Thunder showers

A friend from the middle of France named Raphael was just in town for a visit and of course he wanted to see Annot. I asked my parents if they wanted to check it out and they were excited. The boulders are at 5000 ft and routinely catch afternoon thunderstorms. About an hour into climbing we started to hear drops falling but, protected by thick foliage, we were able to continue climbing. However, after a half an hour the full grunt of the storm moved in and the four of us needed to run for shelter from torrential rain and crashing thunder. We found refuge in ancient cave dwelling probably built in the 13 hundreds.

PHOTOGRAPHY
- I have included a couple images from the old town in Annot. This town is almost entirely built of sandstone. The image of the two boys wringing out the t-shirt beside the aqueduct is an unreleased image. Meaning that the people in the photo did not sign a model release. I bring it up because when you shoot for a stock agent everything needs to be released and I find myself totally programmed to look for images that do not need to be released. I think this is a shame because you can miss what is really important, however because this image is not released I will probably never sell it.

CLIMBING
- The weather patterns in Annot consistently produce afternoon thunder showers after a warm day down in the valley. The seem to have their own little micro climate.

TRAVEL
- Annot has three restaurants and a bar. You can eat at the bar until 8pm and would recommend it over the restaurants where you can expect to pay 25 euro a meal.

Lights, Camera, Action!

Merrick Shaefer just rolled through town while on a whirlwind world tour. Merrick was just climbing in Hampi India, then flew back to New York to visit his girlfriend and then I got the word that he would be blazing through Southern France on his way to Rome. I picked Merrick up at the airport at 11:30am local time Saturday. He had left New York on a night flight and managed to sleep on the plane so he was fully energized and he wouldn’t stop talking. A couple hours later we were wondering through the forest of Annot surronded by boulders. We climbed until dark and afterwards Merrick wanted some fancy french food. Still in climbing attire with chalk on our pants the first two restaurants refused us service. One restaurant told us they didn’t have enough food. More than likely we didn’t have the look of their standard cliental. The third and last restaurant in the small town of Annot greeted us warmly and Merrick enjoyed the quail with wine from the region while I had the fish of the day and a martini. The next day was back to work pulling pockets and slapping slopers. After a good session we jumped in the car to get Merrick to Nice to catch his train. We gave ourselves an extra hour but still managed to get to the train just ten minutes before it departed.

CLIMBING
- Merrick confirmed that everything I was saying about Annot wasn’t just spray.

PHOTOGRAPHY
- I always find it much easier to photograph old friends than new people.

TRAVEL
- Merrick is one of the best travelers I know and he seems to pull it off full time. I think he simply desires to be in new places all the time.

Annot: The making of a world class climbing destination.

Each weekend climbers from Marseille make a two hour drive into the mountains to the little town of Annot. The total pool of local climbers/cleaners is about 30, but a weekend usually produces a group of 5-10 equipped with brushes, scrapers and other various boulder cleaning supplies. From Annot a windy dirt road takes you uphill for 7 km and you can stop at any point, walk in to the forest and find boulders!

Arriving late Saturday afternoon, the first day is spent climbing until dark at one of the established zones. Halfway up the hill is the campsite and after climbing, tents are set up quickly. Everyone gathers wood and within moments a small blaze is lit. Around the campfire are young and old faces and the conversation hops from one topic to the next without break. The wine flows just as seamlessly and the night doesn’t end until late.

Lead by Vincent, who climbed for France and now scurries up V10s to warm up, the second day starts off with cleaning. Individuals first scout for an objective and then set to work unearthing a new line. The cleaning started about six years ago at the bottom of the road and quickly worked its way upward as blocks of all shapes and sizes were discovered. A new line takes a couple hours to clean and afterwards everyone meets for a long lunch. With the sun starting it’s descent, crash pads get organized and climbing begins. Each new line is visited by the group and the visionary gets first crack at climbing it. Eventually everyone gets a turn, thus participating in the history-making development of Annot!

TRAVEL
- Annot is accessible via train from Nice. It would be possible to climb at this area without a car.

CLIMBING
- Annot impresses me more and more with each visit!

PHOTOGRAPHY
- The image of the house under the boulder was pointed out to me by a person that I was traveling with. I think that it is really valuable to try and stay open to the photo suggestions of the people around you.

Annot

I recently stumbled upon a large story in the world of climbing. With a quantity of rock equivalent to that of Fontainebleau, yet better friction, less crowds and a drier climate, Annot could soon be the go to bouldering destination in Europe. I was just given an assignment by a US magazine to produce a photo story on the area and I made my first trip to photograph the area this past weekend. I have attached a couple images. Currently there are over 1200 problems but it has a 10,000 plus potential and the next 25 years are sure to be the golden era of this climbing area.

TRAVEL
- Annot is in Southern France about two hours north of Aix-en-Provence. The camping is nestled in the forest on land owned by farmers. Cost for camping is 2.5 euro a night per person which includes hot showers. The farm also offers dinner that needs to be reserved a day in advance. Dinner is a feast and an experience not to be missed as you sit and eat with the family. Cost 15-20 euro per person.

CLIMBING
- Annot is a relatively unknown bouldering area with sandstone blocs of all sizes. Tons of established classics but also infinite potential for new lines. Season: Spring to early winter. Fall is best.

PHOTOGRAPHY
- Only a small percentage of my time is spent actually pressing the shutter. One of the hardest things is always gaining access or finding the right people to photograph. The people of Southern France are notorious for being closed. Combine that with the fact that I hardly speak the language and you can imagine that I was quite apprehensive about being able to get the job done. So far I have been really lucky as I hit it off with one of the key developers of the area. Vincent was on France’s climbing team for a number of years and set up the first “just” bouldering gym in France. My night in Annot was spent trying my best to follow the conversation of six french climbers (well into the wine) discussing anything and everything at a fast pace. This persisted into the wee hours of the morning and climbing didn’t begin until late the next day! I have two months to complete the assignment.