La Canardière
6C+ – 7C · 4 routes · sandstone · Font
- Approach 11 min — sandy track that narrows into a pine corridor; last 200 m is uneven with roots
- Best season November to March, ideally after a run of dry, cold days. The area holds moisture longer than the Cuvier plateau.
- Published
- Updated
La Canardière is the harder, quieter neighbour of the Cuvier areas: fewer people, rougher landings, and a genuine concentration of 7A to 7C problems built around steep, athletic movement rather than pure friction.
Character of the area
Where Bas Cuvier rewards precision on slabs, Canardière rewards the ability to hold a body tension under a roof. Several of the best problems climb out of horizontal breaks that require a hard toe hook and a fast, committed reach.
The blocs are spread over a wider area than the Cuvier groups, so you will walk between 5 and 15 minutes from one problem to the next. Plan two or three objectives rather than a long circuit.
Landings
This is the main difference from the roadside areas: several problems finish above roots or over a slight drop. Three pads and a spotter are normal here for anything above 7A. The drop behind the north bloc is around 1.5 m and lands on packed sand over tree roots.
When to come
The area faces north-east and dries more slowly than the open plateau. Give it 24 hours after rain, and prioritise the months when the sand is dry and the air is cold. On a good January morning the friction here is as good as anything in the forest.
Routes · 4
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Hold types jam · chimney · smear
Open beta
A narrow sandstone corridor climbed with a knee bar and a foot jam. Bring trousers you do not mind scuffing; the walls are abrasive at the narrowest point.
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Hold types roof · toe-hook · gaston
Open beta
Out of the black roof on a long gaston. Set the right toe hook deep, pull through with the left, and keep your hips low until the lip is at chest height.
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Hold types crimp · arete · sloper
Open beta
Half-moon arete with a hard first move off a small right-hand crimp. Most people need to place the left foot high before reaching, not after.
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Hold types sloper · compression · heel-hook
Open beta
Compression line on two opposing slopers. The heel hook is not optional — without it the final slap is a coin flip. Best conditions make it feel two grades easier.
Crag ethics
Crag ethics
Some of the landings have been reinforced with sand by volunteers. Do not move dead wood from the forest floor onto landings — it is habitat, not padding.
