Activity holidays overseas are becoming more popular with us Brits year on year. According to Mintel, the sector grew by 37% between 2000 and 2005. We teamed up with action-outdoors to sample rock-climbing, debutante style, in the South of France.
It might conjure images of hauling yourself over ledges with your bare hands but there's more to rock-climbing than upper body strength. For starters, spidering up a vertical incline requires tackling fears head on. Talk to most women about rock climbing and you are likely to get a sea of 'I could never do that' responses.
But the thrill of pushing your limits, learning to silence your irrational mind and making it up and down in one piece is the essence of rock-climbing. It's you against you.
Beginners
Starting out is tough. Especially when everyone else seems to be uber competent. Like many extreme sports, 'knows diddly squat' to 'knows enough to survive' is a learning curve as steep as that rock Mr. Cruise dangles off at the start of MI:II!
Whilst practicing on an indoor climbing wall might prepare you physically and technically for proper rock, nothing beats the real thing. Dangling 20 metres above ground with the sun on your back and the occasional bug peeking out of your next hand hold just doesn't happen on a plastic wall.
So what's the buzz?
When your brain capacity is fully loaded with rock negotiations, ropes and knots, you haven't space to worry about office deadlines or your place in life. You get mucky and you get scared but it is all oddly exciting! Perhaps it's the affinity to ancestral cave-woman that feels so good, or maybe it's just the combination of a great back, leg, arm and butt workout combined with bucket-loads of fresh air.
It might sound counter-intuitive, but 'Le grimper' is guaranteed to leave you feeling stress-free. Why? Because the adrenaline you feel when you are scared is the same as when you are stressed. But rather than sitting at a desk getting more stressed, the physical effort required to tackle a vertical incline uses all those pressure hormones up.
Instruction
We climbed with www.action-outdoors.co.uk, who are associated with French, non-profit organization UCPA. It's no frills, action focused, fun. And whilst you may not stay in luxury apartments, the level of instruction and equipment from UCPA is superb. You get the impression that these guys have been climbing for years. Nothing fills you with more confidence in your guide when frozen at the top of a climb, your instructor shinnies up to save you in seconds (when it just took you a frightening half an hour)!
You do need to be of a reasonable level of fitness. Instruction is a full day experience (you get a packed lunch) because generally you wouldn't want to walk to your climb more than once in one day!
You don't just learn how to climb, you learn how to 'safe' people - standing at the bottom of the mountain with a large, important rope; how to tie the right knots; how to hold the rope – so you don't get rope-burn; and you learn how to do it all in French and in English!
And if just getting to the top of a climb in one piece wasn't enough, you get to try it blindfold.
Holiday experience
The focus of these holidays is definitely the activity. The centres are right next door to the action and all the equipment is available on site.
The food is excellent (French chefs source local producers to keep costs down) and ample. Plus sharing meals with your new climbing buddies is a relaxed, community experience.
The accommodation is the only con, because it is a little cramped and you tend to share four to a room but you're generally so pooped by the end of the day that it isn't a problem. There's plenty of communal space in the building to not be in each other's pockets. Everything is clean and functional but basic.
Travel
The ultra-budget and most convenient way to travel is by Eurolines coach from London Victoria direct to your resort - a special rate is available through www.action-outdoors.co.uk. This usually means Friday-night travel on a coach but it does ensure you get seven full days at your destination. The alternative is rising early enough to catch a dawn breaking flight, and then hiring a car to your accommodation. Some resorts aren't easy to access from the nearest airport. Where we were in Orpierre, the nearest airports are Toulon and Marseille, a mere three-hour transfer away!
Cost
Prepare to be surprised. An all-inclusive (bar your beer money) week, with full tuition and equipment hire costs from £306 (2006 prices).
Added perks
The bar - Where we stayed, there was no bar man. Instead we wrote down what we drank on a sheet and paid up at the end of the week!
French party games - such as Loup-garou. The closest translation we managed was 'Step on wolf', in actual fact it's 'werewolf'. It's a bit like wink murder, with more rules. We also had great fun making up games on the indoor climbing wall.
French music - like the classic, 'my dog has no testicules' by Vaginal Purulence!
French cuisine - After a particular delightful dessert, which I can only describe as posh Arctic roll, I asked the chef for his recipe. I am now the proud owner of 'la rocette de Benjamin Bloch' (the chef). Msr. Bloch is most girls' idea of heaven - a rather handsome, rugged, young rock-climber who loves to make cakes and pastries in his spare time!
Still not convinced about rock-climbing? Action-outdoors organize activity holidays that range from paragliding and kite surfing through to sailing and hiking. They also offer great winter sports packages to some of Europe's best French ski resorts.
