It is a spot described as “unique in its kind”, located in the city center, in a department (Loire-Atlantique) yet known to be the flattest in France … In Nantes, an astonishing climbing site is a success growing since the opening of a total of sixty routes, of all levels, this summer. In the Miséry quarry and in the Aubin square, just next door, the imposing granite cliffs of the Sillon de Bretagne have in fact been gradually fitted out so that climbers who wish to do so, many in the evening but also on weekends, can enjoy themselves. measure there.
“We are done, smile Pierre and Dominique, who remove their harnesses after several hours of sport, under a beautiful blue sky. It’s been two years since we had climbed a cliff! It’s very rare to be able to do that in town. It’s a great experience. “
“A little adrenaline rush”
Free and open access for experienced and equipped practitioners, the site (fitted out as part of the Nantes municipal playground program, which advocates free practice) also offers several routes for novices. This summer, 300 people took part in initiations, and schoolchildren also tried it. Tuesday afternoon, a group of colleagues, supervised by a member of the collective of climbing instructors Ozaléo, came to rub against the 15-meter-high pebble. “At the beginning, we wonder how we are going to climb this slope, but finally it is done! says Natacha, one of them. Then on the way down, we get a little adrenaline rush. “
At the same time, one of the participants arrives at the top, to the applause of the others. “It’s an ideal place to start,” says Hervé Silhol, instructor of the day and technical manager at the French Mountain and Climbing Federation 44, which manages the site. We are lucky to have very good quality granite with good grip. Beginners like it when it hangs well, there is a reassuring side. “
“It smells of nature, and not the old slipper”
“Friends of climbing” for several decades, Pierre and Didier especially appreciate novelty. Because these retirees were starting to get tired of going to Pont-Caffino, about twenty kilometers south of Nantes, which was until then the outdoor site closest to them. Of course, it is also possible to practice indoor climbing, but it’s not really the same, they say. “There, we still feel nature, and not the plastic or the old slipper, jokes the pair, at the foot of the rock. There is a beautiful view, there is air… In the evening, we can even enjoy concerts [donné au Hangar à Bananes, de l’autre côté de la Loire]. When it’s rock, we’re fine! “
In the long term, ten new routes could open each year to the Miséry quarry, even if the extraordinary garden that it shelters must still keep space to accommodate the Heron Tree, in 2027. For opposite, the demand of the public for the sport is only increasing, boosted by the practice of bouldering and lately the Olympics. “We have 2,500 licensees in Loire-Atlantique, but we would actually be around 10,000 climbers, estimates Hervé Silhol. It must be said that it is a physically very complete discipline, with a playful side. We take pleasure in competing against ourselves, while sharing a good time with others. “