All good on the beautiful Cote d'Azur

Weather on the Cote d'Azur is back to normal, in other words dry, sunny and the colours and light are amazing right now. Consequently, the crags are drying out (slowly for the crags with tufas) and the cave dwellers from Art-Bloc and Val de Grimpe have been getting outdoors to play. Yippee, all is good fun and everybody is smiling!

Mesa Verde in the Gorges du Loup and the Gorges du Blavet crags are proving very popular, as they are very quick drying.

Elaine and Scamp at Mesa Verde

Hardin and Kirsty getting ready to warm up in the sun at Mesa Verde

Manu about to warm up on Pas de Bras, Pas de Chocolat belayed by Diane

Axel warms up in trainers! (photo by Elaine)

Marie-Jo wearing great colours on her 7b+ project (photo by Elaine)

Julien wears normal blokes colours on the same 7b+ (photo by Elaine)

Baldy on Projet PHP, 7b+ at Mesa Verde (photo by Hardin Pardede)

A day at Blavet with friends:

Olivier Germain warming up on La Coupe est Pleine, 6b+ (so hard to get good photos at Blavet)

Fred Oddo warming up on a classic 6c

Olivier belaying Fred

Fred starting up Poupoune, 7c+

Sophie sending her first 7a, Los Olvidados, bravo et chapeau!

Fred higher on Poupoune

Local legend Axel Franco sending an 8b, bravo gar!

A much better shot of Felix Coxwell on Poupoune, taken by Alex Zuttre

Finally, I was well chuffed to do Gaia (2nd go) at Montgrony, when we had a quick 4 day visit there during the February holiday. I'd always wanted to do this classic 7c+ after seeing an ace photo in Roc n Wall from 1998. Anant amb croses (7c) was also great fun, though I had to red point it as I blew the on-sight. However, Calabruix (8a/8a+) was too hard and needs another visit, probably during our year out.

The photo from Roc n Wall showing Laurent Triay climbing Gaia at Montgrony