October 27, 2019 - Old time(r)s.

Two of my youth home town friends, Bart and Lynn, were here for the weekend and the plan was to all spend the night on the bivouac of the Hippodrome in Fontainebleau, just like the old times when I was still living in Belgium.
Knowing that we were going to climb together yesterday, I hadn't really set any expectations besides having a good time together in the forest, like the old times.

I had chosen to go to the Apremont areas because Bart and Lynn were better off with climbing some of the circuits. However, after walking up the hill of Apremont Envers, they already needed a break, so I started working out the moves of "Compresse Nez", the version that I already thought was too morpho.
Surprisingly, I found a way through the first crux and when I also found a method for the end, I started giving some real attempts.
I hurt my fairy tailbone again by falling on a big stone with it, but despite that, I managed to finish it after all.

Fontainebleau - Apremont Envers - Compresse Nez 7B+(7C)

The rest of the day was spent climbing some different coloured circuit lines, and grabbed a quick ascent of the not so difficult "Stephalloïde" in Apremont But aux Dames.

Fontainebleau - Apremont Butte aux Dames - Stephalloïde 7A

Even though I had made a nice bed with the crashpad in my car, I had a terrible night due to a painful tailbone.

This morning I had the impression that wanting to do like the old times, rather made me feel like an old timer.

October 13, 2019 - Powerless.

After having spent three sessions trying and doing "La Coccinelle" this week, my body felt tired and is in need for some energy recovery.
Pieter and Alberto arrived Friday night and they had their mind set on trying technical slabs. Not really my style, but I was in for some  change and we met at Cuvier Merveille.
During the whole day, I worked in three 7A slabs and couldn't top out any of them and my body felt more tired than ever.

Today, we went to Buthiers Canard, still very tired, but at least managed to flash the rediscovered "Knee Bar", immediately followed by Pieter.

Fontainebleau - Buthiers Canard - Knee Bar 7A

Pieter still managed to finish the beautiful "L'Esprit du Knee Bar", which starts deep in the cave and end in "Knee Bar". I fell near the end two times, leaving me completely powerless for the rest of the day.

Trying "L'Esprit du Knee Bar". Thanks to Pieter for the picture.

October 11, 2019 - No doubt.

The last three sessions, each of about an hour, I had spent trying the harder version of the ultra classic "La Coccinelle" in Buthiers Tennis. Almost every time falling off the last moves.
I think that it was partly due to always having doubts after the dynamic move to the pinch, about which method to try.

Today, I got rid of all doubts and decided to really only focus on trying the easier version.
The first moves are so memorised in my body that they I even made the dyno to the pinch on my first try of the session today. But later on, my foot slipped and I had to start over.
I took a five minute break and made it through to the end of the 7C+ version.

I felt glad, but somewhat disappointed that I hadn't focussed on that sooner.
Anyway, the harder version is in sight. No doubt about that.

Fontainebleau - Buthiers Tennis - La Coccinelle 7C+(8A)

October 05, 2019 - Avoiding the rain.

According to my weather app, the best to place to avoid the rain today, was Buthiers. It doesn't happen very often, but it was correct.
Not everything was dry and the conditions were far from good on what was, but it didn't seem to stop me from doing a quick ascent of "Formication".
Might look easy, and I only needed two attempts today, but I think it was my fourth session spent on it.

Fontainebleau - Buthiers Canard - Formication 7A+

Had some fun in "Paie ton Mac Do", but need better conditions for the high sloper and ended with some very good attempts in "La Coccinelle".

On my last attempt before the rain finally arrived, I even fell on the very last moves.

October 02, 2019 - F**k yeah!

For a long time I had been trying "La Grande Caravane" in Gorge aux Châts off and on, and for that same time, I had always thought that the far move to the right was too morpho for me.
It wasn't really a project, but I tried it now and then when I was out of inspiration for something else in the area.
Today was no different, I had some time after work, but didn't have a lot of inspiration and decided to simply spend some time trying the moves of "La Grande caravane" again.

Somehow, I don't know why or how, it all felt much easier this evening, and the problem started to feel possible.
The advantage of climbing without expectations is that there is no sending stress at all, which keeps me calm and under control.
Then suddenly, barely twenty minutes later, I made it through the first two hard moves and topped out "La Grande Caravane".
Far from the nicest problem around, but definitely had fun. F**k yeah!

Fontainebleau - Gorge aux Châts - La Grande Caravane 7C