Chateau d’If

Once again, there is a high first bolt which is reached by an easy scramble. The flakes above the first bolt afford some good hand holds but finding decent foot holds is another matter. About the name: The Chateau d’If takes up most of a little island, Ile d’If, about two miles West of the old port of Marseille, France. It was constructed as a fortress in 1524-31. It may have served as a deterrent to would be invaders before being turned into a prison. The dangerous offshore currents made it essentially escape-proof. It was the setting of Alexander Dumas’s novel “The Count of Monte Cristo” published in 1844. In this story the main character, Edmund Dante, escapes after 14 years as a prisoner but he seems to be the only person to accomplish this.

This route is right of Leavenworth.

8 bolts plus mussy hooks