I'm going to be in France in June for a family thing so I've decided to go for a month so I can spend a couple of weeks climbing too. I'll be staying in Laon for the family thing which doesn't sound terribly interesting from a climber's perspective so please do let me know if there's anything local to climb while I'm there. I figure I'll head down to Chamonix to hit Mont Blanc. Hopefully my climbing partner will meet me there. What else would you do with 2 weeks? I'm happy leading 5.7 in the alpine... can go a little harder for short stretches but no harder than 5.9 please. I think that's 4 - 6a in European grades.

I'm in the early planning stages so if anyone can point me in the right direction, I'd appreciate it!

Get Ludo to spend some time on the phone with Fred. Fred knows all the options much better than I do, and Ludo will know your plans much better than I will. I'll send you his contact info.

E

In the south of Belgium there's a lot of sportclimbing. That would be approx. two hours drive from Laon. You can find all the info you need here.

Close to Paris, there's also the bouldering mekka of Fontainebleau. That would also be about two hours driving from where you are. Actually a nice place to spend a day or two with family.

There's also good climbing in the Vosges, a mountaineous area close to Strassbourg. But that's a bit further away.

For Mont-Blanc area: a good introduction to possible routes is Gaston Rebuffat's '100 plus belles courses', originally in French but it also exists in English (there's one on my bookshelf). Unfortunately, it's not in print anymore. There's plenty other good guidebooks though.

But, from where you are, you can basically get to most of the Western Alps quite easily. If the weather is bad in Chamonix, there's a good chance it's better in the south of Switzerland or in Italy (e.g. Aosta valley). So when planning, also look into some things in those areas, as a back up plan. Aosta valley has an easy access from Chamonix through the MB tunnel.

I also find this site interesting for inspiration (recent trips gallery).

Cheers,
Koen

Welcome to France... soon
On your way from Laon to Chamonix, I would suggest bouldering in Fontainebleau, rock climbing in Burgundy and a few alpine climbs in Les Ecrins.

Should you want specific information, feel free to let me know.

Forget all these Euro weenies with their sport climbing/bouldering advice, you've got two weeks and you want to see mountains. Head straight to Chamonix and go to the book store on the main street across from Schell's gear shop. They have piles of the Rebuffat 100 Finest Climbs (in English) and a ton of other guidebook. Lindsay Griffin's two vol. Mt. Blanc is probably the standard reference.

The Cham Aiguilles are loaded with outstanding Alpine rock routes, many fairly accessible via the cable car from town. The Papillon Ridge on Ag. du Peigne is an excellent climb (5.6 or so I believe), unfortunately it's also the most crowded Alpine route I've ever been on. Many classics abound on the Ag. du Midi (next stop up on the mountain). The Grepon-Charmoz traverse is worth considering.

Most of the mixed climbs will probably be out of shape, but if you want to try something big, Mt. Blanc Tacul is a good one.

If you get a chance to cross over to the Italian side (easy enough by foot or cable car) the area around the Torino Hut has some real gems. The Dent Geant is super fun (5.9 I think if you free it; much easier if you yard on the fixed gear). The traverse from there to the Grandes Jorasses is an outstanding two day adventure with amazing views.

Cool... thanks for all the advice... off to Amazon to book shop now

I'd totally be up for some sport climbing close by. I'll still do 2 weeks of alpine but I need to spend a week in Laon so I'd be happy to sneak off for a bit of climbing while I'm at it.

Hoping to hit Italy too. This is gonna be great!