CLIMBING IN DRÔME PROVENÇALE

Our spacious gîte, Les Hauts de Chirol, offers the perfect base camp for climbing enthusiasts.
From the mountain of Couspeau, you can discover some of the finest climbing sites in the Drôme provençale, including Les Trois Becs and Saoû.
Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced climber looking for a new challenge, the region offers a wide variety of climbing sites to suit all levels.

Climbing in Drôme: the unmissable Forêt de Saoû

The Saou forest offers unique geological formations. Its spectacular setting makes it a favorite with climbing enthusiasts.

Renowned as one of Europe’s largest perched synclines, the Saoû forest offers climbing routes to suit all abilities. Both beginners and experienced climbers will find what they’re looking for.

In less than 40 minutes by car from the gîte, you’ll be on site. The limestone cliffs of the Saoû forest await climbers with over a hundred equipped routes. This is an opportunity to enjoy different rock textures, and to experience a variety of climbs, alternating between cracks, slabs, overhangs and overhangs, for example.

Routes range from a few meters to several dozen. You can devote a few hours to this activity, or the whole day.

Here are the main sectors to be found in detail on the Grimper website :

• For beginners, La Graville ;
• For climbing sheltered from the sun in summer, Le Palloir and its twenty or so routes ;
• Roche Colombe and its flinty limestone walls ;
• La Poupoune, south-facing like Roche Colombe, various routes ;
• Le Grand Regardé ;
• The Aiguille de la Tour, with a dozen major routes: you can find their descriptions on the Camp to Camp website, in the Climbing section ;
• Les Aiguilles ;
• The Wall of Sound with some thirty voices, equipped between 2004 and 2007.

Montagne de Couspeau: access to the Trois Becs climbing sites

The Trois Becs form a distinctive silhouette visible from afar. This unmissable symbol of the Drôme offers magnificent panoramic views on every ascent. The massif, which represents the eastern end of the Saoû syncline, has three main peaks : 

• La Pelle (Roche Courbe) ;
• Le Signal ;
• Le Veyou, highest point at 1589 meters.

The Trois Becs mountain has been a popular climbing spot since the opening of “La Voie des Parisiens” in 1961, a coveted 250-meter ascent to La Pelle.

Beyond this historic route, the massif boasts a multitude of varied itineraries, the fruit of a wave of openings in the 60s and 70s by the greatest climbers of the time. These routes combine technical passages on flinty limestone rock.

The climbing routes on offer range from 250 to 350 meters, alternating between well-equipped modern routes and classic adventure terrain. For more information, please visit the Grimper website (Les 3 becs) and Camp to camp (climbing section) website.

Among the must-do climbs are relatively accessible routes such as “Petit écolier” on Le Veyou and the 350-metre “Pilier du soleil levant” on Le Signal. At Roche Rousse, there are Duralex, Petit Félix and Petite Pomme.

Services for climbers at Hauts de Chirol

To make your climbing holiday as comfortable and convenient as possible, Les Hauts de Chirol offers services tailored to the needs of climbers :

• The estate is spacious enough for you to store your equipment safely..
• All the facilities you need to unwind after a day of intense activity are waiting for you: jacuzzi and swim lane on the program; sunbathing for a restorative nap; panoramic terrace for stretching… or in-home massage (ask our concierge to make an appointment)..
• If you’d like sessions with experienced guides to discover the best climbing sites in the region, our concierge will find you the best contacts. You can also ask them to organize an introduction to climbing with a qualified instructor.

Whether you’re a climbing enthusiast or a beginner, join a group at Les Hauts de Chirol in a remarkable site in Drôme provençale for a break between climbing sessions. Book your stay now. All you have to do is pack your gear!