grade III ish caves/potholes near grenoble or in france

[todcaver]

Hi all , can anyone recommend a srt based book for france , preferably the grenoble area , or just ideas for routes similar to say jingling pot or bar pot ?
Heading out there this summer but don't know where to start 
Any suggestions much appreciated 

[langcliffe]

There are some good pull-throughs on the Dent de Crolles in the Chartreuse massif, just to the north-west of Grenoble, with lots of information available on the web. They are all very well equipped and the routes are actually sign-posted (the local rescue got fed up of having to go in for people!). The most suitable trips are probably Trou du Glaz to Guiers Mort, and Trou du Glaz to the Annette. Slightly more adventurous are the Trou du Glaz to the Chevalier, and P40 to the Trou du Glaz. Descriptions of these and others may be found in A Travers le Karst by Darne and Tordjman. More information about the Chartreuse massif may be found at http://www.braemoor.co.uk/chartreuse/.

In the Vercors, to the south-west of Grenoble, the Scialet Michellier is a Bar Pot type trip, and fun can be had in Trou qui Souffle, especially using the Saints de Engrace entrance. There are a number of other day trips, including the Gournier and the Grotte Roche, both in the Bourne Gorge. The guide book for the Vercors is the Speleo Sportif Dans le Vercors by Delannoy and Haffner,  but most trips in it are a lot more than Grade III day trips and it's getting out-of-date. The website www.speleo-vercors.org is useful.

[todcaver]

 thanks for that info forum hero , would you suggest grenoble area or elsewhere if you had the choice for first visit to france 

[langcliffe]

thanks for that info forum hero , would you suggest grenoble area or elsewhere if you had the choice for first visit to france 

I'm biased, but I think that Chartreuse is absolutely beautiful, and the holiday caving there is brilliant. You are best based in St. Pierre de Chartreuse, as it takes an hour to drive up from the Isere valley into the massif. There is an excellent camp site near by at Martiniere: http://www.campingdemartiniere.com/

[Leclused]

And if you are staying in the chartreuse area the Cave Bear museum is a must see.

http://www.musee-ours-cavernes.com/

Dagobert

[Fulk]

If you end up in the Vercors, the Gour Fumant is a fine trip – several short-ish pictures, nice formations; but beware where you park – don't drive onto the alpine meadow!

[langcliffe]

And if you are staying in the chartreuse area the Cave Bear museum is a must see.

A dangerous place...

[paul]

If you end up in the Vercors, the Gour Fumant is a fine trip – several short-ish pictures, nice formations; but beware where you park – don't drive onto the alpine meadow!

Or park right next to the Pot de Loup right next to the forest track and do both!

[pete_the_caver]

For a first caving trip to France I'd recommend the Ardeche


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[psychocrawler]

Agree with Langcliffe. Chartreuse is an excellent venue and has loads of high quality, undervisited (by Brits at least) caves. Vercors is good but overly popular e.g. Gouffre Berger - there is more to France than Vercors.
The Dent de Crolle system is a well known, well visited classic in Chartreuse and I can recommend the P40 - Trou de Glaz - Guiers Mort combo (took about 4 hours excluding the walk up to the P40) and the Grotte Chevalier (huge).
However, there are many other excellent caves described in Langcliffe's references.

[paul]

Vercors is good but overly popular e.g. Gouffre Berger - there is more to France than Vercors.

Agreed: there is more to France than the Vercors. But, there is also more to the Vercors than the Gouffre Berger - a lot more.