Surgy

Overview

The cliff of Surgy is on the north part of the Burgundian Cliffs. The first climbers arrived in 1933, from Paris to train on rock climbing before going to the Alps. This site was an alternative to the major and famous cliff called Le Saussois.
In 1961, some important route opening started, and this brought more climbers to Surgy. In 1974 the first guidebook gives 107 routes already.
Finally between 1984 and 1988, another set of routes are opened, as less people were coming. Nowadays it is a rather quiet spot. Good for those who go !

Surgy doesn't have the prestige of Le Saussois, but it definitely provides excellent climbing, with routes up to 40m and a range of difficulty that makes it a great climbing site. It is the closest burgundian spot from Paris.

Getting There

From Paris, take highway A6 towards Lyon for 160 kms.
At exit 19 take road N6 down to Auxerre (5 kms)
In Auxerre follow signs indicating Nevers / Clamecy, this will lead you to road N151.
After 34 kms on road N151, you reach Coulanges-sur-Yonne. There take right on road D39 towards Andryes.
Only 1 km later you turn left in direction of Surgy.
2 kms to reach the village and 1 more for the cliffs.

Red Tape & Essential Gear

You can climb there anytime of the year, but the left part of Grande Falaise may be closed in certain periods to protect bird nesting. Winter months can be really cold and wet.

As far as equipment is concerned, it is worth having both single and double ropes to have more flexibility when choosing the route.
Double ropes would allow you to make 2 or 3 pitches in one time.
Wear a helmet in all cases.

Camping

There are two small camping slots behind the car park. You just need to drive 100m from the car park to reach them.
No drinkable water there, but very nice place. And very close to the cliffs !

If you want a little more comfort, you could head to the local camp site 2 kms away. Call before going as it is not open all year long.
Camping de Clamecy
Pont Picot
58500 CLAMECY
Tel : 03 86 27 05 97

Climbing Routes

The main cliff "La Grande Falaise" (GF in the table below) is 40m high and made of Limestone. A lot of small holes are present on the rock, giving good finger holds.
The quality is usually good, but there can be some little unstability here and there.
The other sectors are lower : between 10 and 30m high.

________Climbing Area________	____Routes____	____Pitches____	____Level____
La Muraillette	43	1	3a to 6C
L'Aiguillette	29	1	4c to 7b
GF Escarmouche	22	1 to 2	4c to 7b
GF Niche Aux Moines	14	1 to 2	5a to 8a+
GF Richelieu	9	1 to 3	4b to 8a
GF Grotte de la Cathédrale	7	1 to 4	5a to 7a
GF Borgne	7	1 to 2	4c to 7c+
GF Donjon	19	1 to 2	5a to 7c+
GF Casquette	16	1 to 2	3c to 8a
GF Toit du David / Martienne	5	1	5c to 8a
GF Feu Follet / Tourelle / Silence	26	1	4c to 7c+
Les Clochetons	34	1	3c to 8c
La Muraille de Chine	37	1	4a to 8c

Book, Map & Weather

The best climbing guidebook is : FFME Surgy

The best map : IGN 2622E - Clamecy

And for weather forecast : Meteo France

Images

View Surgy Image Gallery - 13 Images