France: Ariege

The Ariège region of Southern France is the compact area where the Ariège River cuts through the Pyrenées on its way from Andorra to the coast. There is a lot of high quality climbing in the area with a superb variety of rock types to go at; from the soaring granite slabs of the Dent d’Orlu, to the steep limestone bulges of Génat. Limestone, granite and gneiss are on offer and routes vary in size from boulder problems to long epics of over 20 pitches. Despite its attractions, the area remained off the radar to the climbing world in general, and the lack of a comprehensive modern guide to the area was a large part of the reason for this. This publication has opened up this great area as a destination for travelling climbers.