I left home early this morning so I could take advantage from the cool temperature and cooled down sandstone thanks to the night. It was exactly 8h30 when I started the car.
Not a luxury when another high temperature record is announced for today, the third consecutive day in a row that the record would be broken.
To be on even the safer side, I went to the North part of Franchard Raymond, knowing that it's in the shade all day.
It's in fact that much in the shade, that even after two very hot and dry days, the key hold of "Étalonnage Physique" was still feeling humid.
Add the pollen, that are constantly falling out of sky with this weather, to that, and it becomes very slippery.
Even though I managed to find a way through the second part of the problem, I kept on slipping off the hold when coming from the start.
There was no way that it was going down today, so I continued my way down on the blue path.
I had a walk in mind that would take me around the whole area and along some problems I wanted to try.
The first one on my route after "Étalonnage Physique" was the relatively unknown, rarely repeated and isolated boulder with for instance "The Mask". But first I wanted to do the easier variation with the arete, "Coco Bongo".
The boulder was lying nicely in the shade and the temperature there was very comfortable. But also so for the mosquitos apparently.
They like to gather together in dark, shady and seemingly humid places. Exactly like where the boulder can be found.
The boulder was full of them and I had to make a lot of wind to chase them away. They didn't seem to like it, because one of them slapped me right back in the face. Or so it seemed.
Despite the mosquitos, "Coco Bongo" climbs very nice and I'm sure that it would be very popular if it would have been located in another better known area.
Went down on my second attempt.
Fontainebleau - Franchard Raymond - Coco Bongo 7A
"The Mask" is its direct variation without the arete and it is a totally different story.
Very bad slopers, a hard mantle into the hollow of the boulder and then very subtle movement to a better over the belly, followed by another hard mantle on slopers.
Not the hardest for the grade, but I can imagine that a lot of (mainly) gym climbers, who are less used to the subtle movement in Bleau, can have a much more difficult time with it.
Very bad slopers, a hard mantle into the hollow of the boulder and then very subtle movement to a better over the belly, followed by another hard mantle on slopers.
Not the hardest for the grade, but I can imagine that a lot of (mainly) gym climbers, who are less used to the subtle movement in Bleau, can have a much more difficult time with it.
Fontainebleau - Franchard Raymond - The Mask 7B+
Some more problems were tried when I arrived at the South part of Franchard Raymond, on the way back, but the only one that I was able to finish was "La Belle Proue (assis)".
A beautiful prow indeed, just waiting for it to be climbed!
A beautiful prow indeed, just waiting for it to be climbed!
Fontainebleau - Franchard Raymond - La Belle Proue (assis) 7A
It was 13h30 when I arrived back at the car, and the thermometer said 31°C in the shade, where I strategically parked in the morning. It was too hot for climbing now.
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