Fond du Cirque · Presles (Vercors) · France
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.
Climbing mode: Big type, screen kept awake, tick pitches as you go.
Highest point 1200 m above sea level (camptocamp route 109122).
6b+VII+5.10d10 pitches · 250 mBail not documented
Shesep Ankh climbs the Fond du Cirque at Presles between the abseil lines of Torquemada and Taquama. It is steady in the 6a to 6b+ range: an off-width crack, a long pitch on vertical pockets, a compact grey slab with two hard moves, and a technical finish on the edge of a pillar. The hard sections are short and protected by closely spaced bolts, and recent parties found the overall feel nearer 6a+. A grassy ledge two-thirds of the way up breaks the route.
The atlas doesn't show topos: they are the work of the people who bolt and document these routes. See the topo at Hot Roc – Presles topo: Shesep Ankh, or in Escalades à Presles.
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Bolts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 6aVI+5.10a | 30 m | 12 bolts | Crack and lay-backing. |
| P2 | 4aIV5.4 | 15 m | 5 bolts | Right along the ledge, then a few steps to below the obvious short corner; belay on the left. |
| P3 | 6a+VII-5.10b | 35 m | 12 bolts | A big athletic crack, sustained. |
| P4 | 6b+VII+5.10d | 35 m | 16 bolts | Vertical on good holds, then rising rightwards along a line of weakness; a hard move on a pocketed vertical wall near the top, closely bolted, to exit the ramp leftwards. |
| P5 | 6aVI+5.10a | 25 m | 8 bolts | A series of slabs with more physical moves between them. |
| P6 | 6b+VII+5.10d | 25 m | 11 bolts | A superb 6a slab with two 6b+ moves at the end on a vertical, compact wall. Short to limit drag. |
| P7 | 6b+VII+5.10d | 20 m | 8 bolts | A fine physical pitch. |
| P8 | 6aVI+5.10a | 35 m | 10 bolts | Steps (5c), then a bulge (6a), to a big ledge. |
| P9 | 6a+VII-5.10b | 30 m | 12 bolts | First walk about 30 m right (east) along the ledge (2 bolts) to a belay on a gold-coloured bolt with 'S.A.' in red; you cross the grey bolts of Idéfix. Then a sustained crack, finishing with a little squeeze, to a belay on top of a big flake. |
| P10 | 6bVII5.10c | 25 m | 9 bolts | A technical slab needing some reading and commitment (6b), then the edge of a pillar (6b) and an exit at 6a. |
Presles is in the Bourne gorge above Pont-en-Royans. Park at the Cabane Café on the road to the Grottes de Choranche (approach from below), or at the Entre Ciel et Pierres gîte beyond Le Charmeil on the plateau (approach from above via the Torquemada abseils).
From the Cabane Café, about 1 hour. From the plateau, go down the Torquemada abseils (four 50 m abseils), then follow the path to the cave at the back of the cirque and steeply down along the cliff (handrails). Pass the red-bristled broom hanging from the first belay of La Rampe des Commères, and about 200 m further, just after a small characteristic overhang, find the start. A bone tied to the first bolt marks it; the name is painted in white but hard to see.
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 109122
Contains the route point and parking.
Points from published sources, not surveyed.
Coordinates: 45.07417, 5.40962 (route base) · Parking: 45.07750, 5.40480
From the top, walk off by the Pas du Ranc to the Cabane Café, about 1 hour (see Même pas peur). If you came by the Torquemada abseils, follow the red triangles along the clifftop back to the gîte, about 15 minutes.
Bail not documented
Retreat is not described. The belays are bolted, so abseiling from the lower half should be possible, but the route traverses a ledge two-thirds of the way up and the descent is normally on foot.
Quickdraws: the longest pitch has 16 bolts (number to carry not stated). Helmet.
South-east facing; sun from the morning until mid-afternoon (a February 2025 party had sun until about 14:00, an April 2026 party shade from 16:00). Climbed from February to November.
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 · 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 (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)
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.
6b+VII+5.10d6b+VII+5.10d10 pitches240 m
Read the cautions
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.