Le Surplomb de la Carrière · Sainte-Victoire · France
Bail with caveatsBolting confidence: high
Five pitches of demanding slab climbing on flawless grey rock at the left side of the Surplomb de la Carrière: two pitches of 6c, one of 6b+ with a finger crack, and a pocketed final wall. Closely bolted where it is hard, with an obligatory grade of 6a+.
The route
Steppe Aromatique shares its first pitch with Robin des Baouques and then keeps to the left, climbing the grey wall in four more pitches. The second pitch is a steep slab that has to be read move by move on tiny holds; the third follows a slab to a thin finger crack; the fifth starts up a wall of pockets and finishes on thin slab again. Recent parties describe two hours of sustained, technical climbing on rock with remarkable friction, and equipment that is a pleasant surprise for this mountain. The fourth pitch, on more broken rock, is the one place where the bolts are further apart.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| P1 | 6a | Low-angled friction slab, then bigger holds. Shared with Robin des Baouques, which leaves right at the belay; another line goes off far left. |
| P2 | 6c | A steep slab that needs reading: the crux spans two quickdraws on very small holds and precarious feet. |
| P3 | 6b+ | Slab, then a finger crack, to a belay on the right on the facing wall. One party found the move into the thin crack committing, above fractured rock. Can seep after rain. |
| P4 | 6a | Slightly broken rock to a belay right of a tree. The bolts are further apart here and the rock is mediocre near the end, with a large unstable block. |
| P5 | 6c | A superb wall of pockets, then more slab; the thin climbing continues to the top. |
Getting there
From Aix-en-Provence take the D17 through Le Tholonet towards Puyloubier. Pass Saint-Antonin-sur-Bayon and the Deux Aiguilles car park on the right, and about 500 m further park at the Parking de la Carrière, on the left of the road; there are roadside spaces on the left if the 'Marbrière' car park on the right is closed. Bus 110 (Aix to Puyloubier) runs along this road; camptocamp rates public transport to this car park as good. Aix has all services.
Follow the track from the car park to the brown-marked path and walk east below the Roque Vaoutarde. Leave the path a few metres after its first hairpin on a narrow but clear track, which winds up to rounded slabs and a scree-filled gully. Drop slightly, climb to the head of this gully, then traverse left more or less on the level above a second gully and head for the face by sight. Camptocamp links a GPS track. Allow 40 minutes, 30 once you know the way. The route name is written at the foot and is hard to miss.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Parking
Parking de la Carrière on the D17 (camptocamp waypoint 115383)
Point from camptocamp waypoint 317117 (Sainte Victoire - Le Surplomb de la Carrière)
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: 43.52814, 5.59658 (crag) · Parking: 43.51930, 5.59470
Getting down
The last belay is the abseil station: two linked bolts with a maillon. Make three abseils of about 40 m down Robin des Baouques; the first one snags easily. Alternatively walk down: go straight up for 30 m to a small col at the end of the Arête du Contradicteur, descend the gully and pass round the overhang on the right. A party did this in rock shoes on a very windy day in October 2025.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
The abseil line is the neighbouring Robin des Baouques, reached from the top. From the first belay, which the two routes share, you are on that line. Higher up, retreat from Steppe's own belays is not described.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
South-facing limestone between roughly 400 and 950 m, a winter and mid-season venue: camptocamp lists January to May and September to December for this side of the mountain. Summer is too hot, and from 1 June to 30 September access to the massif depends on prefectural fire-risk orders, which can close it day by day; check before you set out. A February 2024 party found seepage on pitch 3. The sector catches the wind.
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.
| Measure | Jan (usual season) | Feb (usual season) | Mar (usual season) | Apr (usual season) | May (usual season) | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct (usual season) | Nov (usual season) | Dec (usual season) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | 9 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 20 | 25 | 28 | 28 | 23 | 18 | 12 | 9 |
| Mean daily low °C | −0 | −0 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 12 | 9 | 4 | 1 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 7 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 7 |
● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 499 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
Quickdraw numbers are not published. 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 Steppe Aromatique.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
France · Sainte-Victoire
A sunny winter route on Sainte-Victoire's south-side socle. The highlight is a beautiful marbled slab on L5, and a stiff move off the last belay can be aided on a sling. Bring long slings to manage rope drag around the trees.
5c+7 pitches180 m
France · Sainte-Victoire
A six-pitch outing at 5a to 5b on the compact 'marble' breccia of the Socle de la Carrière, running alongside La Marbrière. Short climbing sections on fine rock alternate with stony terraces. Bolting is friendlier than the local tradition, which makes it a good first route on the mountain.
5b6 pitches170 m
France · Sainte-Victoire
The long bolted route of Sainte-Victoire: 400 m from the foot of the mountain to the priory beside the Croix de Provence, in thirteen pitches up to 6b. Conglomerate walls low down, superb grey slabs higher up, and short walks between the tiers. Sustained around 6a, with a hard traverse on the second pitch.
6b13 pitches400 m
France · Sainte-Victoire
Four pitches on perfect grey rock at the left edge of the Surplomb de la Carrière: two friction slabs, then a surprisingly juggy roof and a long, thin slab at 6b+. Probably the easiest bolted route on this wall, but a serious one, with dry grades and 6b+ obligatory.
6b+4 pitches120 m
Read the cautions
Around 6c · about 5 pitches
Spain · Costa Blanca (Cabeçó d'Or)
Delicate, technical wall climbing on small edges up a detached pillar and then the magnificent grey headwall above the hanging garden of the Paredón de los Alcoyanos. Sustained at 6b and above with little rest for the feet, and bolted as a sport route. A step across the void from the top of the pillar is the route's oddity.
6c5 pitches160 m
Greece · Leonidio & Kyparissi
The harder companion to We Salute You: five pitches, three of them 6c, on steep red and grey rock with good holds and bolts close enough to make the obligatory grade only 6a. The steep red sections of the second and fifth pitches are the highlights.
6c5 pitches155 m
Spain · Vega Baja (Orihuela & Callosa)
The hardest of the La Pancha multipitch routes in the atlas: an easy first pitch, then three steep, demanding pitches of 6c, 6b and 6a+, the middle one 50 m long. Excellent rock apart from the start of pitch 2 and the first half of pitch 3. Not to be underestimated.
6c5 pitches165 m
Read the cautions
Austria · Wilder Kaiser
A short alpine sport route in the Schneekar that steepens as it goes: a scrambling start, fine water runnels on rough rock, then a smooth slab into an overhang on pitch 4. The crux is UIAA 7 to 7+ and can be aided on the bolts.
6c5 pitches180 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.