The run on the trad route „Le Voyage“ continues. After the 38-metre route had already received four ascents last year after a long „rest period“ (making a total of five ascents), the Belgian trad specialist Sébastien Berthe was also send an ascent. It was also the first flash ascent of the route.

Climbing flowly, for the first time, on this sandstone unbolted wall, was probably one of my best experiences as a climber.

What a feeling to clip the anchor of this amazing 40m-line!

Thank you so much @robbiephillips and @miquelmathieu for the flash, all the betas and infos you gave me made this goal real. Congrats on your ascents !
Thank you @onceuponaclimb for putting up such a gem!

Robbie Phillips needed a little more attempts (four in total) for his ascent, now the 9th ascent in total.

It wasn’t a flash… but I was pretty chuffed to get “Le Voyage” reasonably quick for me . I had one full day working it on a fixed line, one top rope the day after to do a link, and then I went for attempts the day after…

I didn’t want to work the climb into submission, and opted to go for lead attempts soon so the climb had more of a chance to put up a fight 

I had 3 attempts from the ground, two of them ended due to foot slips in the crux and one a silly mistake meant I dropped the low crux… it was on the 4th go that I sent.

Aside from being a beautiful climb, my reasoning in coming to Annot to try “Le Voyage” was to attempt a hard trad line early in the season to hopefully prepare me for some big plans back home this year… Now I’m feeling fit, and confident for my Scottish projects and actually can’t wait to get back home! 

 

 

The first easier 15 metres of the route is a nice 7a crack. Then the route moves left into the compact face and follows a fine crack, which can be secured in places with mobile belay devices. Probably the most difficult trad route in France, it was first climbed by none other than James Pearson in 2017 in the Chambre du Roi-Annot climbing crag.

Originally graded 8c, the route now checks in at more like 8b+ according to the repeaters.

In this year James Pearson sends with „Bon Voyage“ (9a trad?) a harder link to the route.

Foto: (c) Robbie Phillips