Routes as sport in Montagne d'Argent

Even thinner.

Rarely climbed, and usually in need of a rebrushing.

The thinnest line at the Fou crag.

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

Climb the face left of the obvious crack to a belay on the ledge. Then move right and up to the arete and continue up the arete, staying on the left side of the arete, finish on the right when no more bolts.

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

Start on the ledge at the base of "Bobette Man" and follow the line of bolts leaning to the right.

At the left end of the cliff, look for a line of bolts up fairly smooth looking face, with a horizontal crack about 3m up.

Climb up the bolt line up the arete.

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

Long stick clip or clip first bolt by climbing 5.5 in the right facing corner, transfer to slab, pass the horizontal crack and continue in the blank face directly to rap rings.

This climb is at the left end of the cliff -- the left-most cleaned section of the cliff.

Start by scrambling up onto the obvious large ledge, then up the bolt line that starts leftwards before curving back to the right, to a two-bolt anchor.

The first pitch of Maudit Fou is often climbed as an independent climb.

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.

This route is the left-most route on the second face.

Just right of the bolts for L'Arche de Colombe, this set of bolts goes up the mostly smooth looking slab. Rappel anchors part way up, and many people treat this as either a 2-pitch climb, or just climb to the rappel anchors and finish there.

Rated 5.9 in the MdA guide but is consistent with 5.10b climbs here. Currently a bit dirty in the easy bottom part of the route. Really good tricky movement on thin holds above.

Starts just left of the crack "Beaujolais Nouveau" and follows the bolt line to the obvious crack. The second to last bolt is often pretty loose because of people falling on it.

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.

May no longer be climbable -- boulder that held anchors is lieing at the bottom of the cliff, and I think as of 2012 one or two bolts are, also, missing hangars.

The distance between the first and second bolt is greater than the distance between the ground and first bolt. There is a high likelihood of a ground fall if you fall near the second bolt. You will not walk away from such a fall.

The lower three bolts in the MdA guide book don't exist on the climb. Look for a high first bolt on a slabby bulge a few meters left of Controverse.

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.

The first pitch of Lollypops is often climbed as an independent climb.

At the top end of the fou, look for the flake bolted to the wall.

Bolt line about 4m right of Arche de Norway, curves to the right around a flake, then curves back leftwards to bolts.

Right most of the main wall, start at the bottom of the pyramid with 4 bolts then restart in the vertical crack filled with black cubic crystals that extends into a slab where you stay left of the bolts because right is to easy. Athletic, nice ambiance.

Bolted line about 10 m right of La Gardienne. Climb the face to the thin upward-right travelling crack. Balancy slab finish to the top (2 bolts for anchor)

Climb thin slab to the right side of the roof, traverse a bit, pull the roof, then traverse left above the roof, before heading up again to the anchors.

If hard moves on opening slab are avoided, probably goes around 5.9+; not sure how hard opening slab is if climbed on the bolt line.

This climb is above the lower (right) end of the main Grand Canyon wall.

From the bottom of the canyon, hike along the small trail rightwards, until it doubles-back (with fixed rope) up some 3rd class slab, as you would if you were going to set top-ropes for the main Grand Canyon walls. As you finish the roped slab, and come out near the top of the first climbs, look right (down into canyon is left) and you will see a bolted anchor, and bolts heading up from there. This is where the climb starts.

1. 5.8 (32m) Thin slab past the first couple bolts, then straight-forward climbing to an anchor on a ledge.

2. 5.8+ (25m) Traverse left along the edge to an obvious right facing corner/crack, up this over a small roof, as the crack widens to off-width to anchors up top.

Enjoy the view.

Descent: rappel the route, but if rappelling on a 60m rope, use the anchors directly below the crack of the 2nd pitch, rather then the anchors used during the ascent (climber's right of the crack/corner). Else, you may run out of rope getting to the base.

While listed in the guide as "mixte" (mixed, suggesting that gear is needed in some parts, but bolts are used in others), this really climbs as a sport climb. There is no point on the lead where you need to place gear.

Head up on vertical rock for the first bolts, then onto an upward-right slanting ramp. After leaving the ramp the climb finishes on slab.

The bolt line to the left of the obvious block of rock coming out of the wall.

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

Climb the series of flakes up the bolt line that is to the left of the obvious shallow dihedral up the center of the wall.

First set of bolts, just to the left the boulder pile with the projecting finger, and to the right of the huge, right-pointing flake/crack that is "Boris".

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+.

3 pitches with ledges along the way.

Pitch 2 is very short, and the obvious line continues up and left to Krakatoa. For the actual 3rd pitch of Le centenaire, turn right along the ledge just below the final face and traverse past some trees to another bolted anchor.

Bolts: 6, 3, 8.

Starts as per Long Life, then branches right after the first bolt.

Climbs up the center line of bolts up the slab just off the main ledge -- starting with a small indented dish, and staying on or slight left of the 3rd bolt for full value. After the third bolt, go straight back, clipping the bolt slight right (and ignoring the stray bolt to the left -- it is on no climb). A nice couple of friction moves near the bolt, then an easy walk to the anchors in the head wall..

A lovely close-bolted climb that is tough at its grade. From the main ledge, climb the left side of the slab, then angle left-wards, up the face to a ledge on the right, up onto another ledge to its left, then up to the 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.)

Newly bolted slab, at the right end of the new climbs area, just left of l'Arche de Noway. Climb zig-zags up the slab to anchors.

Start in the back of the big cedar ledge, funky moves will get you there & climb to the top. Good warm up . All sport

This former trad route is now bolted. Leftmost bolt line on the large slab at the right end of this little cliff. Starts up some blocky ledges to join a zig-zag crack, finishing with a hand-to-fist crack straight up at the top to find 2 bolts for an achor.

An even steeper slab start than the climb to the left, and more sustained at the grade, eases off after the 4th bolt.

The bolted route a couple meters right of the flake.

A steeper slabby start to easier, but pleasant, climbing above.

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

Starts just right of "(slab and roof)", but keeps right of the roof before angling left on interestingly featured rock.

Starts about 4m right of (groove and crack), but ends up nearly meeting it just below the anchor.

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

Climb the bolted face right of the blocky corner through some thin slab to the shared anchor. Or continue on to the higher anchor (2 more bolts) for some more lovely friction climbing. 9 bolts / 25m for longer variant.

Obvious bolted line between the two cracks of Beaujolais Nouveau and Chute LIbre.

Look for a stepped rock heading up with bolts on the face. Climb the steps to the top. Anchor on tree(s). (A couple trees hanging over the top edge have slings on them -- but they looked pretty tatty when I climbed it late August 2011. I chose to anchor on trees back from the edge.)

(Book [2009] says 6 bolts, but diagram only shows 4, and I think I only saw 4 on the cliff in summer 2011.)

edit - 8-27-2012 - 98 percent of routes at La Paroie du Lac are natural anchors (ropegunner)

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.

Next bolt line to the right of the mixed route.

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

Starts behind a pair of trees, and ends just below a tree as well. Climb the bolt line over some thin holds for the grade.

Start as per Encore!, but after traverse continue left and up a line of bolts.

(spring 2011 -- this route is in the guide book, but doesn't appear to exist. Where it is diagrammed is covered in moss with no signs of bolts nor or the scrubbing that would likely have been done for the first ascent in 2007.)

A nice introduction to friction climbing, though sparsely bolted. Follow the right-most set of bolts from the main Controverse ledge.

The 2nd bolt as indicated in the MdA guidebook now exists.