January 15, 2017 - Love at first sight.

Everything was wet this morning, but the sky was clear and I wanted to quickly climb something before the return of the rain.
Gorge à Veron, next door, a short walk, only a handful of boulders, but in the open so quick drying.
It seemed like a fair choice.

I still remember the first time I went to Gorge à Véron, and it was love at first sight.
It's truly a unique part of the forest in the Coquibus area.
That's what Régis and Alexis Allayaud maybe thought too when they opened and named one of the two 7B's in this small area, "Coup de Foudre". The French saying for "Love at first sight".

The boulders were mostly too wet, but the roof with "Coup de Foudre" was dry and the slopers were only a bit humid here and there. Only completely on top it was completely wet, but that wouldn't really be a problem.

I tried it once about two years ago when I did "Zig-Zag Napalm", but even though the line is obvious, I couldn't see the moves in it, went away and kind of forgot about it.
It was Pete (Collins) who reminded me of it a couple of weeks ago and he showed me a video of him climbing the problem.
I didn't really use a lot of his beta as I completely forgot what he did, but I was confident and worked out the moves quite fast.
It was a matter of linking it all together now, but the sharp crimp on the edge of the roof had cut a chunk of skin out of my finger.
I was close and I didn't want to give up, knowing that this will most certainly be the only problem I will be able to climb today. Clouds were setting in again and it was predicted to rain.

If this problem would have been located in a popular area, it would be an instant classic for sure!
Truly a masterclass problem in my eyes. Love at first sight!

Fontainebleau - Gorge à Véron - Coup de Foudre 7B