tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33258101834289790092024-03-28T00:54:47.536+01:00Life in FontainebleauFilip Notebaerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10869000121801297521noreply@blogger.comBlogger1006125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325810183428979009.post-39325864362882212692024-03-27T18:43:00.002+01:002024-03-27T18:43:47.923+01:00March 27, 2024 - A new wave has come.Being so close to doing "Nouvelle Vague" in Cul de Chien last weekend, I was annoyed that the upcoming weekend will be the infamous crowded Easter weekend, and Cul de Chien will be a must avoid area for me. I felt annoyed not being to return quickly, but when I looked at my work calendar this morning, it looked like I could take the afternoon off. Only a meeting at 17h30 this evening, but I would be back by then.<br />The parking was already very full, and it looked like the first new wave of Easter visitors had already arrived, but I didn't let it get to me and while walking towards the boulder, I prepared mentally for meeting a crowd. I wasn't wrong about the crowd, the area looked like a climbing hall and the roof with "Nouvelle Vague" was obviously crowded, but luckily not packed. The only advantage was that there were more than enough crashpads and some climbers who were willing to spot without me asking.<br />It wasn't hot or really warm, but the slopers didn't feel as good as last weekend and I didn't expect any success. But when my youngest son, Noah, who came with me, told me that I could do it, it must have given me a boost. Not much later, I was able to do the far move to the right and, keeping calm, I was able to struggle my way up. One can still fall off the boulder until the very end, something that I witnessed someone else doing not long after. Anyway, taking the afternoon off turned out to have been the good choice. Thanks to my boss for letting me go on such a short notice.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - Cul de Chien - Nouvelle Vague 7C</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vEGkAcwaiTw?si=IICPTy7SzZh7yEwA" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div>Filip Notebaerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10869000121801297521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325810183428979009.post-26391803873945261422024-03-23T18:33:00.003+01:002024-03-23T18:33:38.636+01:00March 23, 2024 - For each their own.My youngest son Noah came with me for climbing today, so I chose something nearby where we could each find something to climb for our own. We went to 91.1, where I wanted to try "l'Arbitre (assis)", an old (open) project of mine of which Antoine Maire got the first ascent a few weeks ago and graded it 7C. As I my right arm felt quite painful already when trying the standing start again, I decided to not loose time on this one and we moved to the nice overhanging boulder of "Pleine Prouesse". The last problem on that boulder that I still had to do.<br />"Pleine Prousse" was proposed 7C(7B+), but after doing it on my second attempt, I concluded that it more felt like 7A+, soft 7B at most. Nevertheless, a nice problem.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - 91.1 - Pleine Prouesse 7A+(7B)</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5BcTo_3RguM?si=_0FyRqhwXGEe-LVu" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Having done this so quickly, I decided to do it again, but without the good hold far right, for neither the hands, nor the feet and only using the crimp. It does make the move to the higher sloper dynamic, at least for my height, and it made it much more interesting. It took me quite a few attempts to control the move and finally top it out. I named this game "Pleine Prousse (sans la bonne de droite)", and doing it this way could be low end 7B+, or maybe 7B for taller climbers.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - 91.1 - Pleine Prouesse (sans la bonne de droite) 7B+</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/D4osfalHaVY?si=xS2pbxxLCOie0f7H" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Being Noah's turn to climb now, we went back to main area to find some boulders more suitable for him, where he made quick work work of "Le Ti'Bloc" (yellow 17) and repeated it for a video.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - 91.1 - Le Ti'Bloc (yellow 17) 2</u></b> (Noah)<br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GxZDPxo0ii4?si=6UQf2aQbtJLjaRyT" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">At the end of his session, he worked a very long time in the very nice "Le D.A." (orange 12). Easy for my height, but much harder for him, as he has to make a big dyno to the edge. He got close to doing it a few times, but had to throw in the towel when he was getting too tired. Definitely his project now and he's eager to come and finish it off.</div></div></div></div></div></div>Filip Notebaerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10869000121801297521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325810183428979009.post-54131203249390891502024-03-17T16:38:00.000+01:002024-03-17T16:38:16.850+01:00March 17, 2024 - Stitched up, but Noah won.Yesterday, after I hit my head, I sent a picture via Whatsapp message into our family group with the comment "My turn ...", upon which my youngest son, Noah, responded with "Why do you copy me ?". Reason for that is because about three weeks ago, during a heavy wind storm, a branch broke off a tree and fell on his head, resulting in a heavy bleeding head wound, going to the hospital emergency and him being stitched up with six stitches, right about the same spot where my head was wounded. After my wife cleaned the wound at home, I decided a few hours later, when the bleeding still hadn't stopped, to go to the hospital as well, resulting in the wound requiring three stitches to close it up. If Noah and I were to have a stitches contest, he won by far.<br />Despite my head wound, I still felt motivated to go climbing, but when I woke up this morning, it was raining and it didn't look like any climbing would be possible today. Instead, I went for a walk to an isolated unpopular area to locate some boulders that I could try during the upcoming and always crowded Easter weekend, assuring that I will avoid the crowds and be climbing alone. After having done that, I drove to Beauvais to locate the boulder of "Le Percuteur" again. <br />I had already done a couple of problems on that boulder almost three years ago, and I remembered that it took a while before I found it. That time, I wasn't parked at the Télégraphe tavern, but I remember that I had the impression that this parking was closer than the one I was parked on in 2021. I wanted to prepare myself to find it more easily when the weather would be better another day.<br />I was able to find the boulder after some detours and looking around, and by the time I found it again, the rain had stopped some time ago and the sky had cleared up once in a while. To my surprise, thanks to a slight breeze, the holds of "Le Percuteur" were dry and the problem even looked very climbable. On top of that, the friction on the slopers on the right was close to perfect. I was determined to go and get my crashpad from the car and come back to try it. Somehow, and luckily, the Maps app on my phone always remembers where my car is parked, so I used to app to walk straight to my car without detours and come back the same way.<br />I did try "Le Percuteur" three years ago, but I remember that I wasn't able to reach the better crimp, not even using Youp's method, using another small and sharp crimp on the left first. Somehow, this didn't give me any problems now. The main problem now was that I due to my short legs, I wasn't able to reach the low hold under the roof statically, so I was forced to jump to it and catch it in compression. A move that usually suits me pretty well. Even though it felt nearly impossible at first, I was able to stick that move after persisting for a while. Using that method, I topped out "Le Percuteur" after a handful of attempts when coming from the start, making sure that I started recording as soon as I was doing attempts from the start. Not 7C, but in my opinion definitely 7B+ when you don't have the length to reach the far right hold statically.<br />Beautiful problem!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - Beauvais Hameau - Le Percuteur 7B+(7C)</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OuPReUnzT1I?si=1911UeCE-o5ijj4O" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div>Filip Notebaerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10869000121801297521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325810183428979009.post-34575424940988321772024-03-16T15:44:00.004+01:002024-03-16T15:46:02.619+01:00March 16, 2024 - Be safe y'all!!<div>Last weekend, after almost 5 years, I went back to "Freestyle" in Coquibus Rumont with my oldest son helping me to carry an second crashpad.</div><div>Came really close, but after almost 2 hours, it had sucked all the energy out of me and I was forced to leave it behind undone.</div><div>I was determined to go back today, alone this time and carrying both crashpads myself. Highly motivated, I warmed up doing the very last move of "Freestyle", and when I wanted to try the start again, I passed the first crux, then very unexpectedly the second and hardest crux where I had expected to fall, but I stuck it. Realizing that I hadn't even turned on the camera yet, in a fraction of a second, I thought of Pieter who would have told me to continue. Instead of jumping off, I took a deep breath and somewhat unexpectedly, stuck the very last move as well, which is also the last crux of this gem.</div><div>Mixed feelings of joy disappointment came over me because of not having it on video, but as I cruised through it on my first attempt today, I wasn't even tired yet and was pretty confident to be able to repeat it for the video after a short break.</div><div>As it happens, I always tend to have less drive and motivation when wanting to repeat a problem immediately after doing it, but I cruised through the first crux start again, felt confident for the second crux, but maybe too confident and probably too carelessly as well, slipped off and hit the back of head very hard against the boulder behind me. I had a small cut that started bleeding, but adrenalin kept me going and I gave it another few tries with my hat on, but for obvious reasons, I had a hard time keeping my focus. Barely 5 minutes later, the adrenalin faded, I got a slight headache and when I noticed that the bleeding didn't stop, decided to go back home.</div><div>Only a video with some attempts from last week and from after my injury, but honestly, at this point, I don't care, and even feel that topping out "Freestyle" on my first attempt today, was all worth it. No regrets.<br />I decided to publish a video anyway, containing some of my best attempts from last week and the attempt (moment) where I had hit my head after the send today. <br />Be safe y'all!!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj84fymURDw5unS7AVRgvQVQ-Xuycb9khIukgWsZYeNC0WSBZk8E0FnL-Ke4_AxtGXtBms0uMgFnnL4z3Z0ruJ3CbTkSwAlwL4ZZVv-KUpNo3C0kbbOIgTq6zDyuqQksVngw9pPD4GpBO5OeRbzpHzLCkI_oQYIrBMlH8LZ94HL-Ic3O5tPCai_y0MvOx-7/s1544/HeadInjury.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1544" data-original-width="1158" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj84fymURDw5unS7AVRgvQVQ-Xuycb9khIukgWsZYeNC0WSBZk8E0FnL-Ke4_AxtGXtBms0uMgFnnL4z3Z0ruJ3CbTkSwAlwL4ZZVv-KUpNo3C0kbbOIgTq6zDyuqQksVngw9pPD4GpBO5OeRbzpHzLCkI_oQYIrBMlH8LZ94HL-Ic3O5tPCai_y0MvOx-7/w480-h640/HeadInjury.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - Coquibus Rumont - Freestyle 7C</u></b> (attempts last week and post warmup send of today)<br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/65RKf1kaft0?si=dHeXCanr26c3wjgn" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div>Filip Notebaerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10869000121801297521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325810183428979009.post-53985229356902047792024-03-03T20:13:00.002+01:002024-03-03T20:13:44.876+01:00March 03, 2024 - A matter of (calculated) luck.After a lot of rain yesterday and last night, everything was soaking wet outside this morning. It made no sense to leave early, so I took my time and left later than usual. It was still mostly wet outside and even though it wasn't forecasted to rain today, it was cloudy and there wasn't a lot of wind to speed up the drying process. It was going to be a matter of luck to find something dry enough to climb, but taking a calculated guess, I intended to try and get the luck on my side by going to Apremont. My intention was to start my search in Apremont Vallon de la Solitude, and from there work my way back through some other Apremont areas as needed.<br />No luck in Apremont Vallon de la Solitude, but working my way back through Apremont Est, I did find some boulders dry here and there, but nothing that I had in my mind to try. Still working my way back, tried my chances at the boulder of "Tropicaux", knowing that this one gave me luck a few months ago. Low and behold, even though it looked bad at first, the holds of "Trop de Piquette" were dry and the low pinch was even in very good conditions friction wise.<br />I had briefly tried "Trop de Piquette" last time after I did "Tropicaux", but I only get mu butt of the ground, after which I found mself completely stuck and couldn't move out of the position I was in. With a fresh mind today, I let my body guide on what it felt like doing next and came up with a possible solution. It turned out to be a very awkward and difficult move, but after pushing through, I was able to stick it and top out.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - Apremont - Trop de Piquette 7B+</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VmYmoH1W55w?si=L-sxEq6GLQvQuVqo" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">On my way back, I passed by "Egoïste" and realized that it was dry as well. I had only tried once or twice, but only briefly because the balanced moving didn't suit me well and I figured it was not in my style. That was maybe ten years ago though, so I decided to stop and give it a few goes. Surprisingly, I was able to find my balance and was moving quite well through it. After a handful of attempts, and some minor tweaks, I topped out this ultra classic and had a hard time understanding why I never did this sooner.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - Apremont - Egoïste 7A(6C+)</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j7QTBDp2Xi4?si=Q7sUc0XgtGc0nWGx" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The sitstart, "Egoïste (assis)", followed immediately after.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - Apremont - Egoïste (assis) 7A+</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fJAAyUct4SY?si=4B9psV7RUHiHJL53" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div></div></div>Filip Notebaerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10869000121801297521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325810183428979009.post-52599707406772085812024-02-24T17:22:00.003+01:002024-02-24T17:22:52.352+01:00February 24, 2024 - Craziness from the North.Last year when the weather was not good enough to climb, I went for a walk around Apremont with Pieter and Jan (Gorrebeeck). When we passed through Apremont Mare aux Biches, we stopped at some boulders, out of which the low roof of "Un Ch'ti Délire", just below the North side of the ridge. It looked impossible to Jan and Pieter, but I remember that I kind of saw a way.<br />Last Sunday, I finally went to the boulder to give it a try and, to be honest, the far move to the crimp under the roof did really look impossible. Even after I tried it a few times, it still looked impossible. Nevertheless, I didn't give up and after a while I started to change my mind and a while later, I was able to stick it. After that move, your body is under a constant tension and it's still a couple of moves in that position to go to the end. Due to rain, I had to let it go, but I was determined to go back.<br />After a short warmup this morning, I focused on the move under the roof, and immediately after I was able to do it, I turned on the camera and started giving attempts from the start. Much faster than expected, I was able to finish it.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - Apremont Mare aux Biches - Un Ch'ti Délire 7C(7B+)</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GLsqko0L5ow?si=mcUHWxRwXapxPo0Y" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I didn't have much time left anymore, but still got away with a flash of "Déserteur (prolongé)".<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - Apremont Mare aux Biches - Déserteur (prolongé) 7A</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/byjMXu-1g5A?si=hxAnY8BXqJ9TBLJe" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div>Filip Notebaerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10869000121801297521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325810183428979009.post-65123776916131442782024-02-17T18:37:00.000+01:002024-02-17T18:37:11.873+01:00February 17, 2024 - Pure joy.Last weekend I was in Belgium for the bachelor weekend of one of my best friends who is getting married in April. Even though I don't drink alcohol, it was a very exhausting weekend and I had taken the day off on Monday so I could go for a climb.<br />I was still very tired, but nevertheless had a good session working in "Paie ton Mac DO (assis)" and even fell off after the crux of the problem on my fourth attempt. After that, it only got worse and I had to leave it behind, but I knew I could do it if I was more fresh and decided to go back today.<br />The weather was great, the birds were chirping and there was a nice blue sky and quite warm in the sun. It felt like Spring was there already. Even though I had a feeling that there was a big chance of sending "Paie ton Mac Do (assis)" quite quick, I didn't expect sending it immediately on my first attempt after a short warmup. I executed the moves almost perfect and stayed calm and focused when I passed the crux. Pure joy!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - Buthiers Canard - Paie to Mac Do (assis) 7C(7B+)</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/w3X60VADaLo?si=Qi-0mYE-sVUvMc_-" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Having arrived barely fifteen minutes ago, I felt like staying in the area and walked around to look for something else. Not having planned for it, I decided to try "L'Esprit du Knee Bar", of which I had done the standing start back in October 2019. That day, I witnessed Pieter doing the full line, but I had failed finishing it. To my big surprise, this one as well went on my first attempt of today. Pure joy!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - Buthiers Canard - L'Esprit du Knee Bar 7B</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aQ1QoSu6yQ4?si=6cFRBAOTaf66E4_s" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I felt in shape, but couldn't try "Maison de la Presse" due to humid slopers on the shady side of the boulder. For "Astromech" and "Astrolab" I definitely prefer to have a spotter and being the shade, they were humid anyway.<br />After looking on bleau.info, I decided to go and try the new "Kayzen" in the Western part of the sector. After watching the video of the first ascensionist, I soon discovered that his method was way too morpho for me. There was no way for me to reach the edge of the overhang the way he did, so I had to come up with something else and tried it with a right heelhook which felt really hard. I wasn't sure I would be able to do it that way, but I stuck around because I had so much fun trying to unlock this sequence. My persistence was rewarded with an ascent a while and quite a few attempts later. Pure joy!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - Buthiers Canard - Kayzen 7A+(7A)</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2a_qiqZ5yBY?si=PFHrHGWdHTQDtzar" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Back at home I was in a real Spring mood and decided to prune our olive tree. Three hours later it was done and the feeling of Spring coming up felt like pure joy!</div></div></div></div></div></div>Filip Notebaerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10869000121801297521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325810183428979009.post-67165133360272210202024-01-27T17:45:00.000+01:002024-01-27T17:45:09.710+01:00January 27, 2024 - Better than a honeymoon.<p>I had planned to try several problems in Cuvier Sorcières and Cuvier Est, but my initial goal was to work in "Le Proueptologue (assis)". <br />After some stretching, I warmed up with the easy "Presse-toi", about 20m above "Le Proueptologue". The sitstart of "Presse-toi" followed immediately after the standing start. A hard first move, but everything after, didn't real feel hard enough for the proposed 7B. Nevertheless, it was good as a warmup.<br /><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - Cuvier Sorcières - Presse-toi (assis) 7B</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/g-pefhHCzyM?si=7GDe2k_Aq1149UR0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Working in "Le Proueptologue (assis)" went quite well, and even though I can do the problem in two overlapping parts, stitching it all together requires more consistency in the moves and I sort of quickly lost motivation for it. Somehow, I had the feeling that it would be more fun with someone else trying it too, allowing me to rest and enjoy the process more than being alone.<br />I decided to stop and try "Lune de Miel" on my way back, a problem that has been on my list since I tried it a few years ago. Today, for my second session, I had to rethink about how I did the first part. The only thing that I really remembered was that I used a toehook left to be able to grab the tiny pinch statically left hand. I soon realized that even though the moves are beautiful, they are very delicate and there is absolutely no room for error on each of them. It was good thing that another climber, Fabien, gave me a couple of tips for the last part.<br />After many tries, even though I didn't expect it all, I was able to top out this beauty, just on that one time that Fabien decided to film it too.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - Cuvier Est - Lune de Miel 7B</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dmhiT0PXwYo?si=R0lmw4SQ1z8hVEaI" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div></div></div><p></p>Filip Notebaerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10869000121801297521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325810183428979009.post-71746742587809233152024-01-21T18:22:00.001+01:002024-01-21T18:22:28.306+01:00January 21, 2024 - L'Homme en Feu (assis).I went for a walk with my youngest son, Noah, and decided to have a quick climb while being in J.A. Martin. We put our Minecraft sword and pickaxe aside for a moment, allowing me focus for a moment on "L'Homme en Feu (assis)", a problem I was sure about doing it quickly now that the top was in good conditions and not like an other time when I tried it and chickened out at the slippery top.<br />The big slopey undercling has a tendency to be wet a lot and it seems like it's contantly dripping water, but at least the slopey parts for the hands were dry. I only had to watch out to use them at the right spot, if not, my hands would be soaked, making the rest of the problem nearly impossible. Being there with Noah, I didn't want to let him wait for too long, so with some added pressure, I was able to make quick work of it.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - J.A. Martin - L'Homme en Feu (assis) 7B</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6C3LShmOkI4?si=hWAOWpjHwL2j1lG5" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div>Filip Notebaerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10869000121801297521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325810183428979009.post-16030959337625511722024-01-20T18:05:00.002+01:002024-01-21T15:22:59.018+01:00January 20, 2024 - The suggestion.Theo (Konstantakopoulos) suggested me try a couple problems that he has opened, and "Banzaï (assis)" in Cassepot Roches Grises definitely took my attention.<br />It was -7°C when I got out of bed this morning, but the sun was shining, so I expected enjoyable weather with good conditions today. As I had drive my youngest son, Noah, to one of his friends, it was already around noon when I arrived at the boulder, but it was still below 0°C and the boulder itself felt freezing cold. I took my time to warm up and stretch a bit and could feel the warmth of the sun peaking through the trees. The difference with last week, when it was also freezing but cloudy, was amazing and I really enjoyed the warmth of the sun. It's amazing how even a low Winter sun can make the freezing cold so much more bearable.<br />For some reason, I felt tired and already after a few attempts in "Banzaï (assis)", my arms felt slightly pumped. Even putting power in the left toehook was a struggle at times. I didn't give my arms the chance to get too pumped by taking a longer break, during which I watched my own video of when I did the low start of "Banzaï", which reminded of small details that I was doing wrong. Thanks to those details, I was able to finish "Banzaï (assis)" immediately after my break.<br />I really enjoyed the fight on this problem of which the sitstart adds some really nice moves. Thanks to Theo for the vision and the suggestion.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - Cassepot Roches Grises - Banzaï (assis) 7B+</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GTJFzlfjaM8?si=288DIN0JT3XNg1jg" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Even though, I had been able to warm up my toes in the sun from time to time, the sun was getting lower, which made it cool down again substantially. I knew that going to try another harder problem wouldn't be feasible anymore, so I finished the session by doing the easier and nearby "Crampe in the Ghetto (assis droite)" on my first attempt.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - Cassepot Roches Grises - Crampe in the Ghetto (assis droite) 7A</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-OtTMfx49TY?si=b47s4dIMnVAau9Jz" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div>Filip Notebaerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10869000121801297521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325810183428979009.post-80021977547444704402024-01-14T17:40:00.000+01:002024-01-14T17:40:08.356+01:00January 14, 2024 - Deep freeze.It's a well known fact that cold temperatures enhance the friction of the sandstone boulders a lot, and therefor, I always embrace them. When they stay below freezing during the day however, I like it a bit less. I am not very good in coping with freezing temperatures because despite clothing myself accordingly, my toes quickly feel numb from the cold and once that happens, there's no way I can get them warm again. This was one of those weekends.<br />As I had to work again, I seem to have missed out on the most ideal conditions, cold and dry with a shining sun. It was quite frustrating looking through the window from my desk, but the weekend looked quite promising, so I was patient. Yesterday and today, the temperatures remained below freezing though and I had a hard time keeping my toes warm. I didn't top out anything yesterday and even though I got really close to sending "Rudiments (direct)", fell of the mantle at least ten times, I had to give up due to totally numb toes and unable to feel anything anymore.<br />This morning, it was even colder than yesterday, but I went back to Apremont Portes du Désert anyway, not with the intention to try "Rudiments (direct)" again, but rather to try the very slopey "Le Combat de Trop", a problem that requires sticky conditions, the main reason why I had never tried it before.<br />It didn't take me extremely long, but long enough for my toes to feel numb, making the the topout feel quite sketchy as I couldn't feel anything beneath my toes.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - Apremont Portes du Désert - Le Combat de Trop 7B</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PPNUU82ukP8?si=rLnbG0Tkjb836PMh" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">My skin felt better than yesterday and with that perception, I decided to make another stop at "Rudiments (direct)". Just before leaving yesterday, I had noticed a small shallow mono pocket to use at the mantle, but as my feet were completely numb, I couldn't even get there anymore. Using the mono, I was able to finish it on my first attempt of today.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - Apremont Portes du Désert - Rudiments (direct) 7B</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LbeNqXTrMSo?si=EQfLZLsHXut7Lpxg" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div>Filip Notebaerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10869000121801297521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325810183428979009.post-12281089082268103732024-01-04T17:57:00.002+01:002024-01-04T17:57:52.213+01:00January 04, 2024 - Serval.As I will leave for Belgium tomorrow morning to visit family for the weekend, I only had today left for climbing before starting work again on Monday. There was still a lot of wind after yesterday's rain, so I was pretty confident that "Serval" would be dry. I had worked out all but of the moves yesterday and with them still being fresh in my head and body, I wanted to finish it off.<br />Apart from first two moves, "Serval" is very friction dependent and amazingly the slopers were in excellent condition. The friction was exactly what it had to be. I must have been quite tired already when I worked in it yesterday, because this morning I had the missing immediately figured out and I was ready for attempts from the start. Barely fifteen minutes later, I was able to work my way to the top. It felt a bit soft for the grade, but I realize that this was mainly thanks to the excellent friction.<br /><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - Apremont Bizons - Serval 7B+</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gbnkxKampuY?si=ZG9D2ablww4KqZkj" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div></div>Filip Notebaerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10869000121801297521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325810183428979009.post-27014181333964985022024-01-03T16:51:00.001+01:002024-01-03T16:51:17.766+01:00January 03, 2024 - Waiting for windows.The weather has been so unstable during the past weeks that it has been an almost constant search and wait for weather windows that allow climbing. Luckily, despite many and sometimes heavy rainshowers, a hard wind is helping a lot with drying the boulders. Unfortunately, another rain shower is always nearby, hence the search and wait for windows of opportunity. This morning was a good opportunity. It rained a lot yesterday, but there has been a lot of wind during the night, and the next period of rain was forecasted only shortly after noon. To take the most chance of the opportunity, I left earlier than usual to Apremont Bizons, back to "Border Lyme".<br />There were only a handful of cars parked near the buvette and the sight of the low boulders it didn't look good, but the further and higher I walked up the hill, the more promising it started to look. The boulder of "Border Lyme" was completely dry and in near perfect conditions, much better even than two days ago when I had worked out the moves.<br />Despite the better conditions, and even though I could do the last move separately, I couldn't get through it when coming from the start and the problem started sucking out my energy, until I suddenly felt drops, much sooner than expected, and I had to shortly stack my stuff under the roof. It luckily only lasted a few minutes and I had to wait for the boulder to dry out again. It luckily didn't become very wet, so the hard wind made it dry very quick again. In the meantime, I rethinked the last move and came up with a more secure way to do the last move. It was a bit harder pulling on the right crimp behind the tree, but it had a much higher percentage of success. Thanks to that change in beta, I was able to finish "Border Lyme" immediately after. Quite a hard problem, but very nice moves.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - Apremont Bizons - Border Lyme 7B+(7B)</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xEKFrfE3pyc?si=i7Ukx7DtHXw5I0jn" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">On my way to the boulder of "Serval", I stopped at "Corne de Bisonneau (direct)" and was able to flash it with relative ease. Not sure why I had never tried this nice line before.<br />Later, I was able to work out the method for the crux of "Serval", but was forced to stop by the rain. It was about the time it was forecasted. At least, this window had been worth the wait.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - Apremont Bizons - Corne de Bisonneau (direct) 7A</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xSJpH2o_sdI?si=yK-OzMJD412UUNO3" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div>Filip Notebaerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10869000121801297521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325810183428979009.post-44900809641782923852024-01-01T17:23:00.003+01:002024-01-01T17:23:46.352+01:00January 01, 2024 - Just a new year.Of course, I used to love celebrating new year's eve. As a child it was an opportunity so see and play with my cousins and staying up until very late. Then, as a teenager, it was another to party with friends. Later, since many years ago, I started to no longer see the sense of celebrating that what is just and only a change of number in the way we write down the date. I started to think of it as a completely pointless reason to celebrate and stay up until after midnight, only to wake up the day after feeling tired and having not much of the day.<br />I don't celebrate new year's eve anymore since a long time and often find myself alone at home while my wife and kids are off to celebrate at friends' houses. I do wish for them to have fun and enjoy, bus as far as myself concerned, I prefer to stay home and stay within my normal routine of going to bed between 22h and 22h30. It allows me to be in good shape the next day and actually do something without feeling tired and wanting to waste my time yawning on the couch. <br />As expected, I was up as usual this morning and with the sun being out, I was more than ready to go for a climb. I went to Apremont Bizons and warmed up on the relatively new "La Longue Jeunesse", which I did on my second attempt. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - Apremont Bizons - La Longue Jeunesse 7A</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MpRnbv6Ky7Q?si=TopKXBiukqLOJCOI" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The conditions were very good and the rock was quite sticky, which was a big advantage on the slopey "Deep Grip", on the same boulder and starting the same as "La Longue Jeunesse", but exiting directly on slopers. It only took me five minutes to work out the top part and sent it on my second go from the start. A nice problem, but didn't feel harder than soft 7B in my opinion. Likely, the good conditions had something to do with it.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - Apremont Bizons - Deep Grip 7B+</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OaziT9dTQR8?si=BGIvG9Vaf7EYI--D" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Finally, I had a good session on "Border Lyme", being able to work out a method, which was quite complicated. Unfortunately, the process had worn me out and I fell off the last move a few times when coming from the start. A short, but heavy rain shower then put an end to the session. </div></div></div></div>Filip Notebaerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10869000121801297521noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325810183428979009.post-44692943856479710772023-12-31T16:17:00.000+01:002023-12-31T16:17:00.400+01:00December 31, 2023 - Last (good) one of the year.When I woke up due to heavy wind and rain last night, I didn't expect to be able to climb today, but the sky cleared up this morning and it looked it was drying fast thanks to the sun and an ongoing quite heavy wind. As I had to bring my oldest son to a friend near Buthiers in the early afternoon, I was patient and gave it enough time to dry before heading to Buthiers.My idea was to try "Mac'Arel" and I was delighted to find it in very good conditions despite the problem facing North and being in the shade. The wind had done an excellent job.<br />"Mac'Arel" shares the same topout as "Paie ton Mac Do" and as I remembered the latter giving me quite a hard time in 2020, I didn't really expect too much of it, but it turned out I didn't need a lot of time to work out the crux again. It was as if my body still remembered what to do, even after more than three years.<br />Loaded with good confidence, I began trying "Mac'Arel" from the start, but soon realized that it added some difficulty to the crux move when coming from way left. I remained calm and confident though, and sent "Mac'Arel" sooner than expected after all. It was a great and beautiful problem to end the year with. I was satisfied.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - Buthiers Canard - Mac'Arel 7B+</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ynxXcrbiQNM?si=5zRuMfOBxO59T4Qt" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div>Filip Notebaerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10869000121801297521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325810183428979009.post-42755778641454063532023-12-30T21:12:00.000+01:002023-12-30T21:12:12.002+01:00December 30, 2023 - Six heels plus one.When arriving at the small, but long, area of Cassepot Roches Roses, you immediately realize where it got its name when looking at the boulders. A lot of the boulders there have these pink/red -ish spots, which makes it almost unique on its own. Even though I have been there only a few times, I always liked this quiet peaceful spot. The surroundings are just beautiful. There are not many boulders, and I walked straight to the very last one of the area, also one of the most attractive.<br />Kind of with the intention to work on one of weaknesses, being bad heelhooks, I started with "Les Trois Talons", for which you need to place a heelhook three times, without the possibility to use a toehook; something that I always look for when a problem involves heelhooks.<br />I first worked out the last part, with the hardest heelhook, something that took many adjustments in details, learning a lot in the process. As soon I did the move, I surprisingly finished "Les Trois Talons" on my second attempt from the start, only to discover that somehow the memory card of my camera had gone into recovery mode at some point when it was recording. After quickly watching the footage, the ascent wasn't recorded, so I had to do it again if I wanted it on video. As it happens often to me, when I want to repeat a problem, I climb with too much confidence and forget to pay attention to the small details that contributed to the ascent. I needed quite a few more attempts to finally get on video. At least, now I had practiced my heelhooks quite well.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - Cassepot Roches Roses - Les Trois Talons 7A+</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QrQBelVoU6U?si=LZloEcre8Ez9n4HA" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I wanted to try "La Solution", one of the other problems on that boulder, as well, but the second, and hardest, part of the problem was in really bad conditions, so I was only able to work in the first and easier part. Slightly disappointed, I walked away, and decided to stop and try "Pink Power (assis)" on my way back. I couldn't remember ever seeing that problem dry, but somehow, even after all the rain we had during the past few weeks, today it was dry. Starting deep in a pit and quite dirty, the problem doesn't look appealing at first, but as soon as I tried out some of the moves, I quickly realized that it was much nicer than it looks. After working out the crux, which again involved a heelhook, I only needed a handful of attempts to top it out.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - Cassepot Roches Roses - Pink Power (assis) 7A+</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vPmtq-kyz28?si=ftNQbcjKAfHzWIIE" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div>Filip Notebaerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10869000121801297521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325810183428979009.post-21199324161456181232023-12-27T20:17:00.001+01:002023-12-27T20:17:21.251+01:00December 27, 2023 - Worth the walk.This morning I was greeted by very nice weather at last and this time I wasn't forced by rain to drive back home when I went to Mont Aiveu. I had a long walk ahead, but knowing that "Peinture Rupestre?" was probably in good condition, thanks to Laurent (Darlot) who did the sitstart a few days ago, made it all bearable. Add to that the beautiful surroundings and the sun being out and sucking the humidity out of the air, making it all a perfect mix.<br />Last time I was in Mont Aiveu, I couldn't try the sitstart due to wet starting holds, but today it was good and dry. I vaguely remember the moves from the crouching start, so I basically only had two or three moves to still work out. After changing details in beta a couple of times, I finally found a method that suited me and decided to setup the camera and give it some real attempts without trying the second part again. Being there had made me remember exactly what to do. After a handful of attempts, I suddenly had that flow and cruised up the boulder. <br />I still had a long walk back, but wasn't bothered by it, because I felt that it was all totally worth it. This problem from the sitstart is a true gem, a real beauty. I loved it!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - Mont Aiveu - Peinture Rupestre? (assis) 7B</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pHefXBEyXdI?si=1R45LhZD15d46Ai9" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div>Filip Notebaerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10869000121801297521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325810183428979009.post-54928448407674795642023-12-26T17:59:00.000+01:002023-12-26T17:59:42.220+01:00December 26, 2023 - Man on fire.Climbing "La Gaule (assis)" yesterday was in a good flow, but despite that, I could feel it on my body when I woke up this morning. After having some breakfast, I was driving to Mont Aiveu when it started drizzling. It wasn't much at first, but as I continued, the drizzle got harder, to the point that it didn't make sense to drive on, so I turned around, back home.<br />When it looked dry again in the afternoon, I played safe and went to the nearby J.A. Martin area to try the relatively new "L'Homme en Feu". With all the rain and humidity the last few weeks, the chance for forest fires is extremely low, but the boulder of "Couleur de Feu" always looks like it's on fire due to the it's orange yellowish color.<br />I flashed "L'Homme en Feu", but was really to falling off near the top when I discovered that there was barely anything to hold on to, which I didn't expect. My fingers were still very cold and I could barely feel what I was holding on to, but managed to stick and work my way up.<br />Unfortunately, the bottom part under the roof was dripping wet, so I wasn't able to try the sitstart. It will be an excuse to come back to this very nice boulder some other day.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - J.A. Martin - L'Homme en Feu 7A</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/H1mwI3Kyvqc?si=9WVfs1_tPAHK8_E8" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div>Filip Notebaerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10869000121801297521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325810183428979009.post-73880748021463654552023-12-25T17:57:00.001+01:002023-12-25T17:57:24.992+01:00December 25, 2023 - No extra weight.I had tried "La Gaule (assis)" several sessions in a row, when the conditions allowed for it, but bad weather forced me to take a short break from it. As I had kept an eye on the weather forecast, I determined that one of the best chances where time and conditions sort of came together, was today, Christmas Day. Trying to make sure to avoid any unpleasant surprises, I avoided over eating yesterday, on Christmas Eve. A mistake that happened to me a few times already.<br />Arriving at Cuvier around 11h this morning, the boulders looked all dry, and it was weird to see only three cars on the parking, a very unusual sight at Cuvier on a public holiday and dry boulders. It only was to my advantage. The boulder of "La Gaule" is a bit deeper in the forest though, but my last fears crumbled when I arrived at the boulder. It was dry!<br />The last session, I made from the sitstart into the standing start nearly every time, and it was only near the end of my previous session that I turned my focus on better dialing the details for the standing part. This time, I decided to climb the standing start as a warmup and get the muscle memory going. I didn't want to allow any room for error in minor details that could potentially prevent me from topping out. The standing start went very quick and I repeated it once again before taking a short break and attack from the sitstart.<br />Only a handful attempts after the break, I worked my way to the top and was somewhat speechless when I stood up there again. It was one of those times where my mind was completely clear and everything flowed as if I was on auto pilot. Couldn't have gotten myself a better Christmas present than this.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - Cuvier Ouest - La Gaule (assis) 7C(7C+)</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vFu55UChtnk?si=2KR_VhnQT0Yrmt-w" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div>Filip Notebaerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10869000121801297521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325810183428979009.post-31885743971219265752023-12-10T17:57:00.002+01:002023-12-10T17:57:47.128+01:00December 10, 2023 - Connected.Even though we had a huge amount of rain yesterday, the sky was clear during the night and a heavy wind helped gave hope to be able to climb something today. I left the house secretly hoping to try "La Gaule (assis)", but I kind of knew that this hope was in vain given the closed in place where the boulder is. Arriving at Cuvier, that was confirmed by wet boulders all over, but despite that, I had a look anyway, thinking I could still continue my way higher up the hill to Cuvier Ouest. <br />At the boulder, which was of course too wet, I stopped and imagined the moves before continuing my way uphill and found most of the boulders in Cuvier Ouest dry, as I expected. For a moment, I hesitated to try "Imothep", but walked on towards the small roof of "Le Toit du Gollum".<br />"Le Précieux" had always seemed morpho to me, but I gave it a chance and after working out the moves, I found a way, even though it was on the limit of being too mropho.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - Cuvier Ouest - Le Précieux 7A+(7B)</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PF7aanRM6kU?si=rfD1LeC22pNVUiJm" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I felt connected with the environment I was in and with the boulder, stayed where I was, and started working out the moves of "Gollum Connection". After figuring out a method, it went down quicker than "Le Précieux", mainly because I knew what to do at the end.<br />I was lucky that it hadn't taken longer, because not long after, it started raining again.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - Cuvier Ouest - Gollum Connection 7B</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/d5H6-cFh4d4?si=eVTU-Oskw1ImD38T" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div>Filip Notebaerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10869000121801297521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325810183428979009.post-81015439289076937272023-12-03T17:35:00.001+01:002023-12-03T17:35:21.146+01:00December 03, 2023 - Lost & found.The last couple of days of the work week, I had been looking forward to go and try "Gaïa" in Rocher Brûlé this weekend, and the conditions yesterday were great. Despite that, when I left home yesterday morning, I completely lacked motivation and when I started trying "Gaïa", I just couldn't give myself for a 100%. I have absolutely no idea why or how come, but the motivation stayed gone and trying to force it to return didn't seem to work. Disappointed with myself, I decided to pack up and stop at Mont Pivot on my way home. Unfortunately, also in Mont Pivot, my motivation was still lost and no matter what I tried, it just didn't get better, so even more disappointed, I went back home.<br />This morning though, I could immediately feel that the motivation was back, but decided to go to Cuvier Nord to try "Rencontre Plus-Tonique". The conditions were less than yesterday, but still good and after doing the topout of "Rencontre Plus-Tonique" as a warmup, I was able to finish the whole problem on my second attempt. It was a good morale boost and I felt very motivated again.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - Cuvier Nord - Rencontre Plus-Tonique 7B</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1NBAiGZ063A?si=7WSd0gnzvCi3-F2k" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">With the motivation found back, I walked to the boulder of "La Gaule" and was pleasantly surprised to see that the tree that fell on the boulder, had been moved out of the way, making it possible to try it again.<br />I had done the standing start of "La Gaule" in August 2016 and tried the sitstart briefly, but couldn't even get my butt off the ground and concluded that it must be too morpho. A few years ago though, I returned and was able to get up and almost reach the right arete. When I wanted to back and dedicate some time in it about a year ago, it was the day that I noticed that a tree had fallen on the boulder and I didn't want to spend time and energy trying to move it, so I left it, until today. It was a productive session and this time, I was able to climb from the sit up to one move into the standing start several times, but my skin was quite bad and I kept on slipping off at that point. No disappointment when I left, because I had found a new project that I want to spend some time on and more importantly, also found my motivation back.</div></div>Filip Notebaerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10869000121801297521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325810183428979009.post-58742904515154683042023-11-26T17:42:00.001+01:002023-11-26T17:42:14.055+01:00November 26, 2023 - Neuroscientist.It was below freezing this morning, and the conditions promised to be good. I didn't have much time, so I went to the nearby Roche aux Sabots Sud to try "Neurosciences", a boulder that I had always kept aside for some other day, which turned out to be today.<br />The boulder was dry, but the top required some cleaning, and multiple attempts for the slopers to be rid of sandy grains that covered them. Once cleared out, it didn't take me very long to finish it off.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - Roche aux Sabots Sud - Neurosciences 7B+(7B)</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0eA_2MiX1ZE?si=IJFfhSFWVBjp1zg5" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The left exit required even more cleaning and seemed to be not possible at first, but persistence paid off and the slopers gained in friction, making the left version possible. Given the mediocre conditions on the left side, it felt almost as hard as the original version, but as I already knew the first part, it went down much faster after all.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - Roche aux Sabots Sud - Neurosciences (gauche) 7B(7A+)</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sph-FTnPnhw?si=fjD4zovQC_g-brro" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div>Filip Notebaerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10869000121801297521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325810183428979009.post-49740200309921515312023-11-25T18:12:00.004+01:002023-11-25T18:12:32.019+01:00November 25, 2023 - The game is on.I was gone abroad for work this week, which kind of wore me out, so I didn't expect too much of climbing today.<br />It has been seven years since I did "Game One" in Apremont Butte aux Dames, and I decided to go and try the sitstart. While warming up, I was surprised to repeat the standing start much quicker than I anticipated, which allowed me more time to work on the sitstart. Just like seven years ago when I briefly tried the sitstart, there is morphologically no way for me to reach the starting holds when sitting down on my butt, so I worked from the lowest start possible. It adds a few quite difficult moves to get into the standing start and makes one lose some friction, but it was very cold and the conditions were great. <br />It was a nice feeling when I finally managed to top it out.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - Apremont Butte aux Dames - Game One (assis) 7C</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/w9M8n2U8IJQ?si=ilU8F1-DoDRsK8jH" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div>Filip Notebaerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10869000121801297521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325810183428979009.post-85876201237754393672023-11-11T19:14:00.001+01:002023-11-11T19:14:28.837+01:00November 11, 2023 - Zones of silence.With the amount of rain and we had last yesterday evening, I didn't count on good conditions nor trying anything too hard. Instead I chose to go for some silence at some remote still quite unknown small area, featuring only a handful of boulders and only of them that had my interest. The small area of Mont Aiveu is quite a walk from the small parking, but I enjoyed it whilst admiring the beauty of the forest in Autumn. The boulders of the area have nice atypical colors and seem to fit in with the season.<br />The only boulder that I was interested in, the one with "Peinture Rupestre?", is located on top of a small hill, offering a stunning view. Unfortunately, the bottom part under the small roof was wet, so I immediately had to rule out trying the sitstart. The standing start was dry, but the left part of the boulder is marbled and without any friction, which I hadn't expected. Even for the left heelhook it is extremely slippery. It took ma a handful of attempts to the standing start.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - Mont Aiveu - Peinture Rupestre? 7A</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NJliFNXiLTc?si=SjgBCZsRKs_QGd9i" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">As the sitstart was out of the question with the wet starting holds, I did work out the lowest start possible and started from the lowest dry holds I could use. Basically, a crouching start, two moves in from the sitstart. This on itself already felt like 7B in my opinion.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - Mont Aiveu - Peinture Rupestre? (accroupi) 7A+(7B)</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ApayB5AKhzg?si=2GYv8A8TvT_P01Ay" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">On the way back to the car, I made a small detour to find the couple of boulders of another small area called Rocher des Ventes Héron.<br />I was able to find the boulder with "La Dernière du Matin" quickly and it looked like this problem was the only one still possible to climb. The other lines need some rebrushing.<br />I warmed up my fingers again by doing the standing start, about 6C+ on its own.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - Rocher des Ventes Héron - La Dernière du Matin (debout) 6C+</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lQWkoh3vDxw?si=nyP7cHJtAl-CC2zt" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The (original) sitstart followed soon after.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - Rocher des Ventes Héron - La Dernière du Matin 7A+</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/so3S5g0t2n0?si=juvMPut_G8I0DUZw" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Filip Notebaerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10869000121801297521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325810183428979009.post-21003037760211685082023-11-05T17:07:00.003+01:002023-11-05T17:07:59.926+01:00November 05, 2023 - The right direction.We had a lot of rain the past few days, but there was a strong wind coming from the South-West, which led me to believe that at least some boulders had to be dry on the South face of the hill of Apremont. While browsing bleau.info for inspiration, I noticed "Tropicaux", a boulder that I hadn't seen before, but going by its location description, I had a rough idea where it had to be and figured it probably had a good chance to be dry already.<br />On my way up the hill, I stopped at the classic "Clin d'Oeil" to warm up and try the sitstart as well. I repeated the standing start on my first attempt and after figuring out how the first two moves of the sitstart went, also did that one on my second go.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - Apremont - Clin d'Oeil (assis) 7A+(7A)</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0XmlyqOvmh4?si=ovniU141b7VeltQb" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Not far from there uphill, I found the boulder of "Tropicaux", which was more or less where I expected it to be, and it was dry as well. After a few attempts though, I just couldn't see myself reaching the high slopers, and it was only after I briefly tried "Trop de Piquette" just left of it, that I noticed that I might be able to use the nice small 'colonette' as a toehook and use compression between the arete and the toehook to reach the high sloper. To my surprise it turned out very well and after perfecting my right foot placement, I was able to get to it. The next struggle apparently was letting go of the toehook without swinging too hard and slipping off the sloper.<br />I persisted, and made it count about half an hour later. Quite physical, slightly morpho, but a really nice problem that I enjoyed a lot.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fontainebleau - Apremont - Tropicaux 7B+(7B)</u></b><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iUSuJhXiKeY?si=X31equuE6gc6x8NG" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div>Filip Notebaerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10869000121801297521noreply@blogger.com0