Routes in Montagne d'Argent

Climbing up the easy stepped rock to the right of "Tatanade" to a pair of bolts. Continue up the ramp left of the bolts then around right above them. (Going directly up the face where the bolts are is at least 5.10+.)

(Guide says 4 bolts, diagram shows 3 but lowest doesn't exit; only 2 are in the rock. Anchor on tree(s).)

Start at the same wide crack as Garantie Prolonge, but instead head up and right along rising edges and traverses, across La Vente Etiquette Rouge, Piglet, and finally turning up and slightly left to finish up the upper section of Le Sacre du Printemps.

Gear for the traverse is tricky to spot in advance, and sometimes to place, but is all there. (1 bolt borrowed from Piglet.)

Lower-off is a bit more then 30m from the high anchor.

Start up the crack of Cracker Joe, then traverse right with a good under-cling to the arete with lovely flakes up the arete.

2nd splitter crack from the right side of the face.

Climb the blocky face right of "La Motte" past one block to the shared anchor.

This is the first deep crack along the right side of the cliff. (Name means "the other side of the arete".)

There are a couple 2nd-pitch projects for this route.

Starts up a left-facing corner with a crack underneath -- some pleasant lay-back climbing -- to a slab finish.

A newly cleaned slab farther to the right -- near the teaching anchors. Goes around 5.8+.

Follow the bolt-line up and left to the anchors. Continuing past the anchors to the top of the cliff is considerably harder than getting to the anchors, perhaps 5.10+.

While listed as a 40m climb in the guide, and it can be climbed as such, there is a 2-bolt anchor at the end of the interesting climbing at about 28m. The crack continues from there, but it is very dirty, mossy, and treed.

Climb up the bolt line up the arete.

Rightmost route on this slab. A modererate start leads into steep slab climbing.

At the base, there was a waist-height separated flake, which is now laying flat on the ground. This has made the start far harder than it was -- probably 5.9+ or so.

Up past two bolts to a thin crack (gear section -- small gear needed, don't bother hauling anything big up this climb). Follow the crack upwards and right for a bit, to two more bolts. Anchor on tree(s).

Variant on Psychokrak - when the lower crack ends, finish slightly leftwards up the face, rather than switching rightwards to a 2nd crack near the top.

The next obvious deep crack along the right side of the cliff as you head a bit uphill.

Longer than 30m, descend by rappelling on of the other routes to the left in two stages.

The right-most set of bolts on the easy slab face, this climb goes up easy terrain to a two-bolt anchor.

Stepping sideways to the right from the anchor provides easy access to the top of Hannibal Lecter and other climbs along that face.

Very thin corner/crack leading to a sloping ledge, then an overhanging hand crack. This route does not look cleaned, but there are anchors at the top.

Not sure of the grade or route history. Please update if known. The bottom crux section might be slightly easier once cleaned.

The lovely crack that starts right facing and curves to almost vertical along the right side of the front face of the cliff. Bolted recently.

Climb up the obvious crack to the double crack, then back to a single crack, exiting in front of the tree, with bolted anchor just to the left of the top-out.

Next bolt line to the right of the mixed route.

Bolt line at the far right end of the cliff. Up slightly mossy steps to shelf, traverse a bit left & clip. Left of the bolts above a lip, then angle rightwards following the bolts. Anchor on tree(s).

Start up the obvious crack at the bottom of the face, until it is easy to traverse leftwards (a couple meters up) to the obvious crack running up the left side of the face. Follow this crack to anchors by the tree.

High anchor at top is about a 32m lower.

It may be possible to step right to the anchor for Crocodile and lower-off with a 60m. (From the top anchor, a 60m rope and rope stretch may get you to the ground, depending on amount of rope stretch.)

Climbs up a groove to pass a small roof on the right side, then finish leftward.

A little farther uphill is another big crack, but rather than having smooth edges, this one has lots of big rough edges. Also, overhanging.

The wide crack at the top of the cliff. An alternate finish for "Le centenaire" or "Lollypops".

If you skip the final bolts to belay off a tree, you can go about 7 meters climbers left to another set of rap bolts. You can do a full rap to the ground with 2x60m.

Mixed route to the immediate left of La Gardienne. Follow bolt line to the rising traversing crack, bolted rap station at end of climb.

Climb onto the block then up to roof. Pull on big jugs, then easier climbing to anchor.

This route is not in the 2009 guide book.

This route is, essentially, the 2nd pitch of "L'hypothenuse" -- it starts at the anchors for L'hypothenuse, then follows bolts up the right side of the obvious striking arete.

A variant finish for Titanicomanie which makes the route sport the whole way.

The obvious wide crack that goes most directly up the center of the main face.

Climb the obvious crack. Anchor on trees.

Currently the farthest right bolted line. After a few bolts there is an alternate finish to the right which apparently climbs at 5.9.

No Sympathy and Pop Corn start up the same crack on the face that is towards the trail. Near the top of the crack, No Sympathy branches leftwards (with bolts) towards the anchor for Grenouille Toxique (which it shares.)

Effectively 2nd pitch of Encore! Mon Lapin -- it starts at the anchors, then continues up past a couple bolts to another set of anchors. If combined, can lower from the anchors with a 60m rope, despite the total climb being over 35m, because the lower is straight down.

Climb leftwards up blocky rock to a steep left-angling widish crack. Pull through, then finish with the usual Grand Canyon thin moves at the top (bolts).

The thinnest line at the Fou crag.

The left-facing flake and crack system a bit right of the center of the cliff.

The MdA guidebook (2017 edition) lists the FA of this as being "21 aout 2015 - Laurent Cloutier et Suzanne Chamberland", likely the first ascent after cleaning and bolting. It was free-soloed by David Gibbs on July 22, 2012, and likely climbed before that as well.

Climb blocky face on good holds, then up easy slab above.

This route is not in the 2009 edition of the guide book.

Starts below a low roof with orange rock below the roof.

Climb up pulling the roof, to technical slab climbing above, with holds getting thinner as one finishes around the top of the steep section.

After climbing to anchors, can then extend to share top/second pitch of "La Valse des Temps Modernes" (5.9) -- but the interesting climbing is done by then. About 38m to the top anchors.

Several meters left and up from the start of Arche de Noway, look for a bolt a short way up the cliff in dark rock, and further bolts moving more leftwards than up. Follow the bolts, trending more leftwards (generally on good holds) rather than up (thin steep slab) for the first 7 or so bolts, then up, then curving slightly back to the right at the top.

A great climb, long sustained climbing at 5.6-5.7 grade, with several 5.8-5.8+ cruxes along the way.

Because it climbs above a gully, it can generally be lead, and leader lowered off into the gully safely on a 60m rope. Can also safely rappel from anchors on a 60m rope. (Note: guide says 55m, but it is not that long. 1/2 mark on 70m rope was about at first bolt, when climber finished climb. So, about 40m.)

On the main face, there is a clear crack that goes up to a very clear right angle turn where the right side wall turns into a roof. Follow across this roof, then back right and up bolts to the top.

Climb the obvious set of flakes and cracks.

(Spring 2011 -- this route is completely covered in moss, doesn't look like it has been climbed in ages. Looks like it might still be climbable, though, as the holds look pretty solid.)

No Sympathy and Pop Corn start up the same crack on the face that is towards the trail. Near the top of the crack, Pop Corn branches right towards the anchors for Sonatine (which it shares).

Near the left end of the cliff, look for a pair of nearly parallel right-leaning cracks that ascend the cliff. Climb these, take the right one from about 1/2 way up the cliff to the top.

Start up the crack as per Encore!, step left at the traverse then up the obvious bolt line up the centre of the slab.

Direct finish for Morticia & Gomez -- rather than exiting leftwards.

Climb the groove that starts just right of (route 2) angling up and right. Clip a bolt and pull left, then up the crack to the right. Either anchor, or move left to climb the easy slab and cracks above.

This route is not in the 2009 version of the guide book.

Look up the cliff (about 20m) for the obvious large arching horizontal crack/overlap. This climb starts on a line of bolts that descends from the right side of the crack, climbs up to the crack on bolts, then follows the arching crack leftwards until close to where it starts to descend, then breaks upwards to anchors.

The slab between the cracks which are Pop Corn (to the left) and M&M (to the right).