Verdon - best routes for a single 70m rope?

Hi! Heading to the Verdon Gorge next week and trying to travel light - hoping to get away with a single 70m rope. Any recommendations on routes that don't require double ropes? Looking for single or multipitch, in the easy-to-mid 6 range. Thanks!!

I was there a few weeks ago and we used 60m twins to rappel into most things, but we did climb in one area that has a hike in (with a fair bit of easy, but exposed downclimbing). See link below. 
https://www.mountainproject.com/area/112893610/falaise-de-belvedere-des-malines 

I was there a couple months ago with a single 70... and it really limits you.  Here are two good long ones you can walk down to the start and use a single rope though.  While the single pitch ones are fine, make sure you do at least one long one for the full Verdon experience!

Voie des Dalles
Arete du belvedere

You cannot miss the most famous ultra classic 6a in Verdon - La Demande. It's a walk-in approach. Depending on how comfortable you are in that grade (my memory tells me it's a bit sandbagged too; FA was in the 60s), a small supplementary rack might make it more enjoyable. 

and there are plenty of other routes with walk-in approach, more so on the other side of the gorge from La Palud, aka "Rive Gauche." You get more shade on that side too! 

Pick up a Beal escaper

Fan Yang wrote: You cannot miss the most famous ultra classic 6a in Verdon - La Demande. It's a walk-in approach. Depending on how comfortable you are in that grade (my memory tells me it's a bit sandbagged too; FA was in the 60s), a small supplementary rack might make it more enjoyable. 

I believe that La Demande has mandatory 40m+ rappels to get in.  You also may need a small rack for this one.  On the other hand, Dalles Grises is super mellow, super well protected, and can easily be done with a single 70.  Also not to be missed is Wide is Love, 6a, which although single pitch, is just spectacular. La Bouchet on the opposite side of the Gorge, gets shade all day, is a walk in, and has tons of single pitch routes up to 40m.

the schmuck wrote: Fan Yang wrote: You cannot miss the most famous ultra classic 6a in Verdon - La Demande. It's a walk-in approach. Depending on how comfortable you are in that grade (my memory tells me it's a bit sandbagged too; FA was in the 60s), a small supplementary rack might make it more enjoyable. 

I believe that La Demande has mandatory 40m+ rappels to get in.  You also may need a small rack for this one.  On the other hand, Dalles Grises is super mellow, super well protected, and can easily be done with a single 70.  Also not to be missed is Wide is Love, 6a, which although single pitch, is just spectacular. La Bouchet on the opposite side of the Gorge, gets shade all day, is a walk in, and has tons of single pitch routes up to 40m.

It's a 30 min walk-in approach. You may choose to rap in but the walk is very nice and goes through an old tunnel :) yes a small rack would be wise if 6a-b is your comfort level. Enjoy! 

Fan Yang wrote:

It's a 30 min walk-in approach. You may choose to rap in but the walk is very nice and goes through an old tunnel :) yes a small rack would be wise if 6a-b is your comfort level. Enjoy! 

I did not know this, and it is good to know.  I'd like to go back one day, and hate dealing with 2 ropes.

La Demande is definitely a walk-in approach--and bringing a headlamp for the tunnels (and maybe for the top if you move slowly) is worthwhile. From the top you have to hitch (usually easy) back to your car at the start of the approach walk. I think a rappel approach for that route would be quite unpleasant, especially if it went down the line of the route--which largely consists of a chimney system with plenty of opportunities to snag the ropes. A single 70 or even a 60 is fine for climbing the route, as none of the pitches are too long, the problem would be retreating if caught en-route by a thunderstorm--not uncommon in the Gorge during the summer (and they can be fierce).

As said above, you can do the Dalles Grises rappels with a single rope to the Terrace and do one of a number of worthwhile routes back up from there. The Verdon is definitely an awesome place.

Julia, just go to The Green Parrot in La Palud and buy yourself a 8mm dynamic rope and use it as a tag line.   They have a website, have them set one aside.    Or, as someone said, twin ropes are best.

You really want two ropes just in case, for whatever reason, you can't top-out in a day.  At least you'll be able to rap down to the trail and walk out (and a LOT of parties end up down there).   Unless they've installed lights, a headlamp for the tunnel isn't "worthwhile", it's F-ing mandatory.    

You will need a rack if you do La Demande and a liking for chimneys and a bit of groveling.   Alternatively, there's a nice 6b, 8 pitch route that's all "closely bolted"  (no rack needed) where you rap over near Dalles Gris, and do (if I remember correctly) the first 5 pitches of Pour une poignée de gros lard (One for the Fat People) and connect to Coeur de Verre (Heart of Glass) to avoid the 6c pitch.  Very nice climbing.

Thanks so much guys!!

Dear all, I realize that this thread is old, but wanted to ask if anyone else has (since) tried using a 70m rope + tagline for rappelling and climbing at Verdon, and what their experiences were? I'm trying to choose between 2x50m, or 1x70m + 70m tagline!

It depends on the style of routes you'll be climbing, how good you are, how much 'stuff' you like to carry on multipitch routes, how much you value not climbing with a pack, how familiar you are with handling double ropes, whether you feel more comfortable with a grigri than a tube, and probably other reasons too...

Last visit we took 2 x 50ms which were fine for classical routes (~3-8 pitch, slabby or vertical, <7a) which we were onsighting fairly quickly. The wandering nature of a couple of routes made double rope technique a small advantage. On La demande the follower carried a pack which was a pain in the chimneys but hauling would have been a pain too. 

If I am trying steeper routes I expect to be red-pointing, I take a single and tag so I can belay with a grigri and haul a light pack with water, belay jacket, spare shoes etc. 

Two 8mm x 50m are about the same weight as one 9.5mm x 70m, so a single plus tag will probably be heavier unless both are skinny or short.

The extra length of a 70m is not helpful for abseiling as anchors are usually 35-45m apart. The trees and ledges make skipping anchors generally unwise. 70m single and tag will be fine but seem a bit more prone to tangles and hang-ups in my experience. Occasionally there are abseil pistes that work with a single 70m but these are the not the norm.