Lodévois/Larzac has a new climbing site

The blocks of stone are scattered in the forest. Cyprien Delobette

Le club “Mégalithe”, venu de Béziers, a gravi les imposants rochers. Cyprien Delobette

Elected Fadelha Benammar-Koly in discussion with young climbers. Cyprien Delobette

La finale de la compétition a eu lieu sur une structure montée pour l'occasion. Cyprien Delobette

"Le rocher des fées" a été inauguré ce samedi au hameau des Salces, à Saint-Privat.

Each area highlights its natural characteristics: while it is quite difficult to surf in Lodévois, you can, however, really blossom by climbing! The rugged terrain of the foothills of the Larzac plateau is ideal for this growing discipline. The community of communes has understood this well, and has just inaugurated this Saturday, October 5, a third climbing site – after that of Soumont and the Labeil cliff – called “the fairy rock”. It is located in the hamlet of Salces, in the commune of Saint-Privat. The day began with a small ceremony, followed by a climbing competition.

President Jean-Luc Requi cut the ribbon for the inauguration. Cyprien Delobette

A chaos of stones

This inauguration is the final point of a project led by several communities as well as the Parci-Parla association, which is committed to developing outdoor activities in Lodévois. All these stakeholders contributed to the development of this chaos of stone, composed of sandstone blocks several meters high, and used for decades without authorization by amateurs. This situation is now over, as the first deputy of the commune Philippe Berlendis emphasized: “Everything is done to respect the rights of the owners, who are relieved of all responsibilities. The site will also be regularly cleaned and maintained."

An affordable site

The president of the intercommunality, Jean-Luc Requi, accompanied by his vice-president in charge of tourism Fadelha Benammar-Koly, recalled his pride in inaugurating these places. But what are the particularities of the "fairy rock" ? : "It is a boulder site, like in Soumont, explains Maxime Chambon, employee of the Parci-Parla association. It is of a more accessible level, which makes it more affordable for families or beginners.” Rock climbing newbies are unaware that this sport has several different disciplines. In the case of bouldering, there are no ropes for athletes but mattresses and volunteers positioned at the bottom of the rocks to catch the climber!