The digital guidebook Climbing in Saint-Auban
See / Buy the guidebook on the OmegaRoc app
This digital guidebook presents all the routes in Saint-Auban – a total of 350 pitches of all levels and styles.
For now, the photos provided are taken from the original PDF guidebook. They have of course been updated, but their style differs somewhat from the other OmegaRoc guidebooks. They will gradually be revised to better match the usual layout.
This guidebook is produced on a volunteer basis by François Chollet, member of the local outdoor association Les Tichodromes. François is also the site’s main route developer since the beginning, supported in recent years by Adrien Boulon and Enzo Oddo, specialists in hard and extremely hard routes.
All profits go to developing new routes and maintaining the crags of Saint-Auban.
Climbing in Saint-Auban
Saint-Auban is a pretty village perched on a hillside at an altitude of 1000 m. Backed by a large limestone cliff, it puts on its own one-man show at the mouth of the Saint-Auban canyon, the only point of weakness carved into the rock by the Estéron River.
From a distance, the wall may seem of little interest, covered in abundant vegetation. But its base is made up of a string of compact cliffs forming many sectors with varied profiles.
The cliff generally faces south, making it ideal for climbing in winter and mid-season. But inside the canyon, on both sides of the river, many sectors are perfect for summer, benefiting from thermal winds that ensure cool, grippy conditions.
Climbing in Saint-Auban means climbing, of course, but it’s also the quiet, pleasant village life and the wide range of outdoor activities available: hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, canyoning, etc.
You know when you arrive in Saint-Auban, but you never know when you’ll leave.
A bit of history…
It seems everything started in the 1980s, when a few easy line of weakness in the rock were climbed quietly. Over time, more routes were added little by little, without anyone keeping track. Some traces of these early climbs were later rediscovered when new routes were developed.
One day, all the planets aligned and pointed toward Saint-Auban:
– COVID, its lockdowns, and climbing instructors left without clients, with time – lots of time – on their hands.
– A beautiful supply of fresh rock available in abundance.
– A dynamic municipality supportive of developing climbing.
– The tremendous expertise of François, Adrien, and Enzo in route bolting.
Naturally, they first tackled l’Oreille, that brilliant and unique geological formation. Once they had their fill of hard and extreme routes, they fortunately didn’t stop there and explored more accessible sectors.
In the following years, the Fêtes du Spit parties organized on-site by the Greenspit association supported this momentum and encouraged the development of sectors in the 5th and 6th grades.
In barely four years, Saint-Auban has become a fully developed climbing cliff to which people gladly return to discover new sectors, work on an old project, or simply reconnect with familiar climbs they still enjoy just as much.
It happened in Saint-Auban…
Fête du Spit 2022:
Quite a bit of music, loads of good vibes, plenty of other things – and even some climbing.
Seb Bouin visits Saint-Auban for his Hard Sends series. No surprise there — it starts at 8c and it’s overhanging.
For a refreshing break, the Saint-Auban canyon
Explore the crags in the neighborhood
Here are somme digital guidebooks for climbing in the surroundings areas.
To see all the guidebooks available on the OmegaRoc app: The OmegaRoc guidebooks
