Gaea's Cliff

Gaea's Cliff is is an unrevisitable location in Final Fantasy VII. From the ground, it seems to be a mountain, but is actually the side of the North Crater. Due to its height and location past the frigid wastes of the Great Glacier, the cliff is so cold few can survive the climb-up. A large cave system penetrates the cliff, which must be explored to reach the top.
Due to the name of the planet officially being Gaia in certain English promotional materials (see naming of Gaia), Gaea's Cliff may appear as a reference to it. However "Gaia" has never been used to refer to the planet in any Japanese media, and thus the connection may be coincidental.
== History ==
Mr. Holzoff, a mountain climber from Icicle Inn known by its villagers, intended to climb climbing the cliff, due to his fascination with a legend of something that had fallen from the sky. He and a friend named Yamski first tried to climb the mountain 30 years before Final Fantasy VII, but were unprepared. 20 years before Final Fantasy VII, the two attempted to climb again, but underestimated the biting cold wind. Yamski cut his own rope without Holzoff noticing, and as such, Holzoff settled in a hut in the Great Glacier, providing warning and shelter to my fellow climbers while continuing to challenge the cliff. His wife remained in his house in Icicle Inn, awaiting his return.
In Final Fantasy VII, during "Beyond the Snow Fields", Cloud Strife and his party reached Gaea's Cliff, where they met Mr. Holzoff in his hut. Mr. Holzoff told his story at the foot of the mountain, and the party then climbed Gaea's Cliff with his help, allowing them to reach Sephiroth at the Whirlwind Maze.
Seeing Gaea's Cliff instilled conflicting feelings in Barret Wallace. While he noted that the cliff showed someone "how awesome nature is", he also noted it was not livable at all and that if he were to live there, he would make changes, akin to Midgar. Though this made him understand the point of view of the Shinra Electric Power Company, he stopped himself before going further down that line of thought.
== Geography ==
Gaea's Cliff is located at the side of the North Crater, which is located at the top of the northern continent of the planet. Around the cliff is a series of caves and climbable cliffs.
The freezing cold year-round cold temperatures of the glacier are not due to the polar location of the cliff, but due to being adjacent to the North Crater, where the planet uses a large amount of spirit energy to try to heal itself.
Gaeas cliff.png|The cliff.
Gaeas cliff4.png|Caves.
Healing spring.png|The Healing Spring.
== Gameplay ==
Gaea's Cliff is an unrevisitable location seen in "Beyond the Snow Fields", leading directly into the following chapter, "That Which Waits in the Northernmost Reaches". During the quest, the player must navigate the mountain while keeping Cloud's temperature up, by warming himself when not climbing. If Cloud passes out, he will awake at Mr. Holzoff's hut. The area is a great job to learn skills for the Enemy Skill Materia.
Gaea's Cliff cannot be returned to. While Cloud is not the party leader, the player is prevented from snowboarding at Icicle Inn. When he returns as party leader after "Searching for the You of That Day", Mr. Holzoff will prevent the player from climbing. Before "Mako Cannon Rampage", Holzoff will tell the player it is dangerous because of the barrier, while afterward he only tells the player they should not climb unprepared.
== Other appearances ==
=== Final Fantasy Record Keeper ===
===Final Fantasy Brave Exvius===
FFBE Gaea's Cliff.png|
FFBE Gaea's Cliff 2.png|
FFBE Gaea's Cliff 3.png|
FFBE Gaea's Cliff 4.png|
FFBE Gaea's Cliff 5.png|
FFBE Gaea's Cliff 6.png|
==Behind the scenes==
A pre-release shot shows an area that can never be accessed in the final game. This area is only seen in very old footage shown before the game's release.
== Etymology ==
== Notes ==
=== Annotations ===
=== Citations ===
de:Gaeas Klippe
Category:Locations in Final Fantasy VII
Category:Mountains