vanlife In the shadow of Mont Ventoux Climbing and cycling in the French Provence After several visits to the South of France in our trusty van I would like to highlight another gem of the region: Mont Ventoux and its surroundings. Situated northeast of Avignon this 1.909m mountain looms over the whole region and is well
Tips and tricks An Ode to the Opinel knife The tool we most use on any kind of trip is by far the Opinel: A barebones folding knife hailing from the mountain Savoie region in France. Whether preparing food, quick repairs, opening boxes or mindlessly whittling the Opinel just does the job.
Climbing Exploring the famous Calanque de Marseille Of the well known climbing areas of France the Calanque on the mediterranean coast might be the most bucketlistly for intermediate climbers. And why not with the promise of great limestone climbing right above the sea and perfect weather almost year round. However there are a few catches…
Climbing Le Thaurac - Great old school southern France climbing With more than 1.000 tightly packed limestone climbs along the river L´Hérault this area is good for a few days or a longer visit on its own. Add the beautiful landscape, climbing history significance and the French charme and you get the full package.
Climbing Tarn x Jonte: A climbers playground Beautiful landscape, stunning limestone features and routes from single pitch to 200 meters in a very compact area that is easy to reach: The basic data is very promising indeed and our multi day exploration has confirmed these valleys to be worth returning visits indeed.
vanlife Ariège: A somewhat hidden gem in the French Pyrenees Having already spent quite some time in the Spanish Pyrenees and other parts of the French side of this range, our travels brought us into the Ariége valley for about a week in the late summer. What we found was a climbers and cyclist paradise that at least we did not have on top of our list.
Climbing The Southern France Ramble What was planned as a quick drive-by meetup between Martin, Brigitte and I on our respective ways north and south in France turned into a almost weeklong raid through the climbing areas and backroads of Cevennes and Ventoux regions.
Cycling Riding the Cayolle, Champ and Allos passes in the French Alps After focussing on rock climbing in first part of our van tour June 2023 I made sure that the bike did not feel lonely in the second half - and a monster ride over three cols higher than 2.000m was just the thing to challenge bike and rider.
vanlife Exploring the Vallée de Vésubie Like its cousin the Roya valley over the mountains to the east the Valley of the Vesubie river has much to offer to the outdoor orientated visitor. Tons of peaks, curious wildlife and twisty mountain roads provide more than enough to do!
2022 Outdoor sports and other adventures in La Brigue The valley has been hit hard by the storm Alex in 2020 and it still shows. However this means that the area is quiet and the many outdoorsy activities you can do here are not crowded at all. And all of the alpine beauty is still there!
Cycling Riding Cols in the French Alps Cycling up long steep alpine roads might sound like madness for most people - but for some this is what we call a very good time. I had the chance to ride some of the most iconic climbs of the French alps and yes, that part of the world is as stunning as it looks in the Tour de France.
Climbing My first year of climbing While sitting at home due to the Covid-19 mandatory social isolation in Spain I got the chance to look back at my experiences during my first year of rock climbing and I would like to share what I learned, what went well and what could have been better.
Cycling Hunting trails on an aluminum horse Exploring the Oise region of France on a lent MTB Every self-respecting bike nerd will have a vision of riding in France: Mount Ventoux, the Tourmalet or the cobbles of Roubaix will come to mind and going to France and NOT riding would be a travesty. When I set
