I have been going to the climbing area a little bit during my vacation, but I haven't done much so-called sightseeing. However, it doesn't mean that I dislike so-called sightseeing, it's just that it's low on my priority list 😅 When I went to Arco, Italy 🇮🇹, I spent more days touring Venice, Padova, and Verona than I did climbing days. After walking the 252.4 km Portuguese Way of Santiago de Compostela, we also visited León, Zaragoza, and Barcelona. In the summer of 2022, my original plan changed at the last minute and my itinerary was shortened, so I decided to wander around in cities I had never visited before, but only for a little while! The first stop was Grenoble. I didn't climb the "Fort de La Bastille", the most famous tourist attraction in this city, but I walked around Saint Louis Church, Jardin de Ville, La collégiale Saint-André, plus Jardin Place de Verdun, and so on. Jardin Place de Verdun, etc. 🚶🏼 After Grenoble, I planned to stop in Lyon, but it was too hot and I was tired, so I gave up on the city and went to Dijon. In Dijon, I visited Église Notre-Dame de Dijon, Chouette de Dijon, Église Saint-Michel, Place de la Libération, and Place François Rude. de la Libération and Place de François Rude 🚶🏼 Grenoble is an attractive city for climbers, but I think I prefer Dijon for its cityscape 🙄

In the summer of 2022, the hottest summer since I came to France. I was visiting the Écrins National Park (Le massif des Écrins), one of the 10 national parks in France. The Écrins (Le massif des Écrins), with its glaciers and two peaks over 4,000 meters high, is a large mountain range in the French Alps, located in the Hautes-Alpes and Isère. The Écrins (Le massif des Écrins) is not as popular as Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (Chamonix) and has a more local feel, but there are still many climbing spots. This summer, we decided to climb Aiguille Dibona (3131m) in Haute vallée du Vénéon (Vénéon Valley), a multi-pitch climbing. Where is the Haute vallée du Vénéon? Haute vallée du Vénéon is a 90-minute drive southeast of Grenoble. How do I get to the "Aiguille Dibona (3131m) climbing area"? From the Aiguille Dibona trailhead in the Haute vallée du Vénéon (Vénéon Valley), you climb 1300m to the Refuge Soreiller (2719m), at the foot of Aiguille Dibona (3131m). It takes about 2 hours and 40 minutes to reach the Refuge Soreiller (2719m). Climbing areas are located on the south, west, and east faces of Aiguille Dibona (3131m). This is how Visite Obligatoire (TD 6a+>6a 370m), which we climbed this time, looks like when viewed from Refuge Soreiller. ⛰ Aiguille Dibona (3131m) ✅ Visite Obligatoire Cotations (camptocamp) : TD 6a+>6a Cotations (Topo) : TD 6b>6a+ Altitude : 2719 m / 3131 m Dénivelé des difficultés : 370 m Type de rocher : granit Type de voie : grande voie We stayed at Refuge Soreiller the day before the climb and went up the next morning. The south face of Visite Obligatoire (TD 6a+>6a 370m) is only 5 minutes away from Refuge Soreiller. 4 people acting together : Team 1: 👱🏻‍♂️🇮🇹 And & 🐢🇯🇵 Team 2: 👱🏻‍♂️🇮🇹 Sim & 👱🏻‍♂️🇮🇹 Gio 8:00 Climbing Start (Visite Obligatoire) 16:00 Descent begins Packing at Refuge Soreiller 18:00 Start descent from Refuge Soreiller 20:00 Parking lot Personal impressions of climbing "Visite Obligatoire (TD 6a+>6a 370m)" : It was the morning of the climb. The day started with clear skies around Aiguille Dibona in the Éclat massif, with a thin layer of gas that had been hanging over the area at dawn. We left Refuge Soreiller at around 7:30am. Although we were told that "Visite Obligatoire (TD 6a+>6a 370m)" is a classic and popular route, there was only one group at the start point of "Visite Obligatoire (TD 6a+>6a 370m)" who had already started climbing. At the time we climbed "Visite Obligatoire (TD 6a+>6a 370m)", only two other pairs were climbing. One climbing pair was ahead of us and the other was an Austrian pair who came up very fast and quickly overtook us. In the end, the climbing pair that had been climbing ahead of us was eliminated at L3, so it was just the Austrian pair and us. We were very lucky that we were able to climb at our own pace in the beautiful weather and no stoppage, which we had feared. Across from Aiguille Dibona (3131m), the Vallon des Étages glacier can be seen. The summer of 2022 has been the hottest on record, so maybe this glacier has melted considerably? 🙄 Personally, I was more impressed with the route from (L8, 6a) to the top than the traverse of (L4, 6b/6a) 🙄 All pitches were (6a) grade and not difficult, but they had a great feeling of altitude and were quite fun. We started climbing at 8:00am and reached the summit at 4:00pm. The route was as fun as its reputation! After rappelling down the west face of Aiguille Dibona twice (about 25m/pitch), we descended through an unprotected gulley, probably of 3rd class, securing the route by ourselves. After this climb, it was a normal trail up to Refuge Soreiller. It took about 2 hours from the top to Refuge Soreiller. Climbing Topo OISANS NOUVEAU, OISANS SAUVAGE - Livre Ouest Climbing Equipment ・double rope 50m X 2 ・16 quickdraws ・Slings & carabiners ・Cams (I personally didn't need them, but my climbing friends did) Accommodation & Camping Boulogne 🏔 Refuge Soreiller Located at the foot of Aiguille de la Dibona, Refuge Soreiller (2719m) was built in 1957, then renovated in 1999 and 2014. Basically, reservations are required to stay at HB (dinner & breakfast). However, European mountain huts are different from the Japanese format, so you need to confirm even if you just want to stay overnight. Camping is allowed around the Refuge Soreiller, but you need to check with the Refuge Soreiller about the position of your tent. What I thought was great about this Refuge Soreiller was 1️⃣ Free access to water 2️⃣ You can cook your own meals in the Refuge Soreiller. There are no gas facilities, but you can bring your own burner and cook simple meals in the Refuge Soreiller. I don't know if they are regulars or not, but I was surprised to see campers, probably not guests, bringing canned food to the Refuge Soreiller and having it heated up. 🛏 Bring only simple sheets (sleeping bag) 🚿 Shower facilities are available, but only with water, not hot water 🚾 Toilets are of the type that do not flush with water (they were clean). As for charging cell phones, etc. 🔌 Basically, you cannot charge in the Refuge Soreiller, so a portable battery would be useful. 💶 Note that payment is cash only. ⛺️ Camping municipal de la Berarde (3 star campsite) This campsite (Camping municipal de la Berarde) is convenient if you want to climb Aiguille de la Dibona (3131m) or Tête de la Maye (2518m). It seems to be a popular campsite and reservations are recommended. When we went there, the campsite was full, but we were lucky to be able to stay there because some people had cancelled their reservations. Drinking water 🥛 Basically we used the tap water at the camp site for cooking and drinking. 🔥 I think basically no open fire. But there were sites where you could barbecue. 🚿 Shower has hot water but you can't adjust the temperature 🚾 Toilets, to my surprise, had toilet seats 😂 As expected from a 3 star campground. 💶 Payment can be made by card. 📶 Internet access Wifi at the campsite is available only around Reception. My personal provider (free) had no signal ☹️ but Orange had a signal. As for charging cell phones, there is a power outlet 🔌 in the bathroom next to the toilets that is commonly used in France. I don't know if it's a period thing or not, but about half the people were charging their cell phones directly and the other half were charging their portable batteries, etc. In a very small village within walking distance from the camp site, there is a small store where you can buy baguettes and other items. However, the bread is not baked in this store and is delivered around 8:00 am. You might not expect the taste to be too good. But the socissons at this store are delicious. ✍🏻 Le Vallon des Étages glacier seen from Aiguille de la Dibona, Visite Obligatoire (TD 6a+>6a 370m)

In the summer of 2022, I will be visiting the Écrins National Park (le massif des Écrins), one of the 10 national parks in France. The Écrins massif is a large mountain range in the French Alps located in the Haute-Alpes and Isère, with glaciers and two peaks over 4,000 meters high. The plan is to climb mainly multi-pitch in the popular climbing area Aiguille Dibona and other areas in the Écrins massif (le massif des Écrins). After a heavy thunderstorm the previous evening, the morning turned out to be a beautiful and sunny climbing day. We decided to climb Tête de la Maye (2518m), a relatively easy-to-access route in front of our campsite (Camping municipal de la Berarde). Tête de la Maye (2518m) has about 18 multi-pitch climbs. This time we climbed “Maye Oh Niaise (TD+ 6c>6b)” in the middle of Tête de la Maye (2518m). 2 people acting together : Team : 👱🏻🇮🇹 Andrea & 🐢🇯🇵 9:20 Depart camp site (Camping municipal de la Berarde) 10:00 Start climbing 17:50 Start descent 19:30 Return to campsite (Camping municipal de la Berarde) Climbing equipment during the ascent of "Maye Oh Niaise Ropes : double rope 2 x 50 m 16 quickdraws slings and carabine The crux is the overhang at (L6, 6c), but if you can climb Martinswand's "l'extrême onction (L2, 6b+)" in South Vosges, it is not much of a problem. The next slab pitch (L8, 6a) is quite more interesting than the overhang of (L6, 6c) 😆 The day after climbing "Maye Oh Niaise" at Tête de la Maye, we only climbed L1 (5c+) & L2 (6a) as we planned to climb Refuge Soreiller at the foot of Aiguille Dibona (3131m). You can read more about the climbing topo (OISANS NOUVEAU, OISANS SAUVAGE - Livre Ouest) and the campsite (Camping Boulogne) we used 👉🏻 here.

What's so great about the 9 Euro Ticket? For 9 Euros a month (June, July & August), you can ride all public transportation in Germany, including bus & Tram. ✅ Unlimited travel on U-Bahn (subway), Straßenbahn (tram), Bus (bus), etc. ✅ Unlimited travel on S-Bahn, RB, and RE 2nd class cars. However, DB (IC, EC, ICE) is not available. And it is shocking that this ticket can be purchased not only by those who live in Germany, but also by those who do not live in Germany. To ride the boom 😆 I bought a 9 euro ticket and went to Heidelberg, a city I've always wanted to visit someday. It takes about 2 hours and 30 minutes from Strasbourg 🇫🇷 to Heidelberg 🇩🇪 by local train. By the way, it takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes by express train such as TGV (in case of early travel) or 2 hours and 10 minutes by Flixbus (in case of early travel) to get to Heidelberg. The DB app is a very convenient way to search train schedules for local trains (Regional Transport Only). you can search from Strasbourg to Heidelberg 👉🏻 Strasbourg - Appenweier (Offenburg) - Karlsruhe-Heidelberg. ⚠️ This 9 euro ticket is valid between Kehl (Kehl) and Heidelberg (Heidelberg). Strasbourg to Kehl is extra. The most popular tourist attraction in Heidelberg is Schloss Heidelberg (Heidelberg Castle). Schloss Heidelberg is one of the three most famous castles in Germany and is considered to be the "only one you should see" in Heidelberg 🙄 This time, however, I decided not to go to Schloss Heidelberg, but rather to take the Heidelberg Philosophenweg (Philosopher's Way), which offers a wonderful view of the city and the Schloss Heidelberg. First of all, I greeted a monkey before crossing the Karl Theodor Bridge (Alte Brücke) 🐒 It is said that if you touch the golden mirror in your hand, you will become rich, and many tourists were touching the mirror on the day I visited. Many tourists not only touched the mirror but also put their own head in the monkey's head (like putting on a helmet) and took pictures 🤣 The Heidelberg Philosophenweg (Philosopher's Way) is a steep climb, but it is only a short distance, so you should have no problem if you take a break and climb up. If you climb up to the so-called "photo spot", you can see the whole city of Heidelberg from Heidelberg Castle and its surroundings. The recommended time of day is dusk, but avoid the backlight in the morning if possible. The mountainside where the Heidelberg Philosophenweg (Philosopher's Way) is located is an easy hiking route. A short walk takes you to the Aussichtsturm auf dem Heiligenberg. But the view of the city of Heidelberg was not as good as I had expected. Continuing up the mountain, we reached the Thingstätte Heidelberg (Heidelberg Open-Air Theater), a sightseeing spot not listed in Japanese tourist guidebooks. It does not have the history of the Greek open-air theater, and perhaps because it opened in 1935, it was sparsely populated, but the view was breathtaking. If you have time to spare, "hiking around Heidelberg" can be quite memorable.

It is an unusually hot summer in Strasbourg, France in the year 2022 🇫🇷. The projection mapping “Illuminations de la Cathédrale de Strasbourg 2022” 📽 has begun in the old town, and it seems that tourists have returned to the old town. On this day, Fête Nationale 2022 🇫🇷, there was a fireworks display for the first time in three years. As usual, the fireworks started suddenly and went off for 15 minutes without a pause, but they were very powerful and beautiful. Many of my climbing friends are also going on vacation this week, making it difficult to find climbing partners 😅

Strasbourg, which can be reached from Paris in about two hours by direct train , is located in the Grand Est region on the border with Germany. Strasbourg is located at the intersection of the Rhine River, which connects north and south, and the city's roads, which connect east and west and was known as the "Crossroads of Europe" during the Middle Ages because of its convenient transportation, In the course of European history, Strasbourg has changed nationalities many times due to territorial disputes between France 🆚 Germany. Due to the influence of these conflicts, the city now has its own unique building style and culinary culture that is a fusion of the cultures of both countries. UNESCO World Heritage Strasbourg Heritage List in 1988 and later expanded in 2017 to include the Neustadt area. The Neustadt area was created during the German annexation of Alsace, based on an urban plan. Unlike Strasbourg's old town, Neustadt's wide streets are lined with stately buildings. If you have time, I recommend that you walk around both areas, as the old town scenery of Strasbourg Cathedral and Petite France is quite different from that of Neustadt. The most popular tourist attractions in Strasbourg ✅ Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg The best time to hear the bells of Strasbourg Cathedral and its surroundings is around 10:45am, before Sunday Mass begins. ✅ Petite France ✅ MUSÉE ALSACIEN Surprisingly enjoyable 😁 ✅ Cave Historique des Hospices de Strasbourg If you like wine, the wine cellar is located on the grounds of the "Hôpital civil de Strasbourg" ✍🏻 The apartment where Goethe lived while studying at the University of Strasbourg 36 Rue du Vieux Marché Aux Poissons Strasbourg Goethe studied at the University of Strasbourg from 1770 to 1771. The red walled building with Goethe's portrait indicates that he lived in this building. Seasonal Events Capitale de Noël 🎅🏻🤶🏻🎄 Strasbourg is famous for its Christmas market, which is held from late November for about a month. The Strasbourg Christmas Market dates back to 1750, making it the oldest Christmas market in France. 👉🏻 Strasbourg Christmas Market 2021 Summer Projection Mapping 📽 Illuminations de la Cathédrale de Strasbourg Strasbourg is famous for its Christmas market, but in summer, projection mapping is held at "la Cathédrale de Strasbourg". 👉🏻 Illuminations de la Cathédrale de Strasbourg 2021 Carnaval de Strasbourg 💃🏼🕺🏼 It's still a little cold, but Strasbourg's Carnival heralds the arrival of spring. If you're looking to explore during a season without seasonal events. Take a stroll along the river Ill, which surrounds the old town of Strasbourg. You can buy some food at a boulangerie or pâtisserie and have lunch on one of the benches around the river Ill, looking at the city in a relaxed atmosphere. What to take pictures of in Strasbourg? 🤔 The classic sites are Strasbourg Cathedral (Cathédrale Notre Dame de Strasbourg) and Petite France. In addition, I would like to personally Collège épiscopal Saint-Étienne Place des Tripiers Barrage Vauban are my favorite. My favorite restaurant Les Haras Brasserie 23 Rue des Glacières, 67000 Strasbourg The food is good and the atmosphere is nice, just like a French restaurant. It is a very popular restaurant, and I have had many times when I could not make a reservation. La Binchstub 28 Impasse de l'Écrevisse 67000 Strasbourg La Binchstub is the place to go for tartes flambées in the old town of Strasbourg. You can enjoy many kinds of tarte flambées. Restaurant Au Pont Corbeau I heard that this is the place to go for Alsatian cuisine, but unfortunately I have never been to this restaurant because of bad timing and lack of reservations. The only problem is that they are closed on Saturdays. Winter in Strasbourg During the Christmas market season, I don't mind the leaden skies, but after the new year, January and February, it becomes a world of black and white. When there is snow on the ground, the whole city looks gorgeous and beautiful, but it is difficult to get used to the the gray winter sky. Compared to the year when I first came to France, the number of days with snow seems to be decreasing year by year. According to local people, snowfall has dramatically decreased compared to 20 years ago. Still, it feels like we have midwinter days (maximum temperature is 0 ℃ or less) for about a week. Public toilets around the Old Town of Strasbourg 🚾 Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg, 5 Place du Château, 67000 Strasbourg Place Kléber, 67000 Strasbourg Place du Quartier Blanc, 67000 Strasbourg Parc de l'Étoile, 67000 Strasbourg 4 Quai des Pêcheurs, 67000 Strasbourg etc... Strasbourg long-distance bus station The bus stop for long-distance buses in Strasbourg (buses serving Strasbourg from the suburbs: FlixBus, Euroline, etc.) is Parc de l'Étoile. ⚠️ Bus stop locations can be found on the Flix Bus app The closest "Le Tram" station to Parc de l'Étoile is Étoile Bourse. If you are coming to Strasbourg by TGV from Paris, it is the fifth stop on the A/D "Le Tram" line. 0️⃣ Gare Centrale 🚄 1️⃣ Ancienne Synagogue / Les Halles 2️⃣ Homme de Fer 3️⃣ Langstross/Grand Rue ⛪️ 4️⃣ Porte de l'Hôpital 5️⃣ Étoile Bourse 🚌 🚏 If you are going from Parc de l'Étoile to the old town of Strasbourg, you will not feel inconvenienced because "Le Tram" run frequently unless it is early morning or late at night. ⚠️ The closest train station to Strasbourg Cathedral is 3️⃣ Langstross/Grand Rue. Villages in the outskirts of Strasbourg that can be reached by day trip from Strasbourg Outside of Strasbourg, on the side of the Vosges Mountains, is the Alsace Wine Route (Route des Vins d'Alsace). This wine route is approximately 170 kilometers long. More than 100 villages are scattered along the route, and it is said that there are more than 900 wineries along the route. Among its villages, the most popular are Colmar Riquewihr Ribeauvillé These villages are lovely, with their typical Alsatian colombages of wooden frame houses huddled shoulder to shoulder. Riquewihr, in particular, is one of the most popular villages, known as the "pearl of the vineyards. You can go to these villages by bus or car, have a quick look around, and then return home, but hiking between Riquewihr and Ribeauvillé is highly recommended. It is about 4.8 km long with few ups and downs and can be done in about one hour. Walking along the Alsace Wine Route will bring you close to the vast vineyards on the slopes of the Vosges Mountains, and the atmosphere of the towns you visit, the seasons, and the smell of the wind will make your trip a memorable one. 👉🏻 Alsace Wine Route: Ribeauvillé to Riquewihr 2020

Fête De La Musique, the annual Midsummer's Day open-air music festival, returns to old town Strasbourg for the first time in three years. It's more like a street music festival than an outdoor music festival. There is a main venue, but the atmosphere is one of people playing whatever music they want, wherever they want. Some people play music from the windows and balconies of their rooms. It was nostalgic in a way, but the atmosphere was a little different from previous years. I felt that there were extremely few people playing on the street compared to previous years. Well, I guess it can't be helped. The summer vacation season has finally begun in France 🇫🇷 ✍🏻 The sunrise was at 5:26 a.m. and the sunset was at 9:35 p.m.

The year 2022 feels hotter than in previous years. I wonder if it was 2019? 🙄 It was a very hot summer, but it feels as hot as it did then. The temperature is 35°C 🔥 which is certainly less humid and more comfortable than in Japan, but the sun is still strong and the heat is scorching 🥵 In Bordeaux and the western part of France, temperatures have risen to around 40°C. This is the first time in June that such temperatures have been recorded. Despite such a hot day, We went to climb Rocher du Corbeau, which is one of my favorite crags. I think this is the fourth time since 2021.06.01 that I climbed there. Rocher du Corbeau is a small crag with about 28 routes, but it is a rock that can be enjoyed from 7a to 7c. Les grains de beauté du diable (7b) The route gradually becomes more inclined. The holds are there, so the key is to be able to rest while waving your hands well.

A beautiful day for multi-pitch climbing with clear skies from the morning ☀️ The view of the Alps from the Col du Galibier, a well-known pass in the Tour de France, is very beautiful. This is my first time at Tour Termier. It is good 🌤 Nice atmosphere and nice view, nice route 😍 Where is the Tour Termier? Tour Termier is one of the climbing areas in the Massif des Cerces. It is located east of Grenoble, France, near the Col du Galibier, the famous Tour de France pass. Climbing sites in Tour Termier It is a limestone rocky mountain with an elevation of 3070 meters and appears to have about 10 multi-pitch climbing routes. The climbing season is generally from July to September. Rock Climbing Guidebooks ESCALADE PLAISIR : ALPES DU NORD EDITIONS OLIZANE Ponant neuf Cotations TD 6a+>5c+ (Topo) OU 6a+>6a (Camp to camp) Type de rocher : calcaire Altitude 2514 m / 3070 m Dénivelé des difficultés 270 m 👱🏻‍♂️ L1+L2: 4b+5c 👱🏻‍♂️ L3:5c+ 👱🏻‍♂️ L4:4c 👱🏻‍♂️ L5:6a 🐢 L6:5c+ 🐢 L7:6a 🐢 L8:5b+ 🐢 L9:5b+ 🐢 L10:6a+ 👱🏻‍♂️ L11:6a Climbing Equipment ・double rope 50m X 2 ・16 quickdraws ・sling Personal Comments: The view on the Col du Galibier from the climbing route is excellent. Personally, the crux was maybe L5, limestone slabs 🙄 It is important to find a good hold for L8 and L9. L10 is technical. I don't think L11 is difficult if you know where your feet are. The pillar of L11 is beautiful. Well equipped. Access to the Climbing Area Approach: 1 hour If you are coming from "Le Lautaret", you can park at the bend 600m before the Galibier tunnel. It takes about 1 hour to reach the "Tour Termier" climbing area from the parking lot. It is a little bit steep, but it is not difficult to get lost. Descent: 2 hours On the day we went up, there was still a lot of snow near the top that had not melted. Micro-Brasserie "La Gwape" 🍺 La Taverne - 73450 VALMEINIER 1500 After the climb, we had a debriefing at the Micro-Brasserie "La Gwape" run by my climbing partner's daughter and her husband 🍺 A very good time spent at "La Gwape". The beers are excellent. Chicken stewed in tomato sauce (Seasoning is Japanese style) This was the first time I made chicken stewed with tomatoes on the Climbing Trips. To my surprise, they were out of chicken thighs, so I decided to make it with chicken breasts. I stewed it thinking the seasoning would be perfect, but it turned out to taste light. Well, this is fine 🤔 ✍🏻 Col du Galibier seen from the Tour Termier

It was a beautiful day for climbing with not a cloud in the sky from the morning. A climbing friend invited me to go climbing at Pontamafrey, a local climbing area in Savoie, France 🇫🇷 This is my second time to climb in Pontamafrey after last year (2021). I never thought that I would be back to climb in Pontamafrey. Climbing area in Pontamafrey It is a small climbing area, but there are about 10 multi-pitch climbing routes about 200m. There seems to be more than 100 single-pitch routes as well. There is a parking lot right in front of the climbing area, and it takes less than 5 minutes to get to the climbing area. This proximity to the approach was very attractive. I would say that Pontamafrey is an area for beginner to intermediate climbers. If I had to guess, I would say it's like the South Face of Joyama in Izu, Shizuoka, Japan 🇯🇵 Pontamafrey Droite Les Professionnels Cotations : TD 6b+>6b (Camp to Camp) Dénivelé des difficultés : 180 m Type de rocher : gneiss 👱🏻‍♂️ L1:6a, 👱🏻‍♂️ L2:6a+, 🐢 L3:6a, 🐢 L4:6b+, 🐢 L5:6a+, 👱🏻‍♂️ L6:6a Climbing Equipment double rope 50m X 2 16 quickdraws Personal Comments: It is a bit short for a multi-pitch route, but all pitches are of good quality and enjoyable. L4 has a powerful vertical wall along the narrow inside corner after takeoff, but I think a grade of (6b+) is appropriate. The inside corner of L5 is not a problem if you are calm and look for holds. Last year, when I climbed Pontamafrey for the first time (2021.11), the whole route was in the shade by 3 pm, the temperature dropped dramatically, and the wind was blowing, so it was cold 🥶 but this time (2022.6), the weather was clear and sunny without clouds ☀️ so the climbing route was hot and sunny 🥵 ✍🏻 From Pontamafrey "Les Lépreux (TD- 6a+>5c) ", you can see this view 😄

It is the last weekend of May 2022. The last Sunday in May is Mother's Day in France 💐 Mother's Day in Japan is the first weekend, but in France it is the last weekend. Mother's Day is different in each country. I did not know this until I came to France 😅 May 2022 was unusually hot, with many days with high temperatures exceeding 30°C, but during the past week or so, temperatures have calmed down and even the highest temperatures have dropped to about 25°C, making it more comfortable. On such a weekend, I went to climb Martinswand, which I have been visiting once a year since 2019. Martinswand is a historic climbing area in Alsace, France that has been climbed since the 1960s. The bolts are well maintained and it is still one of the most popular climbing areas in Alsace. On this day, the most popular routes were always being climbed by someone, and the area was crowded with climbers. For those who live in Strasbourg, it is a multi-pitch climbing area, but there are also a good number of long single pitch routes for beginners 🙄 Digitale grise 👱🏻‍♀️ L1 : 6a+ 🐢 L2 : 6a+ 👱🏻‍♀️ L3 : la mulhousienne (6a)? warming-up. One of Martinswand's signature routes. I think L1 is a little more difficult than L2, and route finding is more important. L3 should be connected with L2, right?🙄 Combination (Max 6b+) 👱🏻‍♀️ L1 : l’abbé Denis (5c+) *a mi-chemin, 🐢 L2 : “à quand la relève ?” (6b+), 🐢 L3 : l’extrême onction (6b+) I think the hang over L3 (6b+) is not a problem as long as you know the holds. My personal crux is L2 (6b+). I think it's partly because it's the first granite slab I've climbed in a while, but it's just too scary 😨 I had no idea how to put the moves together 😂 I was reminded that granite slabs are a real thrill that can only be experienced when climbing outside the rock 🤣 l’allemande 👱🏻‍♀️ L1 : 6a+, 👱🏻‍♀️ L2 : 6a+ Last year 2021, I led two pitches, but this time I followed both pitches at the request of my partner. It is a very popular route and a lot of fun! Martinswand is a complex interplay of climbing routes. Combinations are possible even if you don't intend them to be. I have some complaints about that, but I can confirm that this is an area where you can easily experience multi-pitch climbing on granite. That concludes today's climbing 🤣

In the Northern Vosges (Vosges du Nord), where I usually go climbing, most areas are sandstone, but in the Southern Vosges (Vosges du Sud), where I sometimes go climbing, the "Martinswand" climbing area is granite. In particular, the Southern Vosges (Vosges du Sud) have diverse soils (sandstone, granite, limestone, etc.). Thanks to these diverse soils, more than 90% of the wines produced in the Alsace region are white wines, and despite being mainly "mono-cépage" (wines made from a single grape variety), they offer a great variety and personality unique to Alsace wines. The Alsace wines are made from the seven main grape varieties, Pinot Blanc, Sylvaner, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Muscat, and Pinot Noir for red wines, and are very distinctive. For the holiday (Ascension), I went to Carrière de Bergholtz, a climbing area in the Southern Vosges Mountains (Vosges du Sud), for the first time in many years, with a group of members who used to go rock climbing. It was the first time for me personally to go to this climbing area. Carrière de Bergholtz is a reddish-brown sandstone climbing area in the forest, similar in atmosphere to the climbing areas in the "Vosges du Nord", where I usually go climbing. The number of climbing routes is about 80, a little smaller than Le Kronthal, where I usually go climbing. I guess you can enjoy climbing from 6a to 7b grade? The climbing area is a vertical wall, so I felt that there would be a difference in preference depending on the climbing style. Quelques minutes de plaisir (6a) FL Rantanplan (6a+) mOS Bingo (7b) lead-TO I tried four times but could not compleat it. This was my first time climbing in this area, and it had been a long time since I had rock climbing with the members gathered here, so it was a fresh and fun climbing experience. Thank you very much for the invitation.