OmegaRoc – Ethical climbing guidebooks
For the OmegaRoc app, we have chosen to host only guidebooks that are truly engaged in the development and/or maintenance of the climbing sites featured on the app.
This can be seen in several ways:
– Physical presence of the authors at the sites, whether for bolting or re-bolting, general maintenance (maintenance of the access routes for example) or management of the relationship with local actors (in particular owners of the land on which the sites are located)
– Redistribution of part of the profits from the sale of the guidebooks.
– Or more often, a “mix” of the two types listed above.
We are in close contact with each of the published authors on the OmegaRoc app, and we know they are very involved on the sites. We also want you to know about all the positive work that the profits from guidebooks purchased on OmegaRoc have contributed to.
Below, you will find a link to either the website of the associations involved, or to a page listing their work.
The guidebooks organised by region
♦ Corse
Author: OmegaRoc – Guidebooks Falaises de Corse, Grandes voies de Corse, Bavella Corsica. The corsican bolting fund.
♦ Grenoble
Author: ECI – Guidebooks Escalade autour de Grenoble, La Petite Corse. ECI, statuts et règlements.
♦ Presles
Author: VTNO – Guidebook Presles – easy multi-pitch routes. VTNO’s work 2022.
♦ Marseille
Author: association Les Grimpeurs – Guidebook Escalade dans les Calanques.
A portion of the profits generated from the sale of guidebooks (printed or digital) are reinvested in supporting the management of climbing sites in the region (facilities, reequipping, and development), all of this, of course, in accordance with safety standards and environmental protection regulations CT 13 FFME
♦ Saint-Léger
Author: CT FFME 84 – Guidebook Escalades dans la vallée du Toulourenc. More details
♦ Verdon
Author: Pascal Faudou, Publisher CD FFME 05 – Guidebook Escalade au Verdon. More details
♦ Haute-Savoie
Author: Gilles Brunot – Guidebooks Bornes Aravis / Vallée de l’Arve / Giffre Risse Foron. More details
♦ Mont-Blanc massif
Author: Michel Piola – Guidebook Fiches Granite. Page Facebook
Michel Piola is one of the most prolific route setter and rebolter in the Mont Blanc massif.
Verdon:
The guidebook “50 years and 500 routes in Verdon” has been published in three editions in 2013, 2015, and 2017. It was published by the FFME Departmental Committee of Alpes de Haute Provence (the local branch of the national climbing federation), with authors who were entirely volunteers, and only the layout, computer input, and distribution were paid for. It’s one of the few guidebooks where 100% of the profits were dedicated to the maintenance (re-equipping) and development of the Verdon cliffs (purchase of equipment, financing re-equipping actions).
The total amount of investments made in equipment and re-equipping services since 2013 amounts to 49,000 euros (updated as of December 2023).
The actions can be summarized as follows:
- Over 300 new equipped pitches (multi-pitch routes and single-pitch routes)
- Over 300 pitches re-equipped (multi-pitch routes and single-pitch routes)
- 90% of the abseil lines in the Verdon gorges re-equipped (mainly with glue-in bolts)
- A new sport crag (Pas d’Issane)
- Regular maintenance of the climbing sites (changing defective bolts, handrails, paths, marking, etc.)
In recent years, the following work have been carried out with equipment funded by the profits from the guidebook sales (although this list may not be exhaustive due to the lack of feedback from many individuals who have received equipment).
Re-equipping: It is very difficult to keep up-to-date with the list of re-equipping that has been carried out thanks to the guidebook’s profits, but a few recent examples include:
- 04/2024 – Pichenibule sector (P1 of Rideau de Gwendal, P1 and P2 of Pichenibule, routes Sérieux s’abstenir and Baraka)
- 2023 – Mingus route (partial re-equipping)
- 02/2023 – Jardin des Ecureuils, Voie des Dalles Grises (glue-in bolts)
- 10/2022 – La Demande (glue-in bolts)
- 2022 – Jardin des Ecureuils, route Cocoluche
- 2021 – Jardin des Ecureuils, route Trous Secs
Opening of new routes: The complete list of new routes presented on the app since the last paper version of the guidebook is available here.
Note: Routes opened with equipment funded by the CD04 FFME are marked with an asterisk (*): 25 routes listed as of the end of 2023.
Today, the printed guidebook “50 years and 500 routes in Verdon” is sold out. Its digital version, available on the OmegaRoc web app, has taken over: all profits generated from the sale of the digital guidebook are used for the maintenance and development of the site.
Pascal Faudou, one of the two authors of the printed guidebook, has embraced the digital path to ensure the continuity of the enormous inventory work accomplished with the printed guidebook. In addition to uploading new routes on the app, he offers a webpage of new developments (and re-equippings) done in the Verdon (only in french): See here.
Haute-Savoie: The Gilles Brunot’s guidebooks
Bornes Aravis / Vallée de l’Arve / Giffre Risse Foron
Gilles Brunot has been publishing guidebooks about Haute-Savoie since 1992, focusing on precision and details. From the beginning, through his association Ekiproc, a significant portion of the profits from the sale of these guidebooks has been used to finance the maintenance and development of climbing sites.
As of the end of 2023 (since 1997, the year Gilles started documenting his equipment and re-equipment work and the materials used):
– Personally, Gilles has opened or equipped 127 pitches (121 in Haute-Savoie) and re-equipped 383 pitches, approximately changing between 600 and 800 belay stations.
– Besides this work, Gilles has also distributed a lot of equipment gear to other active bolters in the region: around 23,000 bolts and 850 belays!
Notably to Emmanuel Ratouis, Michel Piola, Patrick Gabarrou, Georges Brenas, Philippe Gleize, Alexis Dupanloup, Dominique Mesnage, François Ducastel, François Pallandre, René Vuagnoux, Pierre Gourdin, Hervé Bouvard, Philippe Mussatto (non-exhaustive list).
Gilles maintain a very comprehensive website about climbing in Haute-Savoie: Escalade 74. It includes a “News” section listing all opening or re-equipping work. Unfortunately, the website is only in French.
Just like the sales of printed guidebooks, the profits from sales of digital guidebooks available on the OmegaRoc app (collected by the EKIPROC association) are used for site maintenance and development.
Saint Léger – Toulourenc valley
Author: CT FFME 84 (the local branch of the French climbing federation)
The Saint Léger – Toulourenc guidebook has been largely produced on a voluntary basis.
The profits from the guidebook, combined with the efforts of the CT FFME 84 over several years, have allowed for the rebolting of 150 routes in the valley.
The rebolting has required more than a hundred days of work, mostly done voluntarily or occasionally in a mixed manner (that is, professional climbers have worked voluntarily on weekends and compensated for the following days, especially on overhanging routes requiring special techniques)… this effort is thus the result of dedicated enthusiasts of the area.
Originally, the equipping of the routes has been carried out by more than forty different bolters who often paid for the equipment out of their own pockets. Later, the CT FFME 84 has funded the opening of more than 200 new routes.
Additionally, the CT FFME 84 continuously engages with various stakeholders such as the department, Ventoux Park, ONF, municipalities, and landowners, as well as maintains and creates new access paths. This tireless effort ensures that climbing in this wonderful valley remains free and accessible.
Good to know: At the opposite, the guidebook “Topo du Ventoux” has never contributed in any way to the opening or maintenance of this climbing site; their cover claim “participates in equipment” is therefore absolutely misleading.