Un triplé légendaire: Le sud, le soleil, la plage, les palmiers (6c+) at Aguilles Dorées
On our third day of climbing after great days in Face au large (7a) & Et je suis le vent (6c) we were eager to get on Le sud, le soleil, la plage, les palmiers which scales the prominent capucin des dorées. So much in advance - the route is not an easy day on the beach as the name might suggest! Interestingly, it was established in the same year and the same people as Face au large but we found it quite a tad more challenging. However, aspirants will be rewarded with an indeed exceptional series of cracks just like the guidebook promises! We reached the base at 8:00 not quite reached by the sun yet. The actual starting point will very much depend on the height of the snow cover. For us, it was very low and yet it took a bit of effort to negotiate a few meters in steep and hard snow in approach shoes. We chose the left starting variant, because it allows to get everything ready on a big rock ledge. The right variant seemed nice, too, but probably requires a series of big cams.
