Ceuse

Just arrived back in the uk from france, was there 8 weeks, climbed solidly for all of them!

First 4 weeks were spent in ceuse, initially with Andrew. It was an achievement to actually get there (the train we wanted from marseilles was actually running from aix-en-provence that day, we got a bus to there, switched trains once, then the train suddenly terminated one stop before Gap, and we had to get on another crowded coach, which took us painfully slowly into Gap.) There we met Ben, Nick and Anna from Inverness, and Jack and Andre from Texas (they were all in for their weekly shop). Needless to say this resulted in a mildly crowded car - 2 people in the front, 4 people seated in the back with Zack lying across the top of us, legs out of one window. Then there was all of me and andrews gear, plus 7 people's shopping... excellent. Being a sardine was to become a recurring theme of the trip!

Ceuse was, as expected, pretty awesome. It took me 3 days to climb a route, and even then it was a 5+ that must have been at least 8b... Me and andrew set about ticking all the easier routes up to 6b, and that meant a lot of slabs, Ceuse slabs, runout slabs, they're nails! Climbing Super Mario, 6b, was the best achievement in 3 weeks but after things started to improve. On Andrew's last day I sent Medicine Douce, 6c+, which was a breakthrough. Andrew also nearly got the send. Two days later I got the climb adjacent, Ananda, 7a, which was my first 7! Both these routes were just ridiculously pumpy for me, so that I felt like falling off every move above half-height. Ananda was particularly bad as on my 4th go I fell off the last hard move, and was so annoyed that I had another 4 goes that day...it got sent the following morning. Other highlights were Saint Georges Picos, 7a, and Lapinerie, 7b, though the latter I never did - it was a cool route with a dyno at the very top for a huge jug on a steep roof.

Climbing hard was certainly made tons easier by the comfort of our campsite. We made sofas out of old crates and boulder matts-come-mattresses. Over the top was a tarpaulin to keep off the non-existant rain, and thus we had a living room. We ate pretty well each nite, and drank a little, or a lot in some cases - Andrew had a particularly bad time one night! Poker was played with major incentives, like the winner got a pizza - Andre - or got their rucksack carried up the following day (serious)! One bad thing was the attention of a scavenging fox, now named Partick, who was utterly fearless in stealing food in the night (he wouldn't think twice about coming into your tent as you were sleeping). Apparently seveeral attempts were made to capture him - everyone sat in the car one night waiting for Partick to walk into a crude trap - he never did.

Throughout the time at Ceuse, I got to know so many people, and saw so many come and go. Anna was there for a short time, but she was very good at washing up, and snap. There were the Texans, great banter, who left about 10 days after me and andrew got there. There was Neil, who headed off to Gorges du Tarn. Mike, who did his first 8a+, left just before me nick and ben. Then there were Sam and Dave who came out later, Sam - our sympathies with him! - injured a finger and had to go home (despite his desperate longing for Rosa, a young swedish climber) but dave stayed out till after we left. Genki, a cool japanese guy who knew everyone on the campsite and was a sending machine! We left him to look after the set-up after we left so that Ben and Nick might return to it later... Innovation of the trip was the sending shelf. You bought a luxury item and put it on the shelf where it would stay until you sent your project. This incentive worked extremely well until firstly someone put Andrew's nesquik on the shelf - he was Not happy! - and until it blew down one day, smashing Genki's wine, and ruining his prospects of sending the next day. Thus the sending shelf became the sending box, and long may the tradition continue.

After my 4 weeks at ceuse, ben and nick had been there for 8 weeks, and they decided it was time to leave. We paid up for the campsite, them about 260 euros each!, me slightly less, said tearful goodbyes, headed into Gap for food, bought tons of Yop (yogurt drink) and Pain au chocolat, and sent the 4 hour drive to Gorges du Loup - serious hardcore climbing venue, and general all round cool place.

to be continued...