December 29, 2020 - All I can get.

There are better weeks to be in holiday when it comes down to the weather, but up to now, I have managed to divide the time quite well, taking all out of it that I can get. Climbing wise it isn't much due to the rain and very wet conditions, but again, I'm taking all that I can get.
The few times when it was not raining, the conditions were not good enough to top out harder problems, but this afternoon, I could get away with the not so easy 7A, "Armageddon Numérique" in Justice de Noisy. I had easily done the 6A standing start months ago, but couldn't find a method to get from the sitting position into the start. Being the only dry problem around the area today, I didn't have much other choice than to spend some more time in it.
It took a while to find a working sequence to get into the standing start, but once figured out it went quite smooth. Some nice moves for this not so easy 7A.
(Boulder 5 on the topo on bleau.info: Justice de Noisy - bleau.info)

Fontainebleau - Justice de Noisy - Armageddon Numérique 7A

December 25, 2020 - Merry grey Christmas.

It's been a while since I wrote something on my blog, but it's not because I haven't been climbing. It's true that the last month was pretty low on climbing, but that was mostly due to rain and bad conditions on the moments that I had time to climb. There were a few days with quite good conditions, but the drive for topping whatever, was lower than the drive to visit some more isolated harder boulders and spend a good time in solitary, trying out moves and making progress. I also saw a lot of deer deep down in the Coquibus region, which made the long exhaustive, but beautiful walks all worth the while.
Today though, I decided to go to Cassepot Roches Grises, the only day that the weather forecast looked somewhat okay. I wasn't even out of my village yet, when I thought about turning back and waiting for a few more hours for it to dry. The streets and and the ground next to them was still soaking wet, but luckily I kept on driving. Luckily, because the conditions were quite good despite the forest still being wet.

My main goal for today was nothing too hard, but I wasn't able to do "Drôle de Monde (assis)" on my last visit to the area and it hadn't gone out of mind ever since. It was one of those few projects that kept lingering and I didn't forget about it.
The conditions were much better than last time, but the dynamic move to the sloper still didn't feel easy. Very nice problem!

Fontainebleau - Cassepot Roches Grises - Drôle de Monde (assis) 7B

Everything else that was going to follow was bonus, so I decided to stick around in the small sector and try a few other problems nearby, such as "Ewok (droite)". 
This looked like a good candidate for an easy flash, but fifteen minutes and seven attempts later, I had to revise that thought. There are so many things that look like holds, but finding the right method took me longer than expected. Fun problem though!

Fontainebleau - Cassepot Roches Grises - Ewok (droite) 7A

The last one that I topped, but not the last one that I tried, was "Distance Intersidérale".  A hard violent move to start followed by a topout which is probably easier after taking the time to clean the holds.

Fontainebleau - Cassepot Roches Grises - Distance Intersidérale 7A(7B)

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Merry Christmas!

November 29, 2020 - Three hours but only two kilometers.

We are allowed to stay outside for sports for 3 hours a day since yesterday, and up to 20 km from home. Even though I was desperately looking forward to finally leave the previous 1 km (!) radius, I only went exactly 2.1 km from home yesterday and today. "La Voie Active" in Mont Pivot had been an open tab on my web browser for some weeks already, to remind of going there as soon as I could.
Pieter and I had done "L'Imparfait du Subversif" on that same boulder a week before the first lockdown started here in March and we also worked out some of the moves of "La Voie Active" that same day and I had forgotten about it until a few weeks ago.

Yesterday I used up my 3 hours, although I have to admit that I was almost half an hour late. The weather was beautiful and perfect for climbing. Cold, but the sun was shining, it was dry and the conditions were way better than average. 
Even though I still remembered the first moves pretty well, it took a while before I was able to make everything fit perfectly to flow through the first part and have enough left for the last part. It was not very long after I had worked out the last part and taken a break that the sequence was carried out perfectly and despite an little unaesthetically executed struggle at the end, I worked myself through to the end.
Unfortunately my good old camera, or more specifically its battery, is starting to have it difficult when it's so cold. Especially after having been doing nothing in my backpack for almost a week without being kept on a charger. It definitely can't keep up for 3 hours in this cold; that's for sure now.
Anyway, the battery was completely empty and the camera was turned off when I wanted to pack up to leave. I didn't know when it had stopped though, but after checking the footage it must have been at most 10 minutes before I made the ascent. I did however, put together the footage I had and made composed a video in such a way that it features the topout of when I had worked out that part.
I didn't put online yesterday, because I was determined to go back today to make a better video. Knowing the sequence by heart and still having it in muscle memory, I was confident to repeat it again quick enough to leave me some time to try something else nearby.
The weather was not the same as yesterday though. It started out sunny when I woke up, giving me extra confidence, but even before the dawn was dry,  the sky had turned grey and the air felt humid. It was colder than yesterday without that nice sun and even though the boulder felt dry at first, it quickly turned damp. The skin of my fingers wasn't the same as yesterday neither and I must admit that I could feel yesterday's session in the form of much lower energy levels. There were a few attempts that I came really close, one even fell off the last move, but I had to throw in the towel after just under two hours of trying to repeat it. The motivation was still there, but the conditions weren't those that were needed for doing it and I was getting tired. I'm quite sure to come back again one day with Pieter. It's a beautiful line that he definitely should try again and I would be happy to join.

Fontainebleau - Mont Pivot - La Voie Active 7B(7B+)

November 2020 - Some discoveries.

Yet another strict lockdown has almost passed, but something tells me that it will not be the last. The whole month we were again confined to stay at home, but were allowed to go out for a walk for up to one hour per day and not further than one kilometer from home. For every time we went out of the house, we again had to justify being outside by filling out a form. Starting this Saturday though, some restrictions will be mildly loosened and we will be allowed twenty kilometers from home and this for up to three hours.
The previous lockdown, I had used to occasion to scout the one km radius around my house for new boulders. Mainly in the forests of La Charbonnière, La Renardière and Le Groison. When that lockdown came to an end, I left some partly brushed boulders behind, somehow knowing that another lockdown would most likely oppose itself again during the flu season that we are in now.
Not doing anything illegal, I made well use of the advantage of living where I live and continued my search for new boulders to brush and climb, staying well within my one km radius. The very few times that I did cross the invisible boundary, was when I had to go to the supermarket.

I found and brushed quite some new boulders again and had no choice but to update the previous small topo that I made. Most of the new boulders and problems are located around the sector of "Confinouf!" that I opened last time (boulders 18 to 22), and a completely new small sector that was hidden in plain sight at barely 200m from my house (boulders 23-27). I must add though that some of the boulders in the last sector had definitely been brushed before; especially the one with what I named "Cadeau Pour un Confiné" (boulder 24). A beautiful big boulder right on top of the small hill, hidden behind some houses, completely wiped clean of all moss. As if someone had cleaned it with a high pressure cleaner. As if someone just had given me a present, hence the name. I did some problems and variations on that boulder, and due to lack of any information about the boulder, I named and graded them. It must be clear though that I do not claim any first ascent on it and will change names as soon as more information comes in.

Below the updated topo, followed by some videos of the new problems that I did.

1) Muramasa 7B(7B+) - David Evrard

2) Pas à Toit 6C(7A) - David Evrard (+ several variations)

2') Bancroche (assis) 7A(7A+) - Stéphan Denys (+ several variations)

3) Backyard Lockdown 7A+ - F. Notebaert (+ left exit 7A)

4) Les Quarante Haines 7B - F. Notebaert

5) Arête au Confinement! 7A+ - F. Notebaert

6) Titrou 5+(6A) - F. Notebaert

7) Jouet de Bloc 5+(6A) - F. Notebaert

8) Déconfinement 6C+(7A) - F. Notebaert (+ sitstart left and exit on arete 7A(7A+))

8') Retour de Déconfinement? 7A+ - F. Notebaert (video below)

9) La Balade des Confinés 6C(7A) - F. Notebaert

9') Câlin Confiné - 5+(6A) - F. Notebaert

10) Confiné Caché 7A - F. Notebaert (video below)

10') Chercher le Confiné 7A+ - F. Notebaert (video below)

11) À Vue de Nez 7A - F. Notebaert

11') Le Fils est Sûr 6A(6B) - F. Notebaert

11'') Le Père Est Maître 6B+(6C+) - F. Notebaert

12) Arête de Carrière 6B+ - F. Notebaert (+ several variations)

13) Shogun 7B+(7C) - David Evrard

13') Rönin 7A - David Evrard

13'') Tanuki 6C+(7A) - David Evrard

14) Moins d'un Kilomètre 7A(7A+) - F. Notebaert (+ some variations)

14') Dans le Périmètre 6B(6B+) - F. Notebaert

15) Confinîle Flottante 6B(6C) - F. Notebaert

16) Hold-Up le Bloc 7B+(7B) - F. Notebaert (videos below)

17) Beauty Full 7A - Thierry Guéguen

18) Confinouf! 7B - F. Notebaert (+ sitstart, slightly harder)

19) Arquée Masquée 7A - F. Notebaert (video below)

20) Sangliers sans Masque 7A - F. Notebaert (video below)

21) Masquerade de Gauche 6C - F. Notebaert (+ right exit, slightly easier, videos below)

22) Brushed by me, but free for all to open something

23) Petit Avantage du Confinement 7A - ??? (+ some games, videos below)

24) Cadeau Pour un Confiné 7A+(7B) - ??? (+ several variations, videos below)

24') La Proue Masquée 7A(6C+) - ??? (video below)

25) Was once brushed by someone but needs rebrushing

26) Brushed by me, but free for all to open something

27) Was once brushed by someone but needs rebrushing

Videos of the new problems (sometimes more like a game, but it keeps one going), ordered from oldest to newest:

Fontainebleau - La Charbonnière - Confiné Caché 7A (boulder 10)

Fontainebleau - Auvers - Petit Avantage du Confinement 7A (boulder 23)

Fontainebleau - Auvers - Petit Avantage du Confinement (par convention) 7A+ (boulder 23)

Fontainebleau - Auvers - Petit Avantage du Confinement (direct) 6C (boulder 23)

Fontainebleau - Auvers - Cadeau Pour un Confiné 7A+(7B) (boulder 24)

Fontainebleau - Auvers - Cadeau Pour un Confiné  (droite) 7A (boulder 24)

Fontainebleau - Auvers - Cadeau Pour un Confiné  (prolongé) 7B(7B+) (boulder 24)

Fontainebleau - Auvers - Cadeau Pour un Confiné  (droite prolongé) 7A+ (boulder 24)

Fontainebleau - La Charbonnière - Chercher le Confiné 7A+ (boulder 10)

Fontainebleau - Auvers - La Proue Masquée 7A(6C+) (boulder 24)

Fontainebleau - La Charbonnière - Masquerade de Gauche 6C (boulder 21)

Fontainebleau - La Charbonnière - Masquerade de Droite 6C (boulder 21)

Fontainebleau - La Charbonnière - Arquée Masquée 7A (boulder 19)

Fontainebleau - La Charbonnière - Retour de Déconfinement 7A+ (boulder 8)

Fontainebleau - La Charbonnière - Hold-Up le Bloc 7B+(7B) (boulder 16)

Fontainebleau - La Charbonnière - Hold-Up le Bloc (direct) 7B (boulder 16)

Fontainebleau - La Charbonnière - Sangliers sans Masque 7A (boulder 20)

October 22, 2020 - Stargate.

I had taken the afternoon off work for different reasons than just climbing, but as it gave me some time to do so, and the weather looked beautiful, I of course went to the forest. It had rained during the night and even though the sun was shining since early this morning, only the spots where she was able to shine long enough, were dry. Or less wet than its surroundings.
I had to stay close by, so wisely decided to go to Justice de Noisy. The parking was soaking wet everywhere and so was the forest, but on the South side of the hill, where the sun was shining in full glory, it was almost completely dry. I was somewhat surprised that I wasn't alone when I arrived at the boulder of "Stargate", at about 40m to the right of "Hallelujah". Another climber, Marius (not sure if I spell that correctly), seemingly from Spain, was looking for some dry boulders and got lucky.

Despite my many visits to the area, and the visually appealing boulder, I had never tried "Stargate" before. I guessed because the landing always looked so sketchy. A guess that didn't turn out very wrong.
The top had to be cleaned from a pile of pine needles that covered the boulder, so I had to wait for a while for the wet spots underneath to dry. The sun was shining straight on it, so the drying didn't take very long, but made it pretty hot too.
With the landing being so sketchy, I took my time to get familiar with the moves but couldn't avoid taking some falls that could have turned out worse then they were. Marius had been watching some of my attempts and the falls that came with them and offered his crashpads while he was taking a break from the boulder he was climbing on. Thanks again for that, Marius.
Knowing that a potential fall would be a soft landing, gave me the that extra bit of confidence that I needed and I was able to top not very long after.
A very nice problem on a visually stunning boulder.

(Boulder 7 on the topo from bleau.info: https://bleau.info/topos/topo1228.html)

Fontainebleau - Justice de Noisy - Stargate 7B+

October 18, 2020 - Safety first.

When I parked to go back to the boulder of "Kong", there was a bunch of hunters walking through the fields and entering the forest in the direction of where I had to go. Fearing that they might shoot in my direction, I doubted a bit between going or leaving, but as there were no warning signs posted, I decided to go to the boulder anyway. I took my precautions though and took my fluorescent vest out of the car and attached it to my brush stick.
Safely arrived at the boulder, I could still hear their dogs with their bells attached to them and occasionally there was a distant shot from one of the hunter's rifles. Thinking about safety first, I used to my brush stick and created an improvised flag with the fluo vest on top of the boulder to help indicate my presence.

Better let the hunters know that someone is here. Whatever can help.

Bram (Honorez), Jan (Gorrebeeck) and Tom were going to join me, and while waiting for them, I warmed up in "30ème Rugissant", but this time doing the original exit more to the right. Less technical, but felt not as hard as the left exit. Still, a very nice problem on this beautiful boulder.

Fontainebleau - Boissy aux Cailles - 30ème Rugissant 7A+

Bart (Van Raaij) also arrived some time later and was able to tell us that the five stacked crashpads left under the boulder belong to Jean-Hervé (Baudot), who also ended up joining us.
Being a small bunch, we found a dozen of methods for "Kong", some other for "King", but only Bart was able to use one of them to finish "Kong". I decided to use part of his original method rather than the one that I had worked out at first and found that this suited me much better when executed well. I came very close, but the energy levels had were in red, so I had to throw in the towel. This will go down in one of the next sessions.

October 17, 2020 - Some kind of secrecy.

After I saw Maxime Baroud's latest video right after the end of the quarantine featuring quite some new boulders, I immediately was drawn to the magnificent boulder of "Kong" and "King", opened by him. A roof with huge compression moves that really looked beautiful.
For some time, I had been looking for information, and tried several channels, but found nothing that even remotely gave me a hint of where it could be. The only thing that I knew was that it's somewhere in the huge forests around Boissy aux Cailles.
Finally, today, I managed to get the location of the boulder. Thanks again to the person providing me the information. This is hugely appreciated.
Thanks to the detailed indications, Bram (Honorez) and I quickly found the boulder where we both stood in awe, silently agreeing that this is a true hidden gem. On our way there, I noticed a broken sign that clearly said "Propriété Privé", private property, at one certain point in time. Hence maybe the some kind of secrecy that seemed to hang around the boulder's location. It is also the reason why I will not disclose its location publicly until it is actually published.
Coincidently, some other climber(s) had left 4 or 5 crashpads stacked under the boulder, and even though it was possible to work out the moves with only mine, I did make use of them as they were blocking the start of all the lines on the boulder. If those climbers happen to read this, I did put them back as they were after my session and I thank you for the understanding of me having used them.

The main reason I was there, was to try "Kong", of which I was able to work out all the moves and do the boulder in two part. Even though the start offers good holds, the wide compression sucks a lot of energy out of the body and there wasn't enough left to try and link it all together. Also, I could feel the leftovers from "Prouesse (assis)" that I had done the evening before. It took more out of me than it felt yesterday.
In the meantime, I was made aware of some other less hard problems on that beautiful boulder, such as "30ème Rugissant (gacuhe)", opened by Alain Dupas. Some really nice moves that unexpectedly worked out.

Fontainebleau - Boissy aux Cailles - 30ème Rugissant (gauche)  7B(7A+)

Also "Godzilla" was opened by Alain Dupas.

Fontainebleau - Boissy aux Cailles - Godzilla 7A

One of the other boulders featured on Maxime's video, was the very nice looking "CQP (gauche)", that had the same kind of secrecy around it. It was by pure coincidence that I found it at only about 30m from the "Kong" boulder.
This definitely looked easier than it is. That left shoulder move took a lot of power. Much more than one would think. Nevertheless, a truly nice line!

Fontainebleau - Boissy aux Cailles - CQP (gauche) 7A+

I will go back to "Kong" very soon. Probably tomorrow already, but as my body feels really tired, I'm not expecting too much of it. The boulder and its surroundings are simply calling me over.

October 16, 2020 - Prouesse (assis).

Just over a year and a half ago, I tried "Prouesse (assis)" for the first time with Pieter. We both couldn't bare the pain on our fingers and we deemed it way too hard after many attempts.
Last weekend, I tried it again for a while, together with Jan (Gorrebeeck), but it was after having worked for several hours together in "Le Proueptologue" in Cuvier Sorcières, so my energy levels were pretty low and the skin already wrecked. Thanks to some useful tips from Jan though, I did make some progress and actually believed that it was possible. Just not that day anymore.
Jan had been working for several sessions in "Prouesse (assis)" already and just before I had to leave he caught the swing, made a small mistake and fell off at two moves from the top. Later that day, he sent me a message that he fell off the very last move during the attempt right after I left. The boulder had sucked him dry and a long lasting headache forced him to let it go again and come back for it. Watching a video of that attempt that he sent me few days later, I realized that anything can happen until it's really over.

This evening, I had just enough time after work to go for a climb and decided to go to the nearby Rocher des Souris and try "Prouesse (assis)" again. The conditions didn't seem as good as last week, but I was filled with energy and motivation to climb off the work week. I had no high expectations though.
Surprisingly, my first attempt of the day went much better than I expected and now I really started to have the feeling that it might go.
I started to feel the so called sending-stress and felt nervous about falling off the very last moves. But then suddenly, some attempts later, somehow I managed to let go of the right foot and stay perfectly balanced. It gave me the time to place my feet on the tiny holds and prepare for going towards the top. The image of Jan falling off that last move was racing through my head, but I kept it together and shouted from relief when I hung on the last hold, big enough to not let go anymore.

Fontainebleau - Rocher des Souris - Prouesse (assis) 7C+

October 07, 2020 - Comprecious.

Wednesday evening, so some free time for a quick climb. It had been raining a lot, but luckily, just for today and tomorrow, it was forecasted to be dry. The clouds had made space for the sun to peak from time to time and there was a good breeze. A perfect moment to go try some of the new boulders in Justice de Noisy right next door.
Last weekend I did climb, but the conditions were far from good and occasional local rain showers made it even worse. On Sunday morning, I came close to finishing "Un Autre Monde" but the bad sloper right hand felt humid with slippery tiny grains of sand that didn't want to come off. 
This evening, the conditions were much better though and after a short warmup in the form of two failed attempts in "Un Autre Monde", I found the friction and struggled my way to the top. Quite morpho, but great compression that fits my style.
Opened by Tony Fouchereau and noted as 7C, but subject to downgrade depending on one's arm span.
(Boulder 73 on the topo: https://bleau.info/topos/topo1228.html)

Fontainebleau - Justice de Noisy - Un Autre Monde 7C

Having done "Un Autre Monde" much quicker than I expected, I used the occasion to try "Le Léopard des Neiges" about 100m away, above "Les Tuniques Bleues". I had already inspected the small boulder a couple of times, but it was either way too hot, or wet. Unlike now, when it felt near perfect.
Another boulder with some great compression, just the way I like it. Not convenient, but I had fun, despite the swearing, which is part of the fun anyway.
(Boulder 53 on the topo: https://bleau.info/topos/topo1228.html)

Fontainebleau - Justice de Noisy - Le Léopard des Neiges 7B+

September 26, 2020 - Amazed.

Jan (Gorrebeeck) and his wife Gina, owners of the City Lizard bouldering hall in Belgium, are here for a holiday since a few weeks and when Jan visited me on Wednesday evening, we agreed to go climbing together on Saturday. The weather forecast didn't look very good, and even though it rained quite a bit on Friday, I kept hoping for good weather.
Waking up this morning, I was pleased to see the sun against a clear blue sky. The weather had turned apparently, and the day was going to be dry until late in the evening. On top of the blue sunny sky, it was cold, there was a promising wind and the humidity in the air turned out to be only 44%. Good signs for excellent conditions.
As it did rain a lot and the streets looked were humid here and there, Jan and Gina agreed to join me to Rocher de Milly Est. It's a long walk, but the scenery is beautiful and when walking towards the quick drying boulder of "Toundra", one can imagine what other continents look like. Bleau never ceases to amaze.

The boulder of "Toundra" was in stunningly good conditions and seemed like the perfect choice to spend some time. Seeing a big deer running through the ferns at only 50m from us, trying to escape out of view, felt like the icing on the cake. There are countless deer in the forest, but as they are so shy and good in hiding, it always feels like a privilege to actually see one. Again, Bleau never ceases to amaze.

Jan didn't even have his climbing shoes on yet, when I topped "Steppe" with relative ease on my second attempt. I jumped off on my first attempt, because I realized that I was going to flash and didn't have the camera on yet. It ruined the flash, but as I don't quite care about such things, it didn't feel like it ruined anything. It's a nice line.

Fontainebleau - Rocher de Milly Est - Steppe 7B

I needed more time and attempts for the left exit, "Toundra", but even though it was sketchy, I was able to fight my way through within half an hour after we arrived. Great problem that compared to "Steppe" definitely deserves a '+' to the grade. Jan, who needed more time and attempts, and different but more aesthetic methods, topped them both too, and will most likely confirm that statement.

Fontainebleau - Rocher de Milly Est - Toundra 7B+(7B)

We had fun working out the sitstart of both above, but there are two moves in the sequence that really suck the energy out of the body so we will have to come back for those. I did make it past the standing start a couple of times, so next time, when the energy levels are still charged, it should be possible.
Jan and Gina have the heart on the right place, and I always enjoy being in their company. The long walk back felt like only a little stroll around.

September 18, 2020 - Fer Forgé.

I didn't have a load of time for climbing after work, but enough to go the nearby Bois des Hauts de Milly with the idea to try the recently opened "Abriroc (direct) / Punchline" by Olivier Lebreton and Arthur Plaut.
There was another car parked, and not on the side of "Vandale", so I figured that if it is another climber, chances were high that he, she or they would be around the "Abriroc" boulder. I still had the choice between going to the "Vandale" boulder or take my chances and go to "Abriroc" anyway. It was more due to time constraints, that I chose the latter, realizing that there was also still "Fer Forgé" that I hadn't done yet.
As I approached the "Abriroc" boulder, I noticed that indeed someone else was already trying something on that boulder. To save myself from loosing time having to possible have a conversation, and also simply because I enjoy being alone in the forest, I continued on towards "Fer Forgé". 

I saw "Fer Forgé" for the first time back in May 2015, but as I remember it being too scary then, I didn't even try it. When I saw it again last July after having done "L'Anti-Moustique", I regretted having no skin anymore, because it didn't look as scary at all as I remembered. So I wasn't disappointed in having to change my initial plan.
Very nice and not so dangerous problem. Maybe a little bit morpho though.

Fontainebleau - Bois des Hauts de Milly - Fer Forgé 7A+(7A)

September 16, 2020 - Finding a rhythm.

Now that the kids are back to school after so many months, it's back to finding the rhythm, but luckily it doesn't that much opposed to before the corona hectic started. Wednesday evenings after work for example, is again an ideal time for going for a mid week climb in the forest.
This evening, I went to Justice de Noisy to try and finish some business that I started on previous visits, starting with "Jouant les Pins", that I tried last Sunday. It was extremely hot, but the big pine trees luckily keep that part of the boulder in the shade for most of the day. Unfortunately they make it a bit harder to get the problem good on camera, but at least I tried to give an impression of one of the nicest pinches in the forest that I can think of.
I was too tired to finish it last Sunday, but having recovered for a couple of days, it went not too bad today.
Not yet published, but opened by Tony Fouchereau, Thierry Vasseur, "Valentin" and "Gautier". Sorry for not knowing the complete names of the last two, but this is what is written on Tony's notes. If anyone knows, please let me know and I make the corrections.

Fontainebleau - Justice de Noisy - Jouant les Pins 7B

Surprised that I had finished "Jouant les Pins" so quickly, I moved over to the nearby "Flash OFNI", also a not yet published boulder, but on Tony's notes and opened by him.

I had tried "Flash OFNI" the first time a couple of weeks ago when Maarten and Svenneke were visiting and even though I deemed it impossible at first for someone from my size, I did seem to have found a method that day, however, too tired, and maybe also distracted, to try it for long.
Now I was alone though and I took my time. Even though I was seemingly frustrated at times, I truly enjoyed trying this and making it to the end finally. Great moves!

Hopefully every Wednesday evening can be like this. I could live with such a rhythm.

Fontainebleau - Justice de Noisy - Flash OFNI 7B+

September 12, 2020 - Final battle.

The past few weeks, I have been working on a small project for work, and today was the go live, the final battle, so to speak.
It was a total, but funny coincidence that I ended up doing the standing and sitstart of "La Lutte Finale" in a remote part of Buthiers Canard. It's so remote that it actually took me at least half an hour to find it, not knowing that it is at a few hundred meters of the main area, towards the traffic lights going to Malesherbes.

The skin felt a little bit better, but it was a good thing that I did the stand already on my second attempt.

Fontainebleau - Buthiers Canard - La Lutte Finale 7A(6C+)

The sitstart also went on my second attempt, even though I can't really call it a 'second attempt', as I had already done the standing start, which covers over half of the problem.
Nice isolated boulder with still a few other problems to try.

Fontainebleau - Buthiers Canard - La Lutte Finale (assis) 7B(7B+)

September 11, 2020 - Slip 'n slide.

 I had taken a day off work today, and was eager and motivated to for a climb. As Barbizon and the surrounding Apremont areas tend to be very crowded during warm late Summer weekends, I took the occasion going there today, on Friday.
It was still quite early when I arrived and there was no-one else in sight. The air still felt a bit humid from the night, but the sun was out and started peaking over the hill and through the trees. That humidity wasn't going to last for much longer.

There were quite some boulders that I had in mind to try, but not long after I started trying "Chasse aux Pervers", my fingertips started sweating. I had bad skin and I knew that it was going to be for the rest of the day. I tried a couple of the other boulders that I had in mind, but gave up pretty quickly after seeing dark smears appearing on the holds, making it all slippery.
I almost gave up on "Für Alina (assis)" also, but in this one, I felt that the hard crux at the start could be done despite my skin condition. It wasn't without a fight and I had to take some good falls, but I knew that it was either giving it all, or going back home with nothing but yet another few projects on the list and having done a nice walk in the forest.
I must admit that my knees were a bit shaky after a good fall at considerable height and trying that move again with again sweaty fingers.

Fontainebleau - Apremont Buvette - Für Alina (assis) 7C(7B+)

September 06, 2020 - One of the other options.

One of the other options I chose from yesterday, was "Flanelle" in Franchard Basses Plaines. Despite having a bit soar muscles, the temperature dropped to below 20°C and my skin didn't feel too bad; at least, better than last time that I tried "Flanelle". That was at the start of the Summer though, and I remember it being quite hot.
I took my time to practice the separate moves again, and rest enough in between attempts. As soon as I got the hang of it again, it didn't take very long before sending this beauty.
Definitely the nicest boulder in that small chaos of boulders. Felt more like a good 7B+.

Fontainebleau - Franchard Basses Plaines - Flanelle 7B(7B+)

September 05, 2020 - Finger friendly.

I was doubting between several options this morning, but the weather looked uncertain and after a few short light rain showers, not enough to make everything wet, but enough to decide to play safe and stick to the nearby Gorge aux Châts Est.
My left index finger feels somewhat injured  and even though I initially aimed for something finger friendly, the problem that I started with, wasn't quite so. It's just that "Arque Toi" looks so nice.

"Arque Toi" doesn't allow the usage of the right wall under the roof, but the problem is quite logical on its own and hanging on toehooks is something that I do quite well. The vertical part in the wall though required quite some effort to find a working method.

Fontainebleau - Gorge aux Châts Est - Arque Toi 7B

"Sans Toit" on the other hand, allows the usage of the wall under the roof, making it much easier at the start, but because of the same hard vertical part, I found this hard for the grade.

Fontainebleau - Gorge aux Châts Est - Sans Toit 7A

September 04, 2020 - Steam off.

I've been working on a big project at work the past few weeks and with the going live next Saturday and this week having been the first of week of school for the kids, it has been a week that wore me down and I was in a desperate need to let some steam off this evening.
I stayed close to home and went to Gorge aux Châts Est to try "La Cigale" and have a look at the recently published "La Cachette". Being too exposed, that's all what I did too; have a look at "La Cachette".

I did, however, get away with "La Cigale (assis)", a sitstart version that starts with and allows usage of the pedestal.

Fontainebleau - Gorge aux Châts Est - La Cigale (assis) 7A

"La Cigale (du sol)" however starts without and doesn't allow usage of the pedestal. I found the nicest one of both.

Fontainebleau - Gorge aux Châts Est - La Cigale (du sol) 7B

August 27, 2020 - Devils at work.

 Took some time after work to for a climb with Bram (Honorez) and had a good and fun time in Franchard Sablons Carriers.
I wanted to try the recently opened "Devil's Plaything" as it seems to fit my style.
First did a fairly quick ascent of the crouching start.

Fontainebleau - Franchard Sablons Carriers - Devil's Plaything (accroupi) 7A

Followed by the real sitstart, which basically only adds one move, but a very hard one. At least for me.

Bram showed that the taller climbers can start with a heelhook far left while still sitting on the ground and using the same starting holds. It allowed him to do the first move almost statically.

I might have long arms, but my legs were way too short and I had to start with my left foot way to the right, making the first move very violent and still very reachy.

I thought at first that it seemed strange how only one move could add more than a grade, but I must admit that it definitely comes close to it.
Nice boulder!

Fontainebleau - Franchard Sablons Carriers - Devil's Plaything 7B+

August 23, 2020 - Taking it slow.

 It doesn't happen a often, but yesterday I skipped a post as I had visitors over for the night. Two friends of the village I grew up in and came to Bleau with a lot when I was still living in Belgium, and we decided it was safer for them to setup their tents in my garden as we were having a BBQ in the evening.
The focus this weekend wasn't set on climbing hard, but more like a lot together and having a good time.
Yesterday we had a nice time in Les Mammouths, where I didn't spend a lot of time on hard boulders, but do have some new projects and did get a fairly quick ascent of "Vol sans Escale" in the North part of the area.

Fontainebleau - Les Mammouths - Vol sans Escale 7A(6C+)

Today was no different, but this time in Justice de Noisy where I showed them around the first part of the new area.

Again no focus on hard boulders, but also added one nice project to my list.

Got away with "Kick-Ass" on the backside of the boulder just behind the old abandoned foresters house.

Fontainebleau - Justice de Noisy - Kick-Ass 6C(7A)

August 16, 2020 - Noméga.

It finally rained during the night and the first part of today, but as soon as the sky cleared up, it didn't take long to dry.
I went out to the Mont Blanc area in the afternoon, to try the new "Mégalodon", but despite some good attempts, couldn't reach the top. I then contented myself with a very quick ascent of the nearby "L'Autre Gauche". Slopers, a small sharp crimp, mantle up and done; nothing mega.

Fontainebleau - Mont Blanc - L'Autre Gauche 7A

August 15, 2020 - Death of a scorpion.

 It has finally cooled down a bit until just below 30°C in the afternoon, which is still hot, but it's especially the morning that feels so much fresher again.
I was meeting a Belgian hometown friend with some of his family in Canche aux Merciers in the afternoon, and when browsing bleau.info for some interesting boulders in the nearby areas, I stumbled upon "Mort d'une Scorpion" in Canche aux Merciers Anarchodrome, the small sector right next to the classical area of Canche aux Merciers.
It's weekend, so already this morning, the parking of this popular spot was quite packed, but I was all alone in the somewhat neglected Anarchodrome sector. At barely 100m, I could hear small groups of climbers gathering in the classical sector.

It took a while before I figured out a method for "Mort d'une Scorpion", but it was one that suited my style of climbing. Compression, reachy, slopey, ... an ascent followed quickly.
Very nice problem that gave me a lot of fun.

Fontainebleau - Canche aux Merciers Anarchodrome - Mort d'une Scorpion 7B+

August 09, 2020 - Come this way.

Just like in many other parts of Europe, we are going through the most likely hottest days of the year, with temperatures reaching easily above 40°C locally. It's hot!
It was already nearing 30°C at 9h30 this morning when I arrived at the boulder of "Les Braqueuses" in Rocher du Télégraphe, and even though the problem was in the shade, there was no breeze to cool down the body.
Nevertheless, I made it a quick ascent, which wasn't a luxury with the raising heat.

Fontainebleau - Rocher du Télégraphe - Les Braqueuses (assis) 7C(7B+)

We barely saw any rain since the end of June and the soil is as dry as can be, so we are in a desperate need for rain. There was some hope when the clouds turned really dark about an hour ago and a distant thunderstorm could be heard.

I watched the rain fall in the horizon and even a rainbow came and peak, but unfortunately it just didn't want to come this way.

July 30, 2020 - Eliminated.

A little bit too hot for real climbing this afternoon, but having bought new shoes in the well known outdoor shop "S'Cape", I had to make sure that they fitted well or find any other excuse to put them on for a moment.

I stayed very close to home and went to the boulder of the easy "Léon" in Roche aux Sabots Sud, just above the cemetery.
Shortly after Tony opened much of the problems in the area a few years ago, I had been trying an eliminate dyno, trying to make a 5+ graded problem much harder by skipping all the good holds between the first and the last. Of course, this involved a dyno.
It is only a game, but when standing in front of the boulder, it just looks obvious.

Pretty fun jump, I must say. The dyno fans will probably like this one, and it's nicely in the shade, so recommended on a hot day.

Fontainebleau - Roche aux Sabots Sud - Le Saut du Léon 7B

July 29, 2020 - Skin-burn.

What I thought would be another short session to scout and try some of the boulders in the further end of Justice de Noisy behind "San Ku Kai", turned out to be well over four hours. Most of the time though, consisted of creating a small path between the high and dense ferns for future visits.
Unfortunately, a lot of the boulders that I was able to locate need some re-brushing and it was too hot to be busy with such intense work. The nice boulder of "Les Tuniques Bleues" on the other hand, was completely in the shade and already clean enough after some slaps with a towel. It looks a lot like "San Ku Kai", but the difficulty, not quite, at least for my size.

The first part is not very hard, but coming around the nose to reach the best part of the sloper on the far left was a hard battle.
The bad slopers were a little sandy at first and trying to avoid bad falls between two boulders, I had no choice but to scrape my hands, arms and upper body over the grainy surface, leaving big abrasions and burns all over them. I already knew at that moment that I would be singing in the shower this evening.

Personally, I rather estimate this to be hard 7A+. If the first part would have been a bit harder, it could even be 7B. Nevertheless, absolutely a very nice problem and perfect for in Summer.
The holds under the roof are very fragile, so please only try this after a long dry period and when the holds are completely dry.

Fontainebleau - Justice de Noisy - Les Tuniques Bleues 7A+(7A)

We are only halfway Summer and I already had to remove my seventh tick. They are having a good year.

July 28, 2020 - While waiting.

I was meeting a Belgian friend, Stef (Jacobs), this morning at the boulder of "Beatle Juice" in Cuisinière Crête Sud and as he and the people he was with weren't as early there as me, I already started working out the moves of "L'Homme à la Dent Creuse". Same start as "Beatle Juice", but topping out more left, using two pinches right hand.

Working out the moves separately took me longer than I expected, but just when I was at the verge of calling it a day, I found a working method for the last crux and decided to give it another attempt from the start.
Even though I almost slipped off the last and good hold, I managed to hang on and finish it off.

Quite defined, but in the end a very nice problem with some great moves and a painful thumb lock on the second pinch.
Despite the few bad falls on my elbows next to the crashpad, I really enjoyed trying this, especially being perfectly in the shade during these hot days.

Fontainebleau - Cuisinière Crête Sud - L'Homme à la Dent Creuse 7B

July 26, 2020 - Coquibeauty.

I had some friends over with their kids for a few days and despite having climbed together, I considered it as a few days of rest. It was climbing all together with all our kids, so I stuck to easy orange, yellow, blue and some red circuit climbs.
As they left yesterday afternoon, it was time again this morning for some harder climbing in a more isolated area, such as Montrouget in the midst of the oh so beautiful Coquibus.
I had never tried anything in the very nice roof of "Eldorado", but knowing that it would be in the shade, today seemed like a good time for it.

The warmup in "Colorado" didn't take long as I topped it on my second attempt already. My skin felt surprisingly good and despite mildly sandy holds, the friction was there.

Fontainebleau - Montrouget - Colorado 7A+

Between the problems that I wanted to try, there was of course also "Eldorado" itself, but I was somehow more attracted to "Laisse Tomber l'Eldorado".
Some very nice moves, I must say.

Fontainebleau - Montrouget - Laisse Tomber l'Eldorado 7B

Almost immediately after, I also managed to pull off "Laisse Tomber l'Eldorado (sortie droite)", which starts the same, but finishes more to the right in "Colorado". Again, a beauty.

Fontainebleau - Montrouget - Laisse Tomber l'Eldorado (sortie droite) 7B+

July 21, 2020 - Little big sister.

Back to Justice de Noisy this morning, but this time a bit earlier than yesterday to profit from the fresher temperature and the cooled down rock from the night. After falling off the hard mantle of "Manon (gauche)" multiple times yesterday, I knew that all bits could help.
The sun was already out shining on the boulder, but the difference in heating it up was remarkable and I'm sure that it helped me to achieve the goal.
Not yet published on bleau.info, so need to mention that this version has been opened by Tony Fouchereau.

Fontainebleau - Justice de Noisy - Manon (gauche) 7B+(7C)

July 20, 2020 - Sissy block.

No, not a sissy boulder, but rather a "sister boulder" as one of six sisters is named Manon.
Another one not yet published, but using Tony's notes, I knew how to identify the problems on boulder 2 of the topo on bleau.info (https://bleau.info/topos/topo1228.html).
A rather quick ascent, but had to leave its bigger sister, "Manon (gauche)", for another time. The slopers do start catching a lot of sun after 10h am.

According to Tony's notes, opened by Franck, Tit and Thierry. I'm not exactly sure who its all about, but all credits go to them.

Fontainebleau - Justice de Noisy - Manon 7A+(7B)

July 18, 2020 - On smaller scale.

Having planned to do some work in the garden today and also not fully recovered from two days ago, I went to Justice de Noisy this morning to stroll around and have a look at the new and rebrushed boulders.
I didn't go far though, because the first boulder that I passed by immediately caught my attention. Reminding me of "Onde Sensuelle", but on smaller scale, the boulder begs to be climbed.
I climbed what seemed like the most obvious line and sent a message to the most probable opener, Tony (Fouchereau). According to his feedback, I apparently climbed "Sai Ku Kai", opened by him and Thierry (Vasseur).
He sent me the descriptions and names of the other over 70 boulders and about 250 problems going from 2 to 8. Always fun to have a new playground so close to home.

Fontainebleau - Justice de Noisy - San Ku Kai 7A

July 17, 2020 - Exhaustive.

I didn't have soar legs from yesterday's long mountain bike ride, but my body simply felt completely exhausted.
The short climb in Bois des Hauts de Milly this morning was between 10h and noon, but it was hot and the air felt heavy, which didn't quite improve my exhaustive state; on the contrary.

I did manage to flash "Sergent Poivre", a boulder that I never dared trying the few other times I stood in front of it.

Fontainebleau - Bois des Hauts de Milly - Sergent Poivre 7A

The last bits and pieces of energy were then completely sucked out by the hard mantle of "L'Anti-Moustique", opened by our good old Belgian friend Ivan (Moreels).

Fontainebleau - Bois des Hauts de Milly - L'Anti-Moustique 7A

July 16, 2020 - Heel-click by convention.

Dave (Olbrechts), a friend from my hometown in Belgium, is camping in the area with his wife and kids. As I was meeting up with him this afternoon to do some mountain biking, the climb this morning in Franchard Hauts Sablons was not very long.
Just after the lockdown on a rainy morning, I did a walk around the area there and had noticed this small overhanging boulder right next to the Route du Louvard. It was obviously already cleaned, and looked like it had been tried, but as I couldn't find any information about it and didn't want to "steal" anyone's project, I quickly forgot about it. Until a few days ago, some lines on it were published on bleau.info. Opened by Jason Kester and Helen Dudley, who live in the nearby village of Arbonne-la-Forêt.

Looking like my style of climbing, it seemed an obvious choice to start with "Beefeater".
When watching Jason's video of the first ascent, I actually found it quite funny how it ended with him doing a heel-click on top of the boulder, mentioning that the ascent is only valid when doing the same. In a way, it opens up the discussion about some conventions that are defined by openers sometimes, but I don't want to go there.
Very nice problem this one! Even with the heel-click.

Fontainebleau - Franchard Hauts Sablons - Beefeater 7B

On the same boulder, same place to start, but with both hands in the crack and finishing directly, "Sentry Post" took me only three attempts, but I have to admit that I had to pull quite hard.
Nice boulder!

Fontainebleau - Franchard Hauts Sablons - Sentry Post 7A

July 12, 2020 - City tripping.

My oldest son Anthony had to take the train today from Paris to Bordeaux and then on to Mimizan near the Atlantic Ocean to join a friend on vacation.
As his train was leaving early afternoon from the station Gare de Montparnasse, I used the occasion to also take my youngest Noah and spend the morning together in Paris before bringing Anthony to the station.
I was surprised by the crowd, or rather the lack thereof, when we walked from Centre Pompidou, passed the Hotel de Ville, which actually isn't a hotel, but the town hall, and on to the Notre Dame.

Anthony & Noah in front of the "Hotel de Ville" near the "Notre Dame" in Paris.

Back home in the afternoon, I still had some time to climb.
It was already the hottest moment of the day, but luckily I found some shade just below the top of the hill of Châteauveau.
The topout however was on warm slopers and with the sun straight into my face.
The sound of the text notification of my phone at the start of the video, by the way, was Anthony updating me that he arrived in Bordeaux and found the train that had to take him towards Ychoux, near Mimizan. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't relieved.

Fontainebleau - Châteauveau - L'Invité du Jour 7A+(7B)

July 11, 2020 - Blistered.

I had planned to do some work in the garden today, but did take out about two hours in the morning to go for a walk and a climb.
No projects or problems that I had worked on before, but just trying some boulders that I had always left aside for some other day, like today.

I started in Bois Rond Auberge, where I pulled off "Le Festin (assis)" on my second attempt. Some bad slopers into an easy topout.

Fontainebleau - Bois Rond Auberge - Le Festin (assis) 7A+(7B)

Played a bit in "Sang et Lumière (en traversée)" on another side of the same boulder until I decided to make a stop at J.A. Martin on the way home.
There, I easily flashed "Mobil Homme" ...

Fontainebleau - J.A. Martin - Mobil Homme 6C(7A)

... but needed a bit more attempts to top "Les Poignes d'Amour", without using the (sadly) chipped hold on the top of the boulder, by convention.

Fontainebleau - J.A. Martin - Les Poignes d'Amour 7A(6C+)

My hands are blistered now; not from climbing, but from working in the garden for the rest of the day.

July 10, 2020 - Flip the switch.

It's been quite some years ago when I first tried "Paie ton Mac Do" in between the areas of Buthiers Canard and Buthiers Tennis. Even though I think I couldn't even stick the first move, it was a boulder that in some way attracted me and I found it strange that it only had a handful repetitions for such a popular area. I'm quite sure that if this boulder would have been in the center of for example Franchard Isatis,, you would have to stand in line to give it a try.
Up to a few weeks ago, when I started trying it again, it was even stranger that it still only had six registered repetitions on bleau.info, the last one being in March 2016.

This evening was the third session spread over three weeks that I spent trying "Paie ton Mac Do" and the previous two, I never managed to stick the crux move, going for and holding the small crimp for the right hand near the top of the prow. I touched it nearly every time, but as it's oriented in a wrong way, I hadn't been able to hold it for longer than half a second.
Somehow, the bad sloper for the left hand felt better than before and it appeared to be what I needed to hold the crimp and continue to the slopers above. I had never gotten to that point before, and to my surprise, there wasn't much anymore that I could hang on to to move higher up. On top of that, it all felt a bit sandy and my hands started to sweat. Mentally, I noticed that I was starting to prepare to fall or jump off, but I flipped a switch, tried to remain calm and struggled myself to the top.

Still only seven registered repetitions now for what is a truly underestimated beautiful boulder.
There still is the sitstart and a variation to do on it, so this boulder definitely hasn't seen the last of me yet.

Fontainebleau - Buthiers Canard - Paie ton Mac Do 7B

July 09, 2020 - Hot relief.

It has been quite a week up to now, and mentally, I needed a little break this evening. It was a pleasant coincidence that I had some extra time for climbing after work, so despite the heat, I went to Coquibus Auvergne.
My initial plan was to try some of the lines on the boulder of "Le Crunch Stat'", but just as I actually remembered, the landing below the boulder was a bit too exposed to try alone or with only one crashpad.
So instead, I decided to spend some time in the relatively unknown "Le Drapeau Noir".

It's difficult to find "Le Drapeau Noir" in completely dry conditions during the colder seasons, but in during long hot a dry periods like now, humidity is not really the problem. It's rather the heat that adds to the difficulty.
I had tried it a few times, but never long. If it wasn't because of the conditions, then it was because I couldn't find the how to move through the problem.
This evening though, I was really psyched and to my big surprise, was able to work out the moves quite quickly.
For a moment I feared that the heat would prevent me from doing the problem in its whole, but somehow, I managed to work my way from start to finish.
Really nice problem this one, much nicer than it looks at first sight.

Fontainebleau - Coquibus Auvergne - Le Drapeau Noir 7B(7B+)

July 04, 2020 - Meh.

Not much to say about today's climbing.
A lot of walking around Apremont Brûlis, going from one isolated small sector to the other, trying a lot of boulders on the way. Except for "Fake Karma", that I tried for almost half an hour, never longer than ten minutes. I had bad skin and the conditions of the boulders were far from good, so anything much longer only made it worse.

Only managed to get away with "Odor", on my second attempt.

Fontainebleau - Apremont Brûlis - Odor 7A(7A+)

July 03, 2020 - Chocolate makes one smile.

Just a quick climb after work, but after a long and exhausting work week, it felt good to be out in the forest alone.
I stayed close to home and went to the nearby new area of Justice de Noisy. Well, not completely new, as it gathers the boulders behind and around the already for long known "Fanny Chipie". It is the sector where "Halleluja" is, and where Tony Fouchereau and Thierry Vasseur opened many more boulders just before the lockdown.
Most of them are not published yet, but the topo can already be found on bleau.info (https://bleau.info/topos/topo1228.html).

Last Friday after work, I was there to try the older "Le Rire d'Evelyne", but it was so hot that day, that it wasn't possible to get to the top. I was determined to go back when it was less hot, like this evening.
I did work out what to do last time, but the first moves are very subtle, and I had to get into it again, but it worked out in the end.

Fontainebleau - Justice de Noisy - Le Rire d'Evelyne 7A(7A+)

There was still some time left, so I headed to boulder 8 on the topo, to try problem 'b'.
I had noticed the boulder on one of my previous visits and it is a logical and attractive problem, but it needed some more time to dry.
Now it was perfect, and somehow, I managed to flash it with relative ease.
According to the information that I received, I did "Chocolat", opened by Tony and Thierry. Nice line with one hard, big move.

Fontainebleau - Justice de Noisy - Chocolat 7A

June 28, 2020 - Bancroche?

Some of the boulders that I recently opened in La Charbonnière and the small topo that I made, have been published on bleau.info now, and probably more to come (https://bleau.info/topos/topo1230.html).
This afternoon, I went back to the boulder that was cleaned by David Evrard, and on which he had opened quite some lines and variations, as can be seen in the video on his Vimeo channel (https://vimeo.com/326997026).

It's on boulder 15.

Last time I was there, I had been looking at what David seems to call "Bancroche" in his video, but it looked like it needed some additional cleaning and for some reason that day, I didn't feel like it.
It was obvious that the boulder has seen some climbers since then, because it looked all clean now.

The straight up version of "Bancroche" was pretty hard and required a good fight. One crux at the start and another at the very end.
Very nice problem!

Fontainebleau - La Charbonnière - Bancroche 7B

The right exit went on the first attempt after taking a small break, but that was merely because I did work out the far move to the right before going from the start again. Another great problem!

Fontainebleau - La Charbonnière - Bancroche (droite) 7A+

As far as I'm aware, David didn't grade the problems yet and I'm not even sure about the names, but looking at his video, it does seem like he named it as such. 

As for the grades, these are merely an estimate of what it felt like to me at that moment.

I have no way to reach out to David for confirmation, but just in case he, or someone who knows him personally can get his opinion or a reaction. All the credit goes to David and in the end, it is his call.

*** UPDATE June 29, 2020: "Bancroche" has been opened by Stéphan Denys. ***

June 21, 2020 - One of the best.

My body started to feel soar yesterday evening from the couple of hard falls that I made when trying "Flanelle" in Franchard Basses Plaines. This morning it felt even worse, but I knew that I had to get the stiffness out of my muscles to make it better, so I went for a short climb in Rocher Cailleau.
I wanted to avoid seeing people and not try anything too hard, so going to the new completely isolated boulder of "Ninjutsu" way East of the main sector was a perfect choice. Opened by David Evrard not long ago, and proposed as 7A, but knowing David's tight grading, it promised to be a hard one.
The boulder is very isolated and quite well hidden, but after closely studying the details of the map with the location of the boulder published on bleau.info and provided by David, it didn't take me long to find it.

The moves under the roof, involving a good toehook, suite me very well, but when looking at the slopers and the mantle, it almost looked impossible. Thanks to the good toehook though, I was able to move quite relaxed on the slopers and preserve all my energy for the very hard mantle. Maybe rather 7A+ ?
Very nice short problem.

Fontainebleau - Rocher Cailleau - Ninjutsu 7A

I thought of De Jerre from time and time and realized that with his gymnastics and free running background, bouldering would have been really something for him.

Just as with gymnastics, he would have gone all the way for it and I'm sure that he would have been one of the best. Because that's what he was, one of the best.

June 20, 2020 - So long Jerre.

Ten days ago, one of my cousins, Jeroen 'de Jerre', was taken away from us at the young age of 37 years; leaving behind two beautiful young daughters.De Jerre was going to be 38 in eight days from today.
He was cremated this morning in Belgium, but I watched the remembrance ceremony with my phone on a private live stream. I couldn't think of a better place than somewhere deep in the forest, a place where I could be completely alone.
There I was this morning, in Franchard Basses Plaines, sitting on top of a boulder partly in the sun, but mostly in the shade from the high pine trees. The scenery was beautiful, but tears were rolling down my my cheeks as I watched the stream.
When the ceremony was over, I looked up and for a couple of minutes, watched the clouds passing by slowly and knew that somewhere there, de Jerre is there too. My ascents from today are devoted to him.

Started with topping "Désolé, Oiseau" on my first attempt. A very nice line this one.

Fontainebleau - Franchard Basses Plaines - Désolé, Oiseau 7A

Followed by "Le Marquis" on my second attempt.

Fontainebleau - Franchard Basses Plaines - Le Marquis 7A+

Spent quite some time on the new and much harder "Flanelle", my fingers were getting sweaty and I made a couple of bad falls on the last move, after slipping off a marbled crimp. Definitely made it to my to-do list.
I finished with "Turtlebum", which would be more like a soft 7A+ if that move wouldn't be so reachy.

Fontainebleau - Franchard Basses Plaines - Turtlebum 7B

So long Jerre, so long. You will be remembered!

June 14, 2020 - Triptyque.

I'm not a very big fan of traverses, but there are some that I really find worth the effort, such as "Triptyque".
This big isolated boulder in Boissy aux Cailles, can be found just above and slightly left of the church that watches over the beautiful village.
From the first time that I saw a picture of it, I knew that I wanted to try that beautiful line.
It only took me three attempts, which wasn't a bad thing, because my arms were quite pumped after topping out.

Triptyque. Author picture: "Gars des Bois" (taken from https://bleau.info/cailles/303488.html).

What makes it even nicer, is that as it is an ascending traverse, it doesn't really feel like climbing one somehow.

Fontainebleau - Boissy aux Cailles - Triptyque 7B