Buoux Face Ouest reopens to climbing

After all the bad news about crag closures and access problems that perpetuate our vertical world, finally some surprising access news: the beautiful Face Ouest at Buoux is officially open to climbing once again!

This fabulous section at the left-hand end of Buoux was closed to climbing in the early '80's due to a series of access problems with the village land owners, effectively banning timeless classic testpieces such as Le nuit de lézard and Les mains sales.

The fact the climbing is possible here once again is an truly outstanding result which has come about thanks to the incessant work of the local climbers and local climbing association Escala'Buoux and also, let's not forget, all those climbers who respected the ban over the last quarter of a century.

As with all crags, it goes without saying that this fantastic new agreement reached with the landowners is tenuous and to continue enjoying this privilege, all climbers are asked therefore to treat the area with the utmost respect.

If you've never been to Buoux, consider the invitation of the Escala'Buoux which has organised a meeting from 13 - 16 May 2010. The full program is on the website, but the fact the Face Ouest will soon be climbable and that Antoine Le Menestrel will be there should surely suffice!