Rocher de Costaros
single pitch routes and multi pitch routes rock climbing area
Best time(s) :
- January
- February
- March
- April
- May
- June
- July
- August
- Sept.
- Oct.
- Nov.
- Dec.
Aspect(s) : SW-S-SE-E Altitude : 900 m
Approach 10 min up hill
Rock :
phonolith. Characteristic(s) : slab 
, vertical 
, steep wall 
, overhang 
, dihedral 
. Type(s) of holds : cracks, slopers.
, vertical , steep wall , overhang , dihedral . Type(s) of holds : cracks, slopers. Informations :
Single pitch routes
Interesting rock climbing area for routes up to 5c, from 6a to 6c and from 7a to 7c (french grades).
Between 50 and 100 routes, from 5a to 7b. Bolting : sport climbing.
Max Height : 38 m. Average Height : 28 m.
Kids friendly ? foot of the crag uneven for young kids.
Multi pitch routes
Many additional skills about progressing, belaying, escaping technics ... are necessary for multipitch routes security.Interesting rock climbing area for routes from 6a to 6c and from 7a to 7c (french grades).
Between 25 and 50 routes, from 5b to 8a. Bolting : sport climbing.
Max Height : 80 m. Average Height : 60 m.
Kids friendly ? foot of the crag uneven for young kids.
Legendary route(s) : La Directe 5c/6a 3 longueurs
Further information(s) : This is a volcanic rock climbing area with 115 pitches on phonolite slabs and columns like "orgues". On each of the five sectors, you can climb:
- single pitch routes (<45m)
- 2 or 3 pitches routes with rappeling anchors.
50 km Southwest from "Saint Etienne" and 15 km North from "Yssingeaux". The area is East of "suc de Bartou".
Approach :
From the parking lot hike back to the hairpin curve. In this hairpin curve take a small tree-lined road. It turns to a path (GR path sign). You can see the rock from there. A less than 10 minutes approach.
Road access:
From "Saint-Etienne" city, head towards "Le Puy en Velay" by the RN 88, exit at "Yssingeaux", take "Retournac" direction, then in "Malataverne" go left the D7 towards Rosières. Two kilometers before Rosières turn right on the D35 towards "Chamalières sur Loire", drive 4 km then take a small uphill road on the left (Rocher de Costaros sign). 200m from the Varenne hamlet towards the Chomeil park your car.
- single pitch routes (<45m)
- 2 or 3 pitches routes with rappeling anchors.
50 km Southwest from "Saint Etienne" and 15 km North from "Yssingeaux". The area is East of "suc de Bartou".
Approach :
From the parking lot hike back to the hairpin curve. In this hairpin curve take a small tree-lined road. It turns to a path (GR path sign). You can see the rock from there. A less than 10 minutes approach.
Road access:
From "Saint-Etienne" city, head towards "Le Puy en Velay" by the RN 88, exit at "Yssingeaux", take "Retournac" direction, then in "Malataverne" go left the D7 towards Rosières. Two kilometers before Rosières turn right on the D35 towards "Chamalières sur Loire", drive 4 km then take a small uphill road on the left (Rocher de Costaros sign). 200m from the Varenne hamlet towards the Chomeil park your car.
Right part of the crag forbidden from begining of february to end of june (bird protection)
Locations :
Area :
France, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Haute-Loire (43), Le Puy-en-Velay, Rosières, Chamalières-sur-Loire.
1. Zoom in to get all the rock climbing places 200 km around.
: Bouldering 
: Single pitch 
: Multi pitches
: Deep water soloing 
: Differents kind of climbing
 Rock climbing area GPS Coordinates : |
Latitude : 45° 11' 0" N | Longitude : 3° 58' 8" E | Sexagesimal & Orientation |
 Parking lot GPS Coordinates : |
Latitude : 45° 10' 38" N | Longitude : 3° 58' 4" E | Sexagesimal & Orientation |
| More coordinates |
Area added by Jean-Phi
