-level gorge, traverse a few metres above the water and climb cobbles past two caves to the crest, finishing with an airy bolted ridge. The climbing is never hard; the unusual rock, the abseil approach and the setting make the day.
The route
The Bec de l'Aigle is the beak of rust-coloured conglomerate that closes the bay of La Ciotat, at the eastern end of the Calanques national park. Piste Noire climbs its north face from the sea to the crest in six pitches, three of real climbing at 5a to 5b and three of easy ground. The start is reached by abseil into a gorge and the first pitch traverses just above the water, so calm sea helps. Since the 2019 rebolt with stainless glue-ins it is a well-protected outing, though the cobbles can still pull out. It is less travelled than L'Atelier Bleu, on the same cliff.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 5a/b | 20 m | A horizontal traverse to the left, descending at first, on stainless glue-ins. Belay on two glue-in rings a few metres above the water. The fixed handrail that used to be here has gone. |
| P2 | 5a | 25 m | Slightly up and right, over a short wall, then straight up to a belay right of an enormous cave. A cable handrail leads into the cave on the left: an escape is possible here. |
| P3 | 5a/b | 50 m | Straight up the line of glue-ins; at the end traverse right to belay under the upper cave, beneath a small bush. The belay is very hard to see, even from close by. |
| P4 | 4b | 50 m | Leave the cave on the left and follow the bolts along the edge of the arch, then straight up to a small platform. |
| P5 | 2 | 50 m | Slightly up and left to a grassy ledge below a small conglomerate wall. Often climbed moving together. |
| P6 | 1 | – | Up and right by a line broken by grassy ledges to a belay on two stainless glue-ins a few metres below the crest. |
Getting there
Drive to La Ciotat and park at the Parc du Mugel car park. La Ciotat has a railway station.
About 40 minutes to the abseil. Walk through the Parc du Mugel on the road along the sea (if the park is closed, take the seaside path that skirts it on the left), pass an abandoned building and climb to the belvedere. Access 1, the one recent parties recommend: go to the foot of the rainwater catchment slab (the 'impluvium'), cross the wood and descend along its right side in the bottom of a gully, then traverse right following traces, red dots and two glue-in bolts (useful as a handrail) to a flat ledge with a chained anchor hidden from the path. Abseil 50 m to the tree in the bottom of the gorge, swinging well left at the end. Access 2: from 5 m beyond the belvedere abseil 20 m to a step and traverse south-west on three bolts; then either an awkward 10 m abseil, or in calm sea descend to two bolts 2 m above the water and traverse at sea level (4c) across a fault; four bolts lead on to the tree.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Parking
Parc du Mugel car park, La Ciotat (camptocamp waypoint 417738)
Point from camptocamp waypoint 219774 (Bec de l'Aigle summit)
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: 43.16128, 5.60614 (crag) · Parking: 43.16791, 5.60513
Getting down
From the top traverse north-west for about 100 m, moving together on stainless glue-ins set near the crest, to a two-bolt belay. Then either abseil 40 m (or 30 m and 10 m) to the walk-down towards the top of the catchment slab, or more simply continue along the airy ridge just below the crest for 150 m, with regular bolts as far as the first small col, and follow a faint path to the slab. From the centre of its top a line of glue-ins runs to the left edge and down it to the bottom, so you can stay roped. No abseil is needed. Then back through the park, or by the beach path if the park gates have closed.
Retreat
Committing
You abseil in and the only ways out are up or along the sea. Camptocamp says you can abseil from the second belay and get back by the sea-level traverse in calm water, by climbing out up L'Atelier Bleu, or by swimming, and that after the second belay retreat is more delicate.
Safety
Sun and weather
North facing, so shaded and cool: climbed from spring to autumn, including summer evenings, but exposed to the mistral and slow to dry. A party 48 hours after rain still found it damp. The first belay is a few metres above the sea; the sea-level access needs calm water. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours on the route and 3 to 3.5 hours car to car.
Sun on the wall · N-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 | 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 | 10 | 11 | 14 | 16 | 20 | 24 | 27 | 27 | 23 | 19 | 14 | 11 |
| Mean daily low °C | 4 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 16 | 13 | 8 | 5 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 8 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 8 |
● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 182 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
16 quickdraws, two long slings and a helmet, which camptocamp calls obligatory. Two 50 m ropes for the 50 m access abseil; pitches 3, 4 and 5 are a full 50 m, so do not bring a shorter rope.
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 Piste Noire.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
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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.