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Climbing trip Europe

Original Post
Johannes Schroth · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2014 · Points: 0

Hey guys,
My name is johannes and I graduate from high school next year in May. I will be taking a gap year mainly to travel around Europe by van in order to climb a lot. I currently climb around sport 7b and am interested in mainly sport climbing/multi pitch but also looking to get into some alpine climbing. As I am looking to make the most of my time, I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions on which areas/crags are a must visit during this trip?

Adam Shanti · · Bristol, United Kingdom · Joined May 2014 · Points: 0

Hey Johannes,
just a few places which come to my mind:

Spain -> Siurana, Margalef
France -> Ardeche, Verdon (multipitch)
Austria -> Zillertal, Wilder Kaiser (multipitch)
Italy -> Dolomites, Lago di Garda
Czech republic -> Labske piskovce

I have mentioned only the places I have been to (apart from Wilder Kaiser), however most of the countries I have mentioned offer plenty of other world class climbing crags...

Year of climbing? wish you all the best... I am pretty sure it will be ride of your life:)

adam

Febs · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2008 · Points: 5

Also:

France -> Ailefroide (granite, long routes, bolted. Could be pretty cold in May though).



Italy -> Grignetta (limestone, long routes, somewhat bolted)


In Ailefroide there's a nice camping site at the very base of the routes, there are also some campings not far from the routes in Grignetta (you could hike to the routes in some hours or just drive there) e and on the very Como lake.
steve edwards · · SLC, UT · Joined May 2004 · Points: 645

Sounds like the greatest trip ever. Reckon you'll bump that grade a bit by the end. I would not over plan. You'll meet people and be inspired by places you can't predict. Spain, for sure, is insane. So is most of southern France and a lot of Italy. Slovenia has some of the best crags in the world. Croatia is amazing, as is Greece and SIcily. In norther Spain, on the Costa Verde, is the Picos de Europa and you'll want to, at least, check out this area at some point. The Swiss/French Alps and the Dolomites are also must see. As is Font. All of these places are relatively close, so with a year you can see of of it and a lot more.

I've always been a fan of off-the-radar climbing. Not that it's obscure, but I've had some of my best climbing moments in the Frankenjura and the Peak District of England. The Midi Pyrenees, near Toulouse, has some fantastic "second tier" climbing in France. San Vito, Sicily, is mega but there's also great climbing on the other side of the island, near Syracusa and Taormina. Roll with it and don't be put off by a place because you haven't heard of it. Often times those places are the best.

Johannes Schroth · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2014 · Points: 0

Hey guys,

thank you so much for your replies! Yes Adam haha it should be a great trip with a lot of fun. Thanks Febs, I will definitely be visiting france. Steve, I really hope I'll bump my grade up haha! But you're right, I'll just go with the flow, thanks for your advice. I have two more questions. Do you guys think I should stay in Europe for the year? Or travel to the US if I have the money? And also, as I wont have a lot of money to get around, do you guys have any tips on how to still have fun without spending a lot of money? And do you have any ideas for jobs that I could do for like a month incase I need some more money?

Thanks in advance for any replies,

Johannes

JPVallone · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Aug 2004 · Points: 195

Hey Johannes,

I thought you only had two more questions. I counted 4?

anyway, I live in France, an Expat from Colorado and I am here for good. Life is much better on this side of pond for me. The only thing I really miss about Colorado is the climbing and especially RMNP.

I can answer one of your questions. I would not count on finding work in Europe, It's quite tough without paper work or visas or whatever License the French require for every little skill. It took me awhile but I have all my papers, visas, and licenses to live and work here and even though it was a bunch of effort and work, it was worth it. So many benefits living here, better work and pay, and world class mountains that I didn't have the same access and freedom on when I lived in the states.

That's not to frighten you from exploring the states for climbing though, That is honestly the only thing I really miss in America.

If you find work, it most likely will be on a secluded farm or something where you meet someone that can use some manual labor for a few days. Maybe on a vinyard if you meet the right people or something, but I wouldn't rely on working in the black. It's quite difficult to find a job without papers.

Good luck and enjoy the adventure.

Aaron Moses · · Richmond, Va · Joined Aug 2009 · Points: 830

Johnannes,

I'm planning to visit SW Europe from late May until maybe the end of June. My main objective is to sample a bunch of classic steep enduro limestone routes, but I'm also going to try to plan some caving and maybe some canyoning. After some research, I've picked out Rodellar and Ceuse as the main areas I want to spend time at for the steep classic lines and good summer conditions. I also wouldn't mind spending a couple days doing some long routes at Verdon.

It looks like we climb at a similar level, so if you'd like to climb together, let's keep in touch. If plans work out such that I could catch some rides with you and store valuables in your van, I could help you out with your vehicle expenses.

Aaron

kenr · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 16,608
Johannes Schroth wrote:Do you guys think I should stay in Europe for the year?
I don't know your citizenship, but my understanding is that USA citizens would need a special visa (and some careful travel planning) in order to stay in Europe for even half the days of a year.
At least that's my understanding of the Schengen treaty rules for USA citizens.
I think most European countries follow the Schengen visa rules.

Even staying more than 90 days gets tricky.

I heard that back in the old days some US citizens would evade the Schengen rules by flying in and out of Switzerland. But now Switzerland has joined the Schengen group, so I assume they check for compliance in the same way as other European countries.

If there's some good legal way around the Schengen 90-day restrictions on normal tourist visits by USA citizens, I'd be glad to hear about it.

Ken
Johannes Schroth · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2014 · Points: 0

Aaron, I sent you a PM.

Ken, I am from Germany, so EU passport. The visas shouldn't be a problem :)

Aaron Moses · · Richmond, Va · Joined Aug 2009 · Points: 830

Johannes, I responded to your PM, so let me know if you didn't get it.

Johannes Schroth · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2014 · Points: 0

I didn't receive it unfortunately.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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