Cap Dramont climbs

Crag: Cap Dramont, Esterel, France
Routes: Le Factum du Recteur (f4a:led), Bento (f5b:sec), Jet Set Clafouti (f6a:sec), Pilier de Soleil (f5c+:led), Trois Zobs sur un Coup Fin (f6a+:sec), TGV (f5c:led), The Roux Petent Chaud (f6a:sec)
A 4am start from home meant we were rather sleep-deprived for the first day of our short Provencal climbing trip. Cool and cloudy as we walked to the crag in the early afternoon, indeed the forecast for the week was pretty awful. However, the sun started to peep through as we warmed up on two of the easy slab routes. Vic then led the long (30m) pitch of Jet Set Clafouti. This takes a steep but straightforward crack to a ledge, before a hard couple of moves on small crimps over a bulge gain the upper slab. This leads very pleasantly to the top: a fine route, climbed quickly and cleanly. It was now time for a key target of mine: Pilier de Soleil, the undisputed classic of the crag. This superb climb follows a line of good holds up the right hand side of an elegant pillar to some flakes. After a short easy slab, a traverse left gains the front of the pillar in a superb position ('between sea and sky') before the final wall, and crux, just below the top. A few steep moves up on small positive holds give a pulsating finish. I really wanted to do this Dramont classic in good style, and did so, romping up the route cleanly and quickly. Among the finest single pitches I've ever done: the grade bang on at 5c+. Trois Zobs takes a harder line up the face left of the pillar, starting up a steep crack on small, positive holds. After a ledge, the remainder of the route is sustained, strenuous and steep: another quality pitch. I moved up to the west face to lead TGV, which looks short and scrappy but is actually quite a good route (definitely overgraded) on sharp holds. However, a fierce cold wind blew straight into this face, along with some rain, and reduced us to shivering sleep-deprived wrecks. We weren't quite finished, though, and just bagged the strong line of the Roux Petant Chaud before heavier rain arrived. This takes the obvious slabby groove which forms the left edge of the pillar, and is again a very soft touch at 6a. Nice climbing up a little wall to a delicate slab which leads to an interesting wide groove/chimney. A great start to the trip (I have almost ticked the entire crag now), despite the weather and the lack of sleep.