Falaise des Cavaliers (left bank) · Verdon · France
CommittingBolting confidence: high
A summer route on the shady left bank of the gorge. It follows the first three pitches of the Traversée des Cavaliers, an airy horizontal journey above the void with one athletic 6b move that goes on aid, then climbs back to the rim by single-pitch lines through the Shiva cave and a big chimney. Five minutes from the car.
The route
Tout Shiva pour ça ? is a link-up on the Cavaliers cliff, on the Aiguines side of the gorge. Two short abseils from near the helicopter landing area reach the start of the Traversée des Cavaliers, whose first three pitches you follow sideways across the wall on closely spaced glue-ins. You then leave the traverse and climb back up by two pitches of the route No Bramashari for ever to the Shiva cave, walk across the ledge under a big lime tree, and finish by two more pitches up a corner and a chimney, or by a 35 m wall variant. The rock is excellent north-face limestone and the whole route stays in the shade, which is why the logged ascents are in July, August and September. The traverses mean a strong second is as important as a strong leader.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Bolts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 5c+ | 30 m | 11 bolts | Traverse downstream following the glue-ins: easy at first, then an airy, well-protected passage of 5c+ where the good handholds are hidden above you. Communication with the belayer is poor as you reach the belay. |
| P2 | 5a | 30 m | 10 bolts | Continue the traverse with one or two moves of 5a. |
| P3 | 6b (A0) | 30 m | 11 bolts | Go down two metres to the right, then make a very athletic 6b move that goes well by pulling on the bolts, though it stays physical even on aid. Mantel in a very exposed position using a dead juniper, traverse more easily above two junipers and climb a last steep wall on good holds. Here you leave the Traversée des Cavaliers. |
| P4 | 5c | 20 m | 4 bolts | An easy traverse to start, then an airy section with little for the feet, well protected, and a mantel to a belay in a hollow. A 2026 party found one move here hard for 5c. |
| P5 | 6a | 25 m | 7 bolts | Move easily onto the angle of the cliff, then climb beside a steep corner to a belay to the right of the Shiva cave. Small and medium cams can supplement the bolts here if you want. Then walk left along the ledge, under the big lime tree and past the cave, to the next chained belay. |
| P6 | 5c | 20 m | 7 bolts | An airy but easy traverse left to the foot of a corner; climb it, with a move of 5c at the start, then bear left to a chained belay above a block. |
| P7 | 6a | 25 m | 10 bolts | Go left and bridge up the big, magnificent chimney to the chained belay on the plateau. Variant: a 35 m, 14-bolt 6a straight up the vertical wall above the belay, which a 2026 party found very sustained for the grade. |
Getting there
The route is on the left bank, reached by the D71 (Corniche Sublime) from Aiguines or from Comps-sur-Artuby. Park at the Auberge des Cavaliers. La Palud-sur-Verdon, the usual climbers' base, is on the other side of the gorge, a long drive round.
About 5 min. Walk to the helicopter landing area about 250 m upstream of the Auberge des Cavaliers. Do not use the abseil station just downstream of it: that one is at the top of the route's exit chimney and leads to the Shiva cave in two abseils of about 25 and 15 m. From the landing area go towards the cliff edge and down a few metres to a chained station. Two abseils of 30 and 35 m lead to the start; the second station is offset to the left and reached by a handrail. The first belay of the route (R0) is on two glue-ins.
Loading map
The point is approximate: it marks the area, not the crag.
Coordinates · area: approximate
Parking
Auberge des Cavaliers car park (camptocamp access waypoint 127665)
Point from camptocamp access waypoint 127665 (Verdon - Cavaliers car park); the route has no point of its own and starts about 250 m upstream
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: 43.73694, 6.34583 (area) · Parking: 43.73694, 6.34583
Getting down
You come out on the plateau between the firemen's hut and the auberge. Walk back along the road in about 3 min.
Retreat
Committing
Not documented, and awkward by the nature of the route. You abseil in and then traverse horizontally for three pitches, so an abseil from those belays does not return to anything useful and the abseils cannot be climbed back. From the fifth belay, at the Shiva cave ledge, the only ways out described are the two exit pitches (5c and 6a) or the 6a variant.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
North and north-west facing at about 720 to 800 m, on the left bank: in the shade all day, according to a party in mid-August 2026. It is a route for warm weather, and logged ascents run from early July to late September. No source describes conditions outside those months.
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 | Apr | May (usual season) | Jun (usual season) | Jul (usual season) | Aug (usual season) | Sep (usual season) | Oct (usual season) | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | 7 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 18 | 23 | 26 | 26 | 21 | 16 | 11 | 8 |
| Mean daily low °C | −1 | −2 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 7 | 3 | −1 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 7 | 7 | 8 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 8 |
● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 822 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
A 50 m abseil rope, 12 quickdraws including some extendable ones, slings for the belays and a helmet. A few small and medium cams are optional for pitch 5. You can walk from the car in rock shoes or leave your shoes at the top of the abseils.
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 Tout Shiva pour ça ?.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
France · Verdon
A modern (2019) line up a staircase of limestone pillars above the Chalet de la Maline, with short walking links between them. Harder than its old 6a grade suggests: recent parties report obligatory 6a+/6b moves on the first three pitches, and the last pitch is 6b+ or A0.
6b+10 pitches300 m
Read the cautions
France · Verdon
The easiest way to climb out of the Verdon gorge: a long, wandering ridge of short pitches at grade 3 and 4 that starts close to the river and finishes near the rim road. The climbing is modest but the setting is the full Verdon. You walk down a steep path with fixed ropes to reach the start, so the route is your way back up.
4c9 pitches180 m
Read the cautions
France · Verdon
Seven pitches of compact grey water-pocketed wall high above the mouth of the Verdon gorge, with a view over the Lac de Sainte-Croix. It zigzags a great deal, so both leader and second need to be happy on traverses. A short, bouldery 6c+ bulge (6a/A0) is the only move above 6b+, and the final pillar pitch is the highlight.
6c+7 pitches160 m
Committing
France · Verdon
One of the few Verdon multipitches at an even 5b: five short pitches on featured grey limestone above the Baou Béni, with a 6a variant for the third pitch. The approach is part of the outing: you go down a 100 m wall on fixed ropes, the escape route of the Mainmorte canyon. Well bolted and popular as a first Verdon route.
5b+5 pitches120 m
Around 6b · about 7 pitches
France · Calanques
A big, remote wall climb from the sea to the plateau on the east end of the Devenson cliffs, above the Calanque de l'Eissadon. After two easier pitches it is continuous at 6a+ to 6b up white walls and a striking vein of aragonite, technical on the feet and vertical. Four abseils and a two-hour walk each way make it a full day at the end of the world.
6b7 pitches215 m
Read the cautionsCommitting
Morocco · Taghia
The friendly way into Taghia, starting at the water's edge beside the springs. Seven varied pitches, well bolted by Taghia standards. Go left around the unstable rock below the second belay; fragile blocks are marked in red. In shade until midday.
6b7 pitches270 m
Committing
Austria · Salzkammergut
The best known multipitch route of the Salzkammergut: seven pitches straight out of the Wolfgangsee. You abseil in from the top of the Falkenstein cliff, or arrive by boat, and start from a hanging belay at the waterline. Mostly grade 5 slabs with exposed traverses, then a steep section and a holdless corner equipped with artificial holds.
6b7 pitches185 m
Committing
Morocco · Todra Gorge (Todgha)
A long, moderate line above the Mansour palm grove at the upstream end of the gorge. Mostly steady 5c with a 6a crack to start and a harder, very abrasive finish. Big views up the valley.
6b7 pitches300 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.