Last week my half sister from the UK came to Southern France for a visit. We headed to the Sugiton Calanque near Marseille to climb one of the most classic climbs in the area: The Arete of Marseille. Rated 5c (5.9) this 5 pitch climb has a famous gap on the second pitch that is spanned by leaning out as far as you can and then falling forward catching the other-side. Very heroic indeed! The top offers one of the best views in Southern France with a 360 degree view of the coastline. Nia and I had a late start and topped out just as the sun dropped below the horizon. We couldn’t find the rap station so we ended up rapping off a small tree and walked back to the car by headlamp.
CLIMBING
- The best time of year to climb the Arete of Marseille it is fall and spring but winter can be fine with some warm clothing. The wind picked up while we were on route and I was constantly changing from a t-shirt to a windbreaker. The first pitch is a little polished.
PHOTOGRAPHY
- I lugged my digital SLR with a 16-35 and 70-200 up the route. I normally don’t like to climb with this much gear but it is usually worth the effort unless is slows you down too much.
TRAVEL
- The Arete of Marseille is just outside the city of Marseille on the eastside. It has an hour to hour and a half approach but be aware that it is closed in the summer because of fire bans.
