Grande Jeanne

Crag Summary

There looks to be quite a few crags scattered around the Lake Annecy area, but information was a little tricky to find (and the local guidebook rather old and hard to get a hold of). So we headed to Grande Jeanne on account of the info we could find.

Perhaps it was the summer heat or we were unlucky with the routes we picked but we found the mid-level routes extremely polished. However, family-fun elements made it a great day out… Firstly you walk past deer on the way in, secondly you get to climb down a spindly metal ladder on the approach and finally there is a little section of tiny, easy climbs (aptly named Debutant) which meant the kids got to go up and down ad infinitum. The cherry on top was visiting one of the Lake Annecy beaches afterwards to cool down.

• Style: Single pitch sport
• Parking: 45.88472, 6.13082
• Topo and Approach details: We were able to figure it out from online descriptions and the fact that climbs are labelled with both names and grades. Given the number of local crags on offer, a guidebook would be useful if staying in the area longer. Based on online research there is a print guidebook from 2010 (Les Falaises d’Annecy) but it is hard to get hold of.
• We visited on: Monday, 26th August 2024
• Who else was there: quite a few other climbing parties – even for a weekday

Nearby

Annecy was a wonderful town to explore. The old sector is a maze of little streets, slanting rooves and interesting architecture. The park had lots going on, including live music, bubble buskers and a historic carousel.

The lake itself is beautiful with lots of little beach areas for accessing the water. We ended up at Plage d’Angon which was extremely picturesque, had a fun little stream running through it and a little kiosk.