After a pair of free climbers inspired the world with their ascent up El Capitan in Yosemite, Simon Alden recalls Malta Climbing Club’s trip to conquer the crags of Verdon.

Choosing a holiday destination can be an arduous task of juggling distance, cost, weather and suitable activities, but for rock climbers, the checklist is simple.

We don’t need much, just steep, solid rock with plenty of bolted routes, decent weather, a place to pitch a tent and easy access.

In search of these, members of the Malta Climbing Club travelled to the south of France, which is conveniently served by both Ryanair and Air Malta.

Both airlines fly into Marseille, which fortunately happens to be very close to the rock-climbing mecca Le Gorges du Verdon, which is in the region known as Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.

This is the deepest gorge in Europe, whose steep, grey limestone walls soar hundreds of metres above the Verdon river.

The climbing was first developed here in the 70s and 80s and Verdon soon became one of the top destination for climbers worldwide. Indeed, over the years there have been countless images published in the international climbing media of celebrity climbers clinging to these crags, posing for the cameras in the most unlikely, exposed and exciting situations.

Yet the gorge is also a nature reserve and area of outstanding natural beauty, which is a sight for eyes made sore by the over-development and chaotic traffic we have to tolerate in Malta.

Our group of six flew to Marseille at the end of September, spending just a couple of hours in the air before rushing to pick up two cars at the airport rental agency.

The GPS helped us navigate out of the city and within a few minutes we were on the open road heading for the mythical gorge, the sound of Freddy Mercury on the stereo, or should I say, iPod.

Our drive took us through acres of lavender fields spreading in every direction.

Unluckily for us, instead of enjoying the sight and perfume of those famous carpets of intense purple, there were just rows of brown shrubs, not yet in bloom. Ah well, you can’t win them all.

After about two hours’ drive and a few Queen albums later, we paused at a panoramic parking place at the gorge entrance.

The view was amazing. Far below, the river emerged from the valley, joining the bright emerald lake called Sainte-Croix-du-Verdon.

Ahead and around us, the limestone walls were massive and intimidating. This was exactly what we wanted!

Ageing coach passengers watched in disbelief as we clung to tiny handholds in the steep cliff walls

Soon we passed through the tiny village of La Palud, the meeting point for climbers in the area with its typical cafes, tiny climbing shop and very convenient mobile pizza kiosk right in the centre.

Our campsite was about a kilometre outside the town and a couple of kilometres away from the edge of the gorge itself. Hundreds of top-quality climbs awaited and we couldn’t wait to get started.

From the first approach to the cliff edge, seeing the vertiginous, 500m drop straight down to the winding river and woods below, to the last climb on the last day, exhausted and happy yet sad to be leaving, we could not have hoped for more.

Every morning we would walk to the town’s supermarket to purchase our breakfast and food to prepare a packed lunch – usually baguettes, what else?

After the day’s efforts, most evenings we would walk up to the little town for a drink at Lou Cafetie, a bar and restaurant where all the climbers hang out. One night I was amazed to meet an English climber I’d last met, totally coincidentally, at a pub in Gozo!

We’d read the publicity material that spoke about climbing “under the watchful eyes of vultures”, but nothing prepared us for the amazing sight of huge griffon vultures with two- to three-metre wingspans.

The first time we saw them from the clifftop we froze in awe as they swooped and soared overhead.

They imperiously examined us as we struggled inch by inch up steep, smooth walls while they hovered effortlessly nearby, eventually wheeling off to gain altitude for better vantage or diving out of sight, reminiscent of Tolkien’s great eagles from The Lord of the Rings.

Most routes we climbed started with a long abseil down from the clifftop into the abyss – so to speak – to reach a ledge perched in the middle of the cliff, from which the climb back out again started.

Every route was spectacular and offered amazing views.

Very often, tourist buses unloaded their ageing passengers at the various panoramic spots at the top of the cliffs.

They watched in disbelief as we clung to tiny pockets and handholds on the steep walls and took countless photos before being herded back into their coach.

Other climbing teams of all nationalities were never far from us on the nearby cliffs. Each team had its own challenges and objectives, such as completing a hard move, a technically demanding section or a strenuous overhang.

Often, teams would have compiled a checklist of climbs or routes they wanted to complete on the trip. Pre-holiday preparation often involves studying guidebooks and magazines closely, checking out the best crags and the best routes known as ‘classics’ that just have to be climbed.

We took loads of photos and Facebook posts taken from the middle of the cliff were common.

The obligatory selfies captured the empty air all around us and gave a hint of the beauty of nature we were experiencing.

We explored many different parts of the gorge, as our guidebook provided details of the routes available in each sector and explained how to get there.

Some climbs took all day to accomplish as they stretched the full height of the gorge, others were shorter and ended in minutes. There was enough rock to last us a lifetime.

There was just one day when it rained, which presented an opportunity to explore a new sector called ‘Hulk’, which was overhanging and therefore protected from the rain.

It was on the other side of the gorge so, laughing nervously, we had to pull ourselves one by one across a single taut rope stretched across the river, suspended just a few metres above the cold rushing waters, with all our climbing equipment on our shoulders. This is known as a Tyrolean traverse.

From there we trekked along muddy river banks in the pouring rain, then along a steep path protected by assorted fixed equipment to which we could clip our harnesses to prevent us slipping back down to the river below.

Wire cables, knotted ropes to pull on and even a long, shaky stepladder helped our progress until eventually we got to the huge Hulk cave.

Outside, the heavens poured. Inside, protected by the overhang, the climbs here were dry so we quickly took out the guidebook to identify the lines up the rock that we could climb.

We were cold, tired and wet but keen to get started.

For non-climbers, it’s important to understand that the climbs or ‘routes’ are shown in the guidebook as lines going up a photo or drawing of the rock face, and each one is given a name and a grade.

In this way, before starting up a route climbers will know what level of difficulty to expect. Most importantly, they will know whether it’s within their competence.

However, the grading system can be very subjective with tall people finding certain routes easier than shorter people as they can reach higher.

Soon our group had split up into climbing pairs and started up some easier routes to warm up.

The rock felt good: dry and solid with interesting hand and footholds. As the day progressed, we climbed progressively harder routes, gradually expending all our energy until the light started to fade and we realised we had to pack up and head back immediately or face the treacherous path and even the Tyrolean traverse in the darkness.

We made it back to the cars just in time.

The days passed quickly and we soon had to pack up for the return journey to Malta.

We decided to strike our tents the evening before our flight was due to depart and spend the last night in Marseille.

It was a bit of an anticlimax. We found a cheap truckers’ motel, checked in and had a great pizza in an amazingly grotty pizza takeaway in a rather unsavoury part of town. All in the spirit of adventure!

It’s worth highlighting that although a mecca for climbers, the Verdon gorge is also a centre for a whole range of outdoor activities such as rafting, canyoning, paragliding, horseback riding, hiking and kayaking.

So if you’re looking for a new active holiday destination, Verdon has plenty to offer.

For more on Malta Climbing Club, visit www.facebook.com/groups/maltaclimbingclub or www.maltaclimbingclub.com.