La Testouriasso - via ferrata on Le Rocher de Saint Julian, Buis-Les-Baronnies, Provence, France

La Testouriasso (La têtue / The Stubborn One), graded 'difficile', is a via ferrata route on Le Rocher de Saint Julian near the town of Buis Les Baronnies in the Drôme area of Provence, France. Via ferrata is where passage across difficult terrain and cliffs is supported by a bolted cable into which the climber can connect a safety device called a via ferrata set. Crucially, the via ferrata set provides shock absorption in the event of a fall so that your back is not broken as the rope goes taut. The set uses two connection lanyards so that when crossing bolts in the cable, the user is always connected by at least one of those lanyards. This can be seen in practice in this video. Additionally, via ferratas frequently feature additional equipment such as rungs and mini platforms to assist climbing. This particular via ferrata is all about sport with the majority of, but not all, movement being aided by metal rungs, rails and steps. This route is rated as 'difficile (D)', is 460m in length with 210m of elevation gain. It takes about 1h 45min to complete the route. To reach the beginning from the road takes about 15 minutes. The return takes a bit longer at around 25 minutes. The approach and return are rather steep and slippery so are arguably the most dangerous parts - take care! There are a few added features such as wooden beams, monkey bridges and Nepalese bridges. You can see that one of the support cables on the first Nepalese bridge at 3:27 was broken. I informed the caretakers of the route (email on the sign) so hopefully it is fixed now. It didn't make the bridge more dangerous, just a little harder. Audio recording was given special attention with two microphones being attached either side of my helmet beside my ears (binaural). For this reason, best results are had by listening through headphones. This route was climbed on 2nd July, 2025 around 7pm (this side of the rock is in shadow during the day). #ViaFerrata #RocherDeSaintJulian #BuisLesBaronnies #LaTestouriasso #djiaction5 #djiaction5pro