Carrière Jaminon is located at the exit of Pepinster following the road from Verviers towards Liège via the Vesdre Valley (N61).
Best access by car is Highway A27 from Battice (E42) toward Prüm, exit 5 Ensival - take right the N61 towards Pepinster-Liège.
It is property of the city of Pepinster which has signed an agreement with CAB (Club Alpin Belge) in 2011 to allow the climbing on the site.
The location is a natural reserve. It is also integrated in the Natura 2000 network (BE 33066) only for a small cave hosting bats.
Campfires and camping are forbidden.
Respect also the parking slots along the street and the quietude of the neigbours and take with you all your waste, cans, etc. (eventually also the ones abandoned by previous undelicate people ;-))
In 2008, the city requested from the Liège University (Geotechnologies Laboratorium) a study about the stability of the site and in particular the porche. The study was also conducted with experts from CETE of Lyon – France (Centre Etudes Techniques de l’Equipement). The experts concluded in danger of unstability in the porche, what led to the interdiction of climbing in this part of the site. Some big blocks are unstable, and some cracks in the roof (outside and up) are slowly growing. A fence was risen by the city to block the access to the porche. It is a pity as some very famous routes were opened in this porche, originally in aid-climbing then free climbing (first 8a in Belgium), but please, respect this interdiction for the sake of the general agreement of allowing climbing on this site.
The site is entirely equipped for sportclimbing. CAB installed on the top of most routes 2 bolts linked with a chain to allow lowering off from a ring to better distribute the wear due to the friction of the rope.
As you need to do this on the top of the slab and not from the terrace, be carefull and be always tied to the anchor either by a quickdraw or a lanyard !
The equipment is currently in renovation to remove some old pigs, even if most routes are OK.
Historically as the first climbers were using only pegs, they had to follow the different cracks that are generally going up and left. Now most routes are more in straight line towards the top, so when you start especially on the left portion, with the name written on the rock, you finish now with another route that the name at the start. The new lines are named with the name of the first section even if the second section is historically another name. It is not disrespect against the first climbers as the lines they have opened are still existing and used, it is only an adaptation to the climbing of today. If you want to be sure to have climb all the historic lines, you just have to climb both starts and endings :-)
Distance between bolts is usually between 2m and 4 m. For some routes you are feeling that you have to "engage" your spirit :-)
Also be carefull before the first bolt, but normally after the first bolt you should not come back to the ground with a correct belaying !
