May 30-31, 2026 - No panic.

Yesterday was the last with extremely hot temperatures, so the only option was to climb in the morning on something in the shade and use the advantage of the dryer period to try something that dries rather slowly. I also didn't want to stay close to home, so I came up with "Tony 2010" in Rocher de la Cathédrale. I had tried it briefly a few years ago, but didn't find enough confidence to commit on the dynamic move to the sloper high up left. Basically, the first move after stepping in.
I didn't seem to have a big problem finding the confidence yesterday morning, so I started getting close to sticking the move quite quickly. I had cleaned off the topout, but didn't expect me to get to that point, or maybe I was secretly hoping not to, because there are no holds at all for doing the mantle. Only a bad slope with a shallow vertical crack feature in the wrong direction for pulling on.
It was a bit of a surprise when I suddenly stuck the dynamic move. I thought about the fact that the crashpad wasn't under the topout, but still under the first part of the problem. I continued on anyway but the mantle was giving me a hard time. I tried not to panic and looked for options trying to remain calm. I turned my hands to push me higher up, but my left leg was stopping me and my hands felt like they could slip any time. The motivation for not wanting to fall off there took over and somehow I was able to push me onto the boulder.

Fontainebleau - Rocher de la Cathédrale - Tony 2010 7B+

The temperature didn't drop below 20°C last night but the morning felt quite nice. It was cloudy and it noticebeable that it wasn't going to be as hot as the previous days. Since I did "Le Cloître (direct) in Bois Rond Le Moine, I was waiting for a day like this to go back to try the sitstart. The problem facing South on the South face of the hill isn't an option for really hot sunny days.
I had a look at the sitstart last time, but didn't try it because it was after a rainy period and the hole where you place the feet was wet. It starts with a bad sloper-pinch and a small low crimp and the first looked impossibly far, but yet it intrigued me.
Trying the first move for the first time this morning, it felt impossible. However the correct body position and hip movement changed the game, to the point that I was able to do it every try. The slopers higher up though posed a bigger problem this time. The conditions weren't as good as last time and it felt like I had to relearn the second part. On the send attempt, I could immediately feel with every move that it was probably the send go. Everything clicked and flowed and I got up the boulder from the sitstart. The sitstart is a very  nice addition to the stand.

Fontainebleau - Bois Rond Le Moine - Le Cloître (direct assis) 7B

May 25, 2026 - Underestimated warmup.

The heat is on the last couple of days and it gets way too hot for climbing after noon. 
Theo (Konstantakopoulos) is in the forest for a few days and he texted me, asking if wanted to go for a first ascent one of these days. As only today suited me, it had to be this day. 
As it's very crowded in the forest this long weekend, despite the heat, I proposed to go to Le Pendu d'Huison where I had started cleaning a small overhanging boulder just below "Boule de Feu", after topping out the latter. I had only cleaned the bottom part of the boulder and had tried some of the lower moves, so today we only had to brush the upper part of the boulder and the topout, which turned out to be quite slopey. Back then, I had envisioned a line starting in the middle of the overhang and topping out directly. I did have a brief look at the right part with the arete, but it didn't look hard enough. It was also the first line that Theo noticed on this boulder and, a bit arrogantly, we decided to open that line as a warmup. What we thought would be a warmup, actually became quite a fight. It quickly became obvious that we clearly underestimated it. 
After some time though, I did manage to fight my way up onto the boulder. Theo came very close, but after some time, the freshly cleaned boulder and its very good friction, had taken its toll on the skin and he had to let it go. It was a pity, because we both would have liked for this to be a team ascent.
Given the situation, I named it "La Chauffe Sous-Estimée" and propose the grade of 7A+(7A), where it will probably be the easier grade for taller climbers. It turns out to be quite a nice line, featuring a beautiful pinch on the arete for the right hand. It's located on the small boulder about 5m below the one with "Boule de Feu".

Fontainebleau - Le Pendu d'Huison - La Chauffe Sous-Estimée 7A+(7A)

May 23, 2026 - End of the break.

Thanks to Mikael Uponen, I had some inspiration for what to try this morning. He sent me a message earlier this week to notify me about a new problem that he opened on the "Aire de Repos" boulder in Bois des Hauts de Milly. It's a small isolated roof that I cleaned around the Covid period and had opened a few obvious lines on it, following the edge of the roof. Somehow, it didn't occur to me to try going through the roof directly, or perhaps I didn't see it as possible. I'm glad Mikael did and that he sent me a message about it as it not (yet) published on bleau.info.
The convention is to climb directly through the roof without using either side of it. It sounds like it's an eliminate problem, but it turns out that it doesn't feel that way at all. You're just climbing a very logical line using the crimps under the roof and top out at the end of it. I'm also pleased that he named it in the same line as the other problems.
I was there before it was too warm this morning, but that wouldn't be for long. Luckily, a few trees offer a very welcoming shade most of the time. At first, I had a hard time figuring out what to do. The crimps are obviously there, but getting into a good position to use them with the required force seemed to be impossible at first and I messaged Mikael, asking for the video that he made but hadn't sent me yet. By the time he answered, I had been able to find a way, which turned out to be the same as he was doing in his video, at least for the first part. I had found a possible method for the second part, but it felt extremely hard. Trying his method on his video deemed to be just a bit too morpho for my short legs, so I switched back to my method. 
After some minor tweaks it finally started to feel possible and I was able to finish it a few attempts later. In time before it became too hot.
A very nice addition from Mikael on this cool little roof.

Fontainebleau - Bois des Hauts de Milly - Fin de Repos 7B+

May 16, 2026 - Shortcut.

No inspiration or motivation to write anything.
Here's a shortcut version of "Dévertige".

Fontainebleau - Dame Jouanne - Dévertige (raccourci) 7A+

May 15, 2026 - Hiding in Guichot.

The long weekend of the first of May, I was on a business trip for a project and had to work through the weekend, spending long days at work. I was gone for a week and when I got back home, I was truly exhausted. I wanted to climb last weekend, tried for three days in a row (Friday the 8th of May being a public holiday), but I felt like rubbish. Nothing went as I wanted it to be and I felt weak without much motivation. Luckily, I felt the motivation and strength coming back earlier this week and I was eager to climb again, for the even longer weekend. Yet, the weather isn't great and it feels like Autumn. Lots of wind with sun and rain constantly back and forth.
This morning there was a good sunny window though and I decided to climb not too hard hoping to make some tops and boost my morale. There are a few new problems opened by David Evrard in an isolated part of Rocher Guichot and they seemed like ideal contenders.
"Pince à Sucre" is very well hidden and much my style. After I warmed up trying the moves separately and finding a working sequence, I was able to finish it on my first attempt from the start. Even though it had felt like I could have fallen off at any moment after taking the slightly slopey pocket near the top. I wrongly though it would have been over when I got there, and didn't expect the sketchy topout. Nevertheless, again a very nice find from David.

Fontainebleau - Rocher Guichot - Pince à Sucre 7A

The other one that I definitely wanted to try, was "La Conque à Bras (direct)". Yesterday evening, when the rain had stopped for a short while, I did go out to find the boulder, hoping to try it, but by time I got there, it had started raining again. The overhang offered shelter from the rain and the holds in it stayed dry, so I could at least try the moves until the crimp. The topout being soaking wet and still dripping from the rain, was going to be impossible, so hadn't even tried the move after the crimp. It did feel like a first class boulder though, so I was eager to try the whole line.
I made it to the lip of the overhang on my first attempt, but due to a foot slip, I still came off. It went smoothly on my second attempt though. Indeed truly a first class line and well worth five stars in my opinion.

Fontainebleau - Rocher Guichot - La Conque à Bras (direct) 7A

April 25-26, 2026 - Listen to the signs.

I wasn't 100% for climbing yesterday for some reason, but I did want to go to a nice spot in the forest to get away from the house and from all the work. It didn't have to be long, but I just needed some peace and quiet and I had to listen to signs of my mind and body. Coquibus is a great place for hiding, so I went to Montrouget Est, to the isolated boulder of "High Liner".
My skin wasn't great and I had a hard time finding good friction, but was able to going not too bad after all. I hadn't planned and wasn't very attracted by "Crack Liner" right next to, sharing the same start and first couple of moves, but after I dry fired out of the small vertical crack right hand near the end of "High Liner", I took a pretty sketchy fall. It turned out okay, but given that it could have been pretty bad, I took it as a sign and decided to switch to "Crack Liner" after all. Having worked out "High Liner", I knew the first part already and was able to send "Crack Liner" on my first attempt. It turned out to be much nicer than I expected.

Fontainebleau - Montrouget Est - Crack Liner 7A(7A+)

This morning, I felt tired and wanted to a lot more work around the house and in my barn, but went to Apremont Bizons to try "Les L de Lilou" in an isolated sector of the area. It was unfortunately much more in the sun than I remembered from a previous visit there many years ago, and with my skin not being in the best condition, I didn't think I was going to be able to hold on the bad slopers for long enough to be able to finish it. Somehow after a handful of attempts, I did manage to struggle my way through and to the top of this very nice problem.

Fontainebleau - Apremont Bizons - Les L de Lilou 7B

April 18-19, 2026 - Everything goes.

The more aesthetical climbers will always try to avoid using knees and elbows, but I'm definitely not one of them. The point is to follow the line of the problem and get to the end. I'm one those climbers that is of the opinion that everything goes, as long as you get to the end. That includes elbows, knees, and whatever part of the body can help to reach the goal.
Yesterday morning I went back to Le Pendu d'Huison again, to try "Boule de Feu" on a big and very attractive boulder a bit below "Psycho Tropical". It was one of the other boulders that I wanted to try when coming here for the first time, but due my priorities being with the two other lines, I hadn't taken an opportunity yet to try it, despite having looked at a few times and already imagining the moves. 
Starting in a steep overhang with an undercling, it immediately starts with a lot of body tension, making the first couple of moves quite powerful. The moves seemed to fir me pretty well though and I soon had a good working sequence to get through the overhang. There was one move afterwards that gave me a bit of trouble at first, but all in all, I managed to send it quite fast. Another beauty from Olivier (Lebreton) that deserves five stars in my personal and humble opinion.

Fontainebleau - Le Pendu d'Huison - Boule de Feu 7B+

Due to unexpected work in the house with my oldest son in the afternoon, which kept us busy until the evening and going to bed quite late for my usual habits, I felt quite exhausted this morning and as I wanted to finish what we started the day before, it was already around noon when I was able to go for a quick climb. Still wanting to do work in my barn, I stayed close to home and went to Rocher de la Cathédrale to try "J'aime tes G'noux", opened by Manuel (Marques). A small low roof with compression moves and where even Manuel, one of the most aesthetic climbers I know, used his knees for topping out. Hence the name of the problem. I felt in my element on it and didn't need much time to finish it off. It's not because of the knees, but I liked it.

Fontainebleau - Rocher de la Cathédrale - J'aime tes G'noux 7B