Site d'escalade - Roche de Solutré

The first climbs on the Roche de Solutré probably date back more than 30,000 years! Solutré is world-famous as a hunting ground for Palaeolithic man, and it is quite likely that our ancestors climbed the weak areas of the cliff as part of their hunting expeditions.

Since the 1950s, people have been visiting these rocks for very different reasons. No longer hungry to capture game and wild horses, but for the pleasure of climbing, using only their muscles and agility, the many routes carved out of this small limestone bar. The climbing is often quite steep, even in the easy sections. Because of the regular presence of strata, it is never continuous. Some of the routes have a patina, but that's nothing to worry about when you've climbed at Le Saussois and other "historic" crags in France and Burgundy. Solutré's popularity suffers somewhat from the attraction of Vergisson, its neighbour opposite, which offers more routes and greater heights. But this beautiful bow in the air, from the top of which you can admire the Saône valley, the vineyards and boccage of the Mâconnais mountains and, to the south, the Beaujolais hills, is well worth a visit for the casual climber. Local climbers, meanwhile, will find this an opportunity to broaden their playing field and take on new challenges. Finally, it's worth noting that the cliff faces in the opposite direction to Vergisson; you'll be climbing in the sun in the morning and in the shade in the afternoon. The rock is not perfect everywhere: it is advisable to move the belayer away from the line of ascent and to wear a helmet.