One of my best friends from Belgium, Bart, was staying over for almost a week, but the weather was wet the whole time and there was barely any chance for some serious climbing. Of course the sky cleared up yesterday night, just after Bart had left back to Belgium. I was motivated for climbing, but the harder boulders that I wanted to try were either still wet, or just not in good enough conditions. Strolling around Apremont, I ended up in Apremont Haut des Gorges, where I was able to finish "Éphé-Miné" on my first attempt.
Fontainebleau - Apremont Haut des Gorges - Éphé-Miné 7A(7A+)
Looking for some other nearby boulders that I hadn't done yet, I found "Dédoublement" to be dry enough. Far from being in good conditions, I did manage to flash this one as well.
Fontainebleau - Apremont Haut des Gorges - Dédoublement 7A
Having the day off work today, I had been keeping on eye on the weather forecast for several days and it looked perfect. Temperature well below freezing during the night and at most 3°C during the day. On top of that, there was a light wind from the East and the air humidity was pretty low. Perfect ingredients for pristine conditions and sticky slopers. I was psyched to see that the forecast didn't change by today. The only difference being that the temperature didn't come above 1°C, but that was only beneficial. Given the conditions, I looked for a hard boulder with bad slopers and my attention was drawn to "Des Claques" in Les Béorlots. I had tried it very briefly a long while ago, but didn't put much effort into it as the very bad slopers required better conditions. This morning, it was all good, at least as good as I had hoped for, but the slopers of "Des Claques" looked much harder than I remembered. When I started trying the separate moves, it was as if I got slapped, and it felt like I was most likely going back home empty handed, but the more my the skin of my hands was warming up and the more my whole body woke up, the better the friction was and the moves started to feel possible. It didn't take very long until I had found a method for each move and as soon as I had done all of them except one, separately, I turned on the camera. I knew that this was an exhausting problem, and didn't want to risk interrupting any possible good attempts just because the camera wasn't rolling yet. Even though I didn't feel completely comfortable on every move, my first attempt after I started recording was almost perfect. Good enough to make my way to the top of this beauty.
Fontainebleau - Les Béorlots - Des Claques 7C(7C+)
I moved to the boulder of "Mickey Mouse" in Les Béorlots Ouest, I would have liked to try "The Others", but unfortunately, the exit needs some thorough rebrushing. Being one of the few spots in the area where I have internet reception, I quickly browsed bleau.info for an alternative and decided to go try "Misty" instead. It's a slow drying boulder, but in the current conditions it was pretty good. Good enough for being able to tick this one off too. Not as beautiful as what I had done moments before, but very nice indeed.
It was only 1°C with a nice blue sky when I left home this morning, but with the temperature predicted to rise during the day, I feared for condensed boulders later in the day. I was early though and the boulders on the South facing hill of Apremont Sanglier were in much better conditions than last Wednesday. I was finally able to work in "Spidercochon (droite)". It took a while though to find back the method for the exhausting first part, but as soon as I found it again, I took a short break before making real attempts to the end. I came really close and fell off the last move at least five times, but the tiny sharp right hand had cut deep into the tips of my index, middle and ring finger, and I had to let go of it when it started bleeding. Taping them would have made it too hard for the bad slopers of the first part, so that wasn't an option. A little frustrated, I moved over to the boulder of "Tics Tocs" where I started trying the longer version, "Tic et Tic et Toc". The holds of the first part were wet last Wednesday, just like most of the boulder, so I didn't try that version then. This time, the boulder was completely dry and a handful of attempts later, I was at least able to tick off "Tic et Tic et Toc".
Fontainebleau - Apremont Sanglier - Tic et Tic et Toc 7B
Despite quite good conditions last Saturday, it rained that night and with the temperature rising slightly, the boulders were all condensed on Sunday. More rain and a high air humidity the days after that, didn't make it much better, especially given the fact that there barely any wind anymore. I again had the day off today, but the conditions were nowhere near those last Wednesday. The boulders were still condensed and I had to let go of my idea to try "Spidercochon (droite)" in Apremont Sanglier. I was already in the area though and as it didn't look it would be better anywhere else, I continued on to the boulder of "Soundgarden" higher up the hill. The top of the boulder was soaking wet, but the lower part of "Tics Tocs" was only damp. Those slopers can't break, so I decided to work out the lower part. In the worst case, the slippery slopers only would make it a bit harder. It was a long battle, but as I managed to find a possible method, I dried the soaking wet top slopers with a towel as good as I could. There was no way to dry the crimp on the right, so I decided to go for an exit slightly more to the left and avoid using the crimp. Many times, I slipped off the slopers just before the last move, and I almost decided to give up, but wanted it give it one last good attempt before leaving. It was a big surprise to finally stick the last move but the actual topout being still soaking wet made it quite hazardous to continue on. Nevertheless I was able to work my way on to the top of the boulder. Given the very bad conditions, I didn't expect to climb anything today, let alone topping something out, so I was quite relieved and happy to be able to tick off "Tics Tocs".
The weather forecast turned to the positive side just before the weekend, and instead of rain, it turned out to be a beautiful day after all. It was difficult to decide where to go, but when stumbled upon "Mowgli" while browsing bleau.info yesterday evening, I was eager to go to Maunoury. It was crisp cold when I arrived at the boulder and it reminded me of a few years ago, the day that I did "Bagheera". "Mowgli" has a slightly easier sitstart than "Bagheera", but shares the same exit, so I was pretty confident. I worked out the moves and was able to top "Mowgli" on my second attempt after turning on the camera.
Fontainebleau - Maunoury - Mowgli 7B+
Later, I ended up at the very end of the area, where the conditions were unfortunately far from as good as on "Mowgli", but I decided to try "Envole-toi Éric" anyway. A very nice prow with a cool kneebar and great compression moves. The very topout was a bit more scary than expected, so it was a relief to stand on the top of the boulder.
I doubted about coming back for the sitstart some other time with Pieter, but ended up trying it anyway. The sistart adds a few very nice moves to get into the stand. Never mind the swearing though.
After a wet rainy weekend and a weather forecast that predicted only rain for this week, I was delighted to see that Wednesday was going to be dry and had the chance to take the day off. It looked like it was going to be the only, and thus the best, chance of the week for some possibility to climb. This morning, the sun was shining and there was a lot of wind during the night, so it was promising. The streets were still quite wet though and while walking towards the Rocher Saint-Germain area, a lot of boulders looked quite dark, which is a plausible sign of humidity. Some parts of the area take a lot of wind though, and fortunately so is the sector where "Y'a pas de P qui Compte", my main goal for the day, is located. I could see it already from far when I was approaching the boulder, it looked dry and even in quite good conditions.
I warmed up with "Affirmatif", that I was able to do on my second attempt. The friction on the boulder was very good and I looked forward to try "Y'a pas de P qui Compte", on the same boulder.
Even though I stood already many times before the line where "Y'a pas de P qui Compte" was supposed to be going, but the information about the boulder was scarce at that time and I never got to the point of trying it, not even knowing where and how to start. That seemed to have changed since a number of climbers have repeated the problem now and there are even several videos showing different methods and exits. I decided to go for the original direct exit and started working out the moves. It wasn't without a fight, but in the end I did manage to work up my way on my main goal of the day.
Fontainebleau - Rocher Saint-Germain - Y'a pas de P qui Compte 7B+
I tried a few other problems, but only got away with the relatively new "Metafort". The front side of this line was in pristine conditions, but the top of the backside that I needed to top out was humid and slippery, probably making it slightly harder than I had imagined.
It rained all day yesterday, but this morning it had stopped. It was still wet outside, but there was a strong wind, which was promising. I did some work around the house to give it some time to dry and left home late in the morning. Apparently, there was rain forecasted around Barbizon and Fontainebleau, so I decided to go the nearby quick drying area of 91.1.
Knowing that the overhang of "La Serpe d'Or (assis)" hardly gets wet and that the rest of the boulder dries really quick, I wanted to try that one. The tendon in my right arm gave me some trouble though, so warmed up by doing a sitstart of the orange n°32 problem, "Le Trou d'Or". Being the same hard sitstart of "La Serpe 'd'Or (assis)", I think that this could be around 7A+.
Sitstart with the undercling right hand and a sidepull left hand, reach for the big pocket left hand and exit in 32 Orange. A logical line.
Fontainebleau - 91.1 - Le Trou d'Or (assis droite) 7A+
I couldn't make it through "La Serpe d'Or (assis)", so I ended up moving to the "Le Bowling" boulder of which I managed to the direct version, "Le Bowling (direct)". With all the small pockets in that boulder, it almost looks like a Swiss cheese.
With freezing temperatures during the night and a very low air humidity earlier this week, the climbing conditions seemed optimal. After noticing that they predict rain from Friday on, I took a day off work today, I wanted to have my piece of the pie and profit from the good conditions before they would turn bad again. I could have gone back to "Gengis Khan", but I feared for the split in my right middle finger, which wasn't fully healed yet, and I didn't want to spend most of my time at the same boulder again, so I chose to go to Gorges du Houx Petit Paradis. Not necessarily to try some of the new boulders that have been published earlier this week, but it was thanks to the new publications that I was reminded about what other boulders that I still had on my to-do list. It was still -2°C when I left home, but I could sense that the air was less dry than earlier this week. I figured that I had missed the best part of the week, but nevertheless, it wasn't going to be bad, rather on the contrary. While walking through the forest though, the treetops that caught some of the morning sun were dripping mildly from the dew. It wasn't very much, but enough for me to hope that the boulders that I wanted to try were not getting wet from it. Walking through the forest early in the morning on a regular working day always has some kind of magic feel to it. The forest is still waking up and there is nobody around. It has some kind of serene touch to it, a paradise for those who are fond of it.
I wanted to start with "Cambrure Divine", and when I arrived, I remembered why I never dared to try this one on my own. The landing is quite exposed with big stones right under the roof. I didn't take two crashpads, but I did think of taking the big Mondo pad, so I tried to make the landing as safe as possible in case I would fall out of the roof. Being confident in what I am capable of and with conditions that were very good, it didn't take long to work my way up. A boulder that really fits my style, or at least, that's how I climbed it. If I can use toehooks instead of heelhooks, than my choice is quickly made.
Fontainebleau - Gorges du Houx Petit Paradis - Cambrure Divine 7B
The sitstart followed on my first attempt after a short rest. Maybe a bit morpho to reach the right hand crimp under the roof, but just doable for me.
Fontainebleau - Gorges du Houx Petit Paradis - Cambrure Divine (assis) 7B(7B+)
I wanted to try some other problems than "Poisson d'Avril" on that huge boulder, but as the underclings under the small roof were humid, or even wet, I didn't have much choice but to go for "Poisson d'Avril" after all. Something that I didn't regret, because that problem is beautiful.
Fontainebleau - Gorges du Houx Petit Paradis - Poisson d'Avril 7A(7A+)
Also that sitstart went on my first attempt following a short break after the standing start. Not much harder than the stand, but the sitstart is a logical one.
Fontainebleau - Gorges du Houx Petit Paradis - Poisson d'Avril (assis) 7A+(7B)
I ended with the newly published "Sous la Cambrure", which I found easily by following my own intuition. The location description on bleau.info mentioned that it's 100m opposite and below "Cambrure Divine", but in fact it is about 50m behind and below the latter. Basically, North of "Cambrure Divine". I used the same starting for the hands as Guillaume Joubert did when doing the first ascent, but I was able to find other foot placement, making it probably on the soft side for the proposed grade.
Fontainebleau - Gorges du Houx Petit Paradis - Sous la Cambrure 7A+
Yesterday I had to start working a few hours earlier as usual, but this allowed me to stop earlier too, giving me the chance to go for a climb before it was dark. There was a lot of fog in the morning, but the afternoon was sunny and the conditions on "Gengis Khan" were not too bad. Unfortunately, the holds started feeling damp after about an hour, and even though I came so close to a send, I had to give up. The conditions were only getting worse after each attempt and I again had a split in the tip of my left middle finger. Before leaving though, I cleaned the slopers with some water, hoping that it will allow for better friction next time.
This morning, to my pleasant surprise, even though the sky was grey with clouds, there was no fog and the ground was dry. With my left finger tips being badly cut by the small crimp left hand in "Gengis Khan", I decided to not to go back to it and went to the Les Béorlots area instead. I felt like trying "Égérie sans Vergogne" for some reason, despite knowing that going to that North facing steep overhang was big risk for being a boulder in bad conditions. I had some other boulders in the back in of my mind for in the worst case. Walking on the sandy horse path towards the boulder, I noticed a group of people with horse in the distance, right near where the boulder is. Nothing unusual for Les Béorlots, were it not that the group wasn't moving and just staying where they were. I didn't think too much of it, for all I knew, they were probably taking a break. It turned out though that one of the female horse riders had fallen off her horse and couldn't get up anymore, as they told me, it was even that bad that they had to call for rescue and they were waiting for the fire brigade/ambulance.
They arrived with a 4x4 all terrain vehicle just before I started climbing and immediately took care of the woman, laying her in a better positions and stabilizing her back. They also covered her with a thermo blanket while discussing how to get her out of the forest safely. It was obvious that the woman wasn't to leave there by herself, her injuries seemed to be too sensitive and there was a realistic possibility that she broke something in her back. It was in any case bad enough for the care workers to call for a helicopter, which unfortunately wasn't able to come due to circumstances that weren't clear to me. Instead some of the care takers started looking for the easiest way to carry the woman to the nearest spot where an ambulance could drive to.
In the meantime, I cleaned a lot of pine needles and leaves from the topout of the boulder and realized that the conditions were not as bad as had feared. Only the parts of the topout where I removed the needles and leaves were humid, but the rest of the boulder was not bad at all. I warmed up with "Jeu de Pierre", which I did on my second attempt after watching a video with a non morpho method.
Fontainebleau - Les Béorlots Ouest - Jeu de Pierre 7A+
"Égérie sans Vergogne" required much more time, time that I used to work out the separate moves and trying some overlapping pieces. It was only when I felt ready for some real attempts, that I started the camera. A handful attempts later, I was able to climb my way to the top of this very nice line. I must admit that it was quite comforting to know that the care workers from the fire brigade were only 30m away from where I was and would be able to hear me shout in case I would make a bad fall.
Fontainebleau - Les Béorlots Ouest - Égérie sans Vergogne 7B+(7B)
As I was not very far Rocher de la Reine, I still went back to "Gengis Khan", but again, close but no cigar. On my way back home, I noticed that the ambulance that they called for, was still there waiting for the woman to be carried out of the forest. I have a lot of respect and admiration for those rescue workers, who were really professional and not trying to rush things.
As today, Armistice Day, is a public holiday in Belgium and France, I had planned a prolonged weekend months in advance. Pieter had done the same and as the weather forecast looked good, he drove over from Belgium again to have a good time in the forest. There was a very dense fog though yesterday evening which is hardly ever promising for good conditions. The fog was still present this morning, so we knew that we could only hope for the best when we were on our way to Apremont Portes du Désert. Luckily it hadn't rained since Sunday morning, so the boulders weren't wet, but just damp here and there. The sector of "Furtif" wasn't very bad, so it was a good spot to start. After a short warmup, we both finished "Neurotoxine", one that I couldn't do back in the 2016. Yes, it was apparently since then that I hadn't been back in the area, besides doing the walk through it in the rain with Pieter last Sunday.
Fontainebleau - Apremont Portes du Désert - Neurotoxine 7A+(7A)
Even though it was dry, the damp conditions and high air humidity didn't make it obvious to stick the slopers of "Furtif Haut". Not at all Pieter's style, so he unfortunately didn't get further than the starting hold. Doing the first three moves separately was quickly done for me, but it did take quite some time to make it through to the end when trying from the start. A few times, I came close to giving up for the day, but persistence took over until I made it. The easy looking topout, turned out to be not that easy, but the motivation to not come out of the boulder was greater than the fading energy that I still had in me. This was on my list already since my last visit in 2016.
Fontainebleau - Apremont Portes du Désert - Furtif Haut 7B
I then quickly repeated "Accrocheur" on my second attempt, followed by Pieter not long, but quite some more attempts, after. To finish off the day, we started working in "Elementary", on which I found a flow to cruise through the first part of the line, but the boulder started feeling more humid again and I couldn't stick the top slopers. A new one on the list.
Last Monday, Christophe Laumone gave me some good advice for "Gengis Khan" in Rocher de la Reine. We both arrived at the same time at the boulder and while he was trying the sitstart, I worked in the stand. His advice paid off and I was able to get familiar with the new method, albeit no topout yet. Christophe was able to work out the sitstart and got passed the standing start, but the powerful attempts had taken its toll and squeezed the energy out of him. Probably on his next visit, he will be able to top out and open the sistart of "Gengis Khan". Yesterday I spent the morning in "Gengis Khan" again, and made some good progress. Despite a split in my left middle finger, I was able to perfect the moves, and got really close to topping out. I made it to the high pinch left hand, but a slip from the sloper right hand made me swing out. As long as the conditions on the bad slopers are in favor, and with Winter and the cold temperatures at the doorstep, this should go down soon.
It rained last night and everything was wet this morning. I met Pieter on the parking of Cuvier, but another drizzly rain shower made sure that everything was going to stay wet for a while. We left the crashpads in the car and made a walk to the boulders of Apremont Portes du Désert to get some ideas for his next visit. I had to putty a wall at home in the afternoon, but noticed that everything looked much less wet and even dry at some places around the neighborhood. It was tempting to go search for some dry boulders, but the putty work was necessary, so I continued my way home to start the works. The putty work was done faster than expected and around 4pm I decided to go back to the forest in search for a dry boulder. I still had a good hour of daytime left, so it was worth a shot. Knowing that it's a quite quickly drying boulder, I walked straight to the boulder of "Professeur Tournesol" on which Frédéric Buc had opened yet another line. A short traverse, but the looking at Frédéric's video, the moves looked pretty nice. The boulder was not in very good condition, but dry enough to start working out the moves. few pretty powerful moves, but the motivation was high and about half an hour later I felt relieved when topping out. Got to do one this weekend after all.
Fontainebleau - Justice de Noisy - Dupont et le Professeur Tournesol 7B
Since last week I've been having trouble with my right arm. The tendon that attaches my biceps to the inner side of my arm, at the height of my elbow, has been hurting pretty bad. Very likely I'm having an inflammation of the tendon, so I should take it more easy. This morning, I met Pieter at Rocher de la Reine and we warmed up in "Napoléon (droite)", which I did on my second attempt, soon followed by Pieter.
Fontainebleau - Rocher de la Reine - Napoléon (droite) 7A(6C+)
I had already done "Napoléon (assis)" several times, but quickly repeated it as we were there anyway. Pieter also did this one pretty quick.ly. Staying in a more or less warm up, we then moved over to "L'Isoloir" right below the crest on the North side of the hill. "L'Isoloir" only required a handful of attempts, but didn't feel like a give-away. Using a method that suited him more, Pieter followed soon after me.
Fontainebleau - Rocher de la Reine - L'Isoloir 7A
"L'Isoloir (direct)" is supposed to be a bit harder, according to the grade, but both Pieter and I flashed it with relative ease. We both agreed that the direct version felt easier than the other.
Fontainebleau - Rocher de la Reine - L'Isoloir (direct) 7A+
I could feel the pain in my arm getting worse, but we decided to move to "Gengis Khan" anyway. Both Jans, Jan de Smit and Jan Gorrebeeck, were there too and we had nice moment together there in the sun. I spotted Jan G. when he finished "Gengis Khan" in style. Despite some not so bad attempts, I couldn't go all the way anymore due to pain in my arm. My mind wanted to continue, but it was wiser to listen to my body and call it a day. "Gengis Khan" is definitely on my list again.
It was a good idea from Pieter to go to Rocher des Princes. Last time I was there, must have been in 2017 when I did "Monaco", but left without trying anything in the sector of "Le Prince d'Orange". The landings were too exposed and, being alone with only one crashpad, I didn't dare to try anything, so left empty handed. Now there was both of us, each carrying a pad, so there was no excuse for not trying. We warmed up in "Prince of Persia", which I did on my first attempt, followed soon after by its beautiful sitstart.
Fontainebleau - Rocher des Princes - Prince of Persia (assis) 7A(7A+)
Pieter came very close, but didn't feel like he had enough in him to finish with the high mantle. I couldn't find a method for passing the crux of "Prince of Persia (droite assis)", so we moved to the beautiful boulder of "Le Prince d'Orange" right next to it. "Le Prince d'Orange" was on my list ever since I visited the sector in 2017, and after trying the last move to the top, I made it on my first attempt when coming from the start. A very nice line that turned out to fit me quite well. Pieter only needed a handful of attempts before making it to the top, but it was nice and clean.
Fontainebleau - Rocher des Princes - Le Prince d'Orange 7A
Next up was "Prince Monseigneur", which I flashed with relative ease. The left shoulder move and placing the heelhook on the right didn't pose me much trouble, as opposed to Pieter, who couldn't get his heel high and far enough. He needs to work on his flexibility, something I have been hearing from him for quite some time already.
Fontainebleau - Rocher des Princes - Prince Monseigneur 7A(7A+)
A few times, I came very close, falling on the last move, of "Prince Monseigneur (droite)". Working out the moves to the right had taken its toll and left me with not enough energy anymore to struggle my way up. This one will be for another time.
Like many times in Autumn, it was very foggy this morning, so I had to wait for a while before leaving to the forest. According to my weather app, it should clear up around 10h30 and I left home around that time. When driving through the fields towards Larchant though, the fog was much more dense and no sign yet of clearing up any time soon. I had the plan to go to Mont Blanc, where I wanted to try "Mégalodon". Back in May earlier this year, I came pretty close and I was hoping that the colder temperature would help with the friction that I needed. Even though the boulder felt dry, the key sloper crimp didn't feel good. The friction that I had hoped was nowhere near. When it still wasn't much better after about half an hour of attempts, I took a break and had a look at the beautiful boulder of "Mastodon". It must be about five or six years ago, about a year or two before the area was made public, that Neil (Hart) showed me around there and I remember standing in awe when admiring the boulder of "Mastodon". Nevertheless, it always looked too hard and scary to give it a try. Even when I did "Stegodon" last Spring, I didn't dare to start with "Mastodon" despite the two crashpads that I had with me. This morning was different somehow. I knew that I would have preferred someone having my back, but the today I just couldn't resist, especially knowing that I wasn't going to come close in "Mégalodon" anyway. I decided to move the crashpads under "Mastodon" and slowly build up some confidence. It didn't go very smooth at first, and the high slopers on the top seemed way out of my reach, but the with each attempt, the confidence grew stronger and I dared doing more and more. Until finally, after tweaking my method a few times, I managed to get on. It's always a special feeling doing something that has seemed close to impossible for such a long time. By the time I had done "Mastodon", the weather had finally started to clear up, but the friction on "Mégalodon" just didn't want to get better. Anyway, I left the Mont Blanc area with a happy feeling.
A new variant with yet another but logical exit on the boulder of "Stargate" in Justice de Noisy has been published earlier this week. Being already very familiar with that boulder, I took some time after work to be able to destress and try "Golden Gate". With about 12°C, it wasn't very cold, but the air was dry and the friction felt great. Using an easier method than in my videos of "Stargate" for the first part of the problem, I was able to quite easily send it on my first attempt.
Fontainebleau - Justice de Noisy - Golden Gate 7A+(7B)
Being done so quickly with "Golden Gate", I still had some time left before the dark, but not enough to walk to the back end of the area and try something there. That's when I came up with trying "Fanny Chipie" on the first boulder that was ever published in this area many years ago. I had noticed that there was another more direct version now, being a still higher, but straight up dyno from the undercling. Most of the time these kind of dynos seem to suit me quite well. It's a huge gap though, at least my full body length, between the undercling and the top, so I had to use everything I had in my legs to bridge it. To my surprise, it didn't take me very long to make it.
Fontainebleau - Justice de Noisy - Fanny Chipie 7B+(7B)
I left home this morning to join Pieter and Denis on the packed parking of the Croix St Jérôme and didn't have any expectations or special goals. My left heel was hurting from yesterday's fall, so I decided to just tag along and see where we would end up. After a short warm up on the boulder of "Haute Trahison", we decided to move on to Rocher des Souris to have a look at "La Souris Verte". I stood already a quite some times before the beautiful six meter high boulder, but being alone every time, I never dared to try it. Mainly because of the big boulder just in front of it, making it quite exposed as well. Not a problem to fall out of at substantial height. Spraining an ankle or even breaking a leg is not a far fetched thought there. Pieter had never seen the boulder and he had serious doubts about trying it when he saw it and after we inspected the holds. I was motivated though and was eager to finally try it this time, despite a slight mental struggle. We placed the crashpads as good as we thought would be the smallest chance of getting hurt, and I put on my shoes for a try and build up some confidence. I was nervous, but concentrated and when I got passed the crux move, being a dyno to a quite slopey hold, I climbed back off because it looked like I was going to make it to the top and I hadn't turned on the camera yet. It wasn't something that I wanted to do again just for the video. I looked for a spot to place the camera, turned it on and went for my second attempt. This time I climbed on after the crux. On my way further up, I had a close encounter with a bee that apparently flew into the small two finger pocket that I had just put my fingers in. The bee argued as it couldn't get out and I felt the tickling on my fingertips. I saw it fly out as I removed my fingers from the pocket again and with a slight hesitation put them back in. With a mild vibrating breathe, I continued my way to the top. A not so hard problem, but definitely worth five stars. Simply beautiful. Pieter kept saying that he wasn't going to try, because it looked too dangerous and sketchy, but I motivated him and talked him into at least trying the first moves until the crux. When he was able to that move also after a few tries, he also found himself at the top not long after. As I, he was relieved and happy that he did go for it. An amazingly beautiful problem. In the meantime, Bram (Honorez) had joined us, and after he also topped it out, he confirmed its beauty by saying that it was the most beautiful line that he climbed since a long time.
La Souris Verte climbs through the overhang on the right. Picture taken from bleau.info.
Fontainebleau - Rocher des Souris - La Souris Verte 7A
A beautiful sunny day today, and as it was forecasted to be like this the whole weekend, Pieter had made the journey to be in the forest. We agreed to meet at Coquibus Grandes Vallées. It was a pleasant surprise when he told me that Denis (Brissinck) was going to join us a bit later. We warmed up in the small roof of "Réunion sans BG" and "Réunion sans BD" and returned the big boulder of "Haine Ordi Nerf" afterwards. There are many problems with many variants on that boulder, and I had already quite a few of them, but hadn't done "Haine Ordi Nerf" yet, so it was the version that we started with. I needed some time to find a method that suited me, but in the end I was able to work out all the moves. In the meantime, Denis had joined us, so it was time for a little break before going for the complete "Haine Ordi Nerf". About fifteen minutes later, I felt ready to tackle it and set off. It all went like a flow, until I was doing the last move to the jug high up when my left foot slipped and I fell out unexpectedly and in a uncontrolled way. Pieter was luckily there and with a spot on spot, he prevented me from falling onto the small boulder that he was standing on. Thanks again to Pieter for the excellent and attentive spot, I felt guilty that he hurt his arm in the process of saving me from getting potentially badly injured. It was quite a scare, but barely two minutes later, I set off for another attempt. It was comforting to notice from the corner of my eye that Denis was there to spot as well, so with all my courage I went for the last move and stuck it this time.
Fontainebleau - Coquibus Grandes Vallées - Haine Ordi Nerf 7B+
Pieter was able to do a nice ascent of "Délit de Sale Nom" after a short break before we joined Denis on the top of the hill. The view there is really stunning and I couldn't resist trying out the panorama function of my phone for the first time.
The beautiful view from the hilltop of Coquibus Grandes Vallées.
I had a little bit of time this evening after work, so I went back to the boulder of "Dure Limite" in Justice de Noisy to try and hopefully finish the version to the right, "Dure Limite (droite)". Even though it was already evening, I had never seen so many climbers in the area, especially in that far part of it. To my pleasant surprise though, one of them was Laurent (Darlot) who was there with Christian Mérimeche and Jeff (not sure if I write this correctly though). I know Laurent already for quite some time and have bumped in to him many times in the forest, but I only knew Christian and Jeff from pictures, so it was nice to meet them in real life. Laurent was at the end of his session, but I still witnessed him topping out "Dure Limite (gauche)", the version I had done a few days ago. Laurent being shorter with shorter arms than mine, did need to an additional move, making it come visibly closer to the proposed 7C. Before he left, he gave me some beta for the right version, the one that I failed to do last time. I spent at least an hour last time failing, and when I first started, it didn't feel like I was going to make today neither. The motivation was high though, and I started feeling confident quickly. It was maybe twenty minutes after Laurent left, that I was able to work my way to the top, leaving aesthetics far behind while whaling up. This version definitely felt harder and more scary to me than the left one and might as well be 7C if you ask me.
Fontainebleau - Justice de Noisy - Dure Limite (droite) 7B+
The website https://bleau.info is without a doubt the number one source of bouldering in and around Fontainebleau. Since 2001, the site has kept up to date nearly all problems that have been opened in the forest. With over 34500 problems, divided into 269 areas, and growing almost every day, the database has become huge. It's one of the the permanent tabs on my internet browser and I refresh it at least once every day to keep up with new problems. All this information has always been available for free, and sometimes I wonder how I would do without it. I never realized the costs to keep this site alive until a few weeks ago, when I read on their newsletter about the T-shirts that they are now selling to support the site. I didn't have to think twice about ordering one. I got mine yesterday and feel good about having contributed my small share. As a matter of fact, it should almost be a moral obligation for everyone who uses the site regularly, so go ahead and get yours now here: Bleau.info.
They announced bad weather for the weekend, but I was glad to see this morning that the rain was only going to start in the afternoon. It did rain yesterday afternoon and evening and everything was wet, but I headed to Justice de Noisy, knowing about at least a few boulders that dry quickly there. I passed many wet boulders before arriving at the big one with "Dure Limite", and low and behold, it was sitting in the morning sun, and dry. I had tried it before, but never was able to match both hands in the crack, which looks good, but has only a few very bad slopey crimps. With the lower temperature, the friction was slightly better, but still those slopey crimps felt very hard to hold long enough for the next move. Persistence paid off though and I was able to top out "Dure Limite (gauche)". The crux is definitely matching both hands in the slopey crack and making the next move. I also tried "Dure Limite" itself, which is supposed to be slightly easier, but had to give up after more than an hour non stop trying. It didn't bother me much though. It's a great boulder to go back to anyway.
Fontainebleau - Justice de Noisy - Dure Limite (gauche) 7C
The verdict of the dentist is that I have three broken molars that will have to be unnerved and then replaced by artificial ones. She wasn't able to treat anything yet because the quote now has to be approved by my health insurance. This means that I'm stuck with broken painful molars until then. Thanks to a disinfecting treatment though the pain has become bearable, annoying but bearable. Monday and yesterday were stressful days though and I had to work until late in the evening. Due that, combined with the broken molars, I had a developed a bad headache this afternoon, but was luckily able to stop an hour early. I was in a desperate need of the forest and some climbing to forget about it all, even if it would be just for a little moment. To take advantage of the most time possible, I stayed close and went to Justice de Noisy to try the crimpy "Stand Up". The original starts from a crouching position and didn't give me much trouble.
Fontainebleau - Justice de Noisy - Stand Up 7A+
The sitstart went from the first go immediately after.
Fontainebleau - Justice de Noisy - Stand Up (assis) 7A+(7B)
With the time I had left, I played around in the lowball "Compresse Toit" right across from "Stand Up". I had tried this a few months ago at the start of Summer, but the sandy slopers right hand required better conditions than the heat that I was trying it in. The slopers were still sandy, but the friction was definitely better than last time. Despite a lot of swearing, I did manage to squeeze my way up within the time I had left.
Fontainebleau - Justice de Noisy - Compresse Toit 7B+
During the time of climbing, the pain had disappeared completely, and I finally felt relaxed. The best treatment ever.
I can almost see my house from the area of Oncy-sur-Ecole Sud, so it almost felt like being in lockdown again when I arrived at "La Déroule". A very small and quiet area of which some of the boulders can be seen on the left side of the road when driving through a piece of forest from Tousson towards Milly-la-Forêt. It only took about fifteen minutes to unpack and climb "La Déroule", but I stuck around for a while to enjoy the beautiful wild scenery while listening to nearby wildlife that clearly sounded like boars. I forgot that we are already Autumn though, which means the start of the hunting season. The boulders are in the middle of hunting grounds, so I quickly gave up on my plan to walk back through the dense forest when I heard a couple of shots being fired not far away, pretty close even. I think it was not unwise to go back using the road instead.
Fontainebleau - Oncy-sur-Ecole Sud - La Déroule 7A
Still suffering from a bad tooth pain, I did carry two crashpads back to Rocher de la Cathédrale to try the quite exposed "Bafana Bafana". 7C(7B+), when climbing to the top on the left side of the boulder, but only 7B(7B+) until the lip after the dyno, and that's the version I was going for today. I tried this very crimpy roof several years ago with Pieter, and got real close, but being very powerful on the fingers, I got too tired after too many tries and had to let it go. Today however, I did manage to stick the dyno from the start and stopped at the lip, but not without getting a deep cut in my right middle finger. Very fun problem, despite the cut.
Fontainebleau - Rocher de la Cathédrale - Bafana Bafana (up to the lip) 7B(7B+)
It was a very busy work week and as I was having a bad tooth pain for three days in a row already, giving me a headache on top of it, I wasn't in a very good mood. As a form of therapy, I took the afternoon off today and went to the quiet area of Apremont Vallon de la Solitude. I knew that solitude in the forest and some climbing would make it better. I walked straight towards "Bulhead", opened some years ago by good Belgian friend Jan (Gorrebeeck). I had tried it once a few years ago, but the conditions were not in favor for this problem that only consists of bad slopers from start to the very end. Still having tooth pain and a headache, I didn't have much expectations, but being out there on my own, trying a nice boulder made me soon forget about the pain up to the point that it was all gone for the time that I was climbing. The adrenalin and endorphins that were flowing through my veins were the best natural pain killers. I spent about an hour an a half trying only "Bullhead" and managed to struggle my way onto the top in the end. I was exhausted and out of breath, but feeling relieved. By the time I got back into the car, the tooth pain and headache were back again, so I called the dentist first thing when I arrived back home. Unfortunately I can only go see her on Tuesday morning. Another couple of heavy days to come, trying to find a good mood.
Fontainebleau - Apremont Vallon de la Solitude - Bullhead 7B+
I went to Rocher du Potala this morning, carrying two crashpads, with the intention to try "Pierre Ponce" and the determination to go for it and do it. Unfortunately, the big hole in the rock in front of the start, was taken by a big hornets nest. I was able to make a few attempts, but it was hard to concentrate with big hornets flying in and out of the nest, and being curious about what this big moving thing was just in front of their nest. Even though the motivation was high, it simply was impossible to keep concentrated on the moves. I will have to back during Winter time. I moved over to the recently opened "Distorsion (assis)", one that I tried not very long after having wrestled with "The Wrestler" in Boissy aux Cailles and I couldn't even lift my butt from off the ground due to already wrecked skin and a tired body. This time, I could stand but the arete on the right didn't feel very good. Then I remembered that I had received a sample of the new liquid chalk from Chalk Rebels, consisting of a new secret formula. It looks exactly the same as almost any other liquid chalk, but when applying it to my hands, I immediately felt and smelled that this one is different. It not only has a better cooling effect, but there is something to it that I can't describe. I sent "Distorsion (assis)" on my first try after having applied the new secret formula. This time the arete stuck. Thanks Chalk Rebels, test sample approved! More info about Chalk Rebels, their products and online shop can be found by clicking on the Chalk Rebels logo on the right.
Fontainebleau - Rocher du Potala - Distorsion (assis) 7B
"Love les Tartes" in Rocher de la Cathédrale had been on my want-list for at least five years already, but the few times that I took or had the occasion to try it, I was either too weak or the conditions weren't good enough. Good conditions are key on this steep overhanging prow, where nearly every move slaps onto a sloper. That's why I didn't feel very confident when I was walking with two crashpads towards the boulder. It had rained yesterday evening, and the boulders that I passed looked humid. I was almost in despair when I arrived at the boulder and saw water dripping off the left side of the prow. Upon closer inspection though, it turned out that I was very lucky, the spots that were used for the hands were dry. The slopers did need some attempts before the friction was there, and a little hour later, Pieter arrived just in time to see me topping out this beautiful steep overhanging prow. Gotta love those "tartes"!
Fontainebleau - Rocher de la Cathédrale - Love les Tartes 7B(7B+)
A bunch of friends from Belgium were around, but as they had no hurry, I first went alone to Rocher de la Cathédrale before joining them in La Ségognole. I wasn't very early neither and the parking in Le Vaudoué was already packed. Where I was going though, I was alone besides the occasional hikers and walkers passing by on the nearby well know 25 Bosses path. I flashed "L'Abri du Randonneur" with relative ease. "Le Réta du Randonneur" just left of it though, didn't go well at all. The 7B+ mantle, opened by mantle specialist Laurent Darlot, felt extremely hard. I didn't spend too much time on it, but still had a fun time doing some nice red slabs in La Ségognole with the Belgian bunch.
Fontainebleau - Rocher de la Cathédrale - L'Abri du Randonneur 7A(6C+)
I had quite some boulders written down for my visit to Rocher du Mauvais Passage, and "Peter Pan (assis)" was on top of it. Being one of the first boulders in the area, it was also the first stop that I made. Having done the standing start already more than five years ago, I started with trying those moves again first, but the high sloper right hand felt slippery. We did have a huge amount of rain yesterday evening, but as the soil was very dry, it didn't look like it had been that bad here. The air pressure felt high and humid, and it was already very warm at 10h30, so that could have been the cause too. Persistence paid off though and when the sloper finally stuck, I was quickly able to the next dynamic move to the left too. My confidence was back, but working out the moves from the sitstart into the stand wasn't a giveaway. After some time, everything just clicked and I finished my main goal of the day.
Fontainebleau - Rocher du Mauvais Passage - Peter Pan (assis) 7C(7B+)
As I didn't feel like wading too much through the high ferns that covered the ways to other boulders that I had on my list, I decided to leave those for later in the year when the ferns are almost gone, so continued on to what must be the furthest boulder of the area, "Equinox", just below the top of the hill and high above the boulder with "L'Afrique". I tried "Equinox" once over five years ago, but remembered that I couldn't do much on it. Probable because I had only one crashpad with me then. Today though, I did do the effort to bring two crashpads, which boosted my confidence. It was getting hot by then, so I took my time to work out move by move and when I felt that it clicked, I only needed a handful of attempts from the start to also tick this beauty off.
Fontainebleau - Rocher du Mauvais Passage - Equinox 7B+
Being very confident, I had a look at the lower start, which adds about three to four moves on good holds into the start of the former. I cleaned the holds, but as I sweating a lot, I took a longer brake. It was during the brake that I was reminded of turning off the camera in between climbs when I heard it making a muffled click. It was the click of turning itself off due to empty battery. In most circumstances, I would have probably left with the intention to come back for the lower start of "Equinox", but as I had put a lot of effort in carrying both crashpads all the way up the hill in this heat, it wasn't something that I felt like doing again soon. The low start, followed soon after my brake, but unfortunately no video. I will probably not come back for this alone again, but I'm sure that when Pieter is back in shape, he would like to give this a try too. I will use that occasion to capture the low start on video.
I was in Belgium this weekend to celebrate the birthday of one of my family members, but left for home immediately after breakfast. This gave me still some to climb this afternoon after a long four hour drive. I felt a bit tired from the drive, but the motivation was there. Having driven enough for the day, I didn't go far and revisited the nearby Rocher du Guetteur where I wanted to try "Backdraft" again. I had already tried this several times, but never found a method that worked for me to reach the lip of the roof. This time though, I paid attention to every detail and took my time to work out the move to the lip. As soon as I got the hang of that move, I knew that it was possible, setup the camera and topped it right away.
Fontainebleau - Rocher du Guetteur - Backdraft 7B(7A+)
Next, I took my time to work out the moves of the right exit, which didn't take very long, but wasn't all too convenient. Nevertheless, I managed to top "Backdraft (droite)" immediately after pressing record again on the camera. I felt on fire.
Fontainebleau - Rocher du Guetteur - Backdraft (droite) 7B+
There are so many possibilities on the boulder of "Boite à Lettres", so the game was on this evening. Same start, but exiting slightly right and without using the good holds on the left, "Est-ce une Voie?" is graded 7A, but definitely felt more like a 7A+.
Fontainebleau - Coquibus Auvergne - Est-ce une Voie? 7A
Managed to also finish what I logically call "Est-ce une Voie? (rallongé)", with an exit further to the right. Maybe even closer to 7B ? It was hard to tell as I had first couple of moves well worked out, but only today was able to work out the last moves. Whatever it may be, I definitely had another dose of fun, topped up with another dose by meeting Belgian friend Tim (Collier) again after maybe two years since last time, and who was in the neighborhood and came to say hi.
Fontainebleau - Coquibus Auvergne - Est-ce une Voie? (rallongé) 7A+(7B)
As I didn't have much time, I decided to just have some fun and play around. Also a bit because "Liaison Dangereuse" was too hard and I was already stuck at the start. I started trying something that I didn't know what it was and ended up doing some variant or different method of "Boite à Lettres". Very conventional with a dyno to the crimp right hand. As I have short legs, my feet always cut loose when catching the crimp, making it quite hard to stick. Not sure about the grade, but at that moment it felt like 7A+, but is probably easier for someone with long legs, or simply taller climbers. Hard to say really, it was a feeling of that specific moment. The most important thing was that I had fun while playing.
Fontainebleau - Coquibus Auvergne - Boite à Lettres (droite par convention) 7A+(7A)
I showed Pieter some of the new boulders in Justice de Noisy today, and even though they were all new to him, for me they definitely weren't. So I ended repeating quite some problems, but did get away with one that I hadn't tried before. "La Remontada" is not that difficult, but can be quite reachy, depending on the method. Did two methods and got them both on video, one being less elegant than the other, but fun nevertheless.
Fontainebleau - Justice de Noisy - La Remontada 7A(6C)
I always enjoy climbing with Pieter, even if it means climbing on a less high level after he has been abroad for a year and needs to loose some belly. The climbing days with him are always fun and chill. He had never been to Rocher du Télégraphe, so as all the boulders were new to him, I didn't mind at all climbing a handful of problems that I had done before, even quite some years ago. On the "Burpees" boulder, I did do "Cross-Fit", the only problem that I topped today and hadn't done before. It was a hot day, and we didn't care a lot about the two short unexpected rain showers, they were rather refreshing. The session ended with joy when Pieter managed to climb the standing start and the sitstart of "Coup de Tonnerre". Even I repeated them very quick and easily today, I remember that I had a harder time topping those out than he had today for his first time.
Fontainebleau - Rocher du Télégraphe - Cross-Fit 7A+
I went to Buthiers Canard with the intention to try "Maison de Presse", but due to some circumstances, it was already 11h when I arrived and it already close to 30°C. The sun was shining full on the right side of the prow and even though I was able to work out the first part of the problem, it soon became way too hot. I moved my stuff over to the small cave with "L'Esprit du Knee Bar", but there too, the heat soon became almost unbearable to try anything hard, especially when coming out of the cave. I did get away with the bat-like style "L'Esprit Aveugle", a very nice and fun problem.
I hadn't planned on going to Mont Aigu, but as I had to bring my oldest son to Fontainebleau this morning, I decided to go there. There wasn't much that I wanted to try, but "Cas Contact (direct)" was definitely on the list. Seeming to fit my style, it was potentially a quick deal, but looking at how many times the opener, Manuel (Marquès), fell on the last, dynamic, move it promised to be hard. I wasn't wrong about the hard part. The bad sloper for the left hand was worse than it looked and the right hand was in a very bad position to go from there to the top dynamically. It didn't look like it, but it is a huge move. After trying for almost half an hour, I even started to think that it was too hard and I wasn't going to make it. Nevertheless, after a short break, I somehow found a position out of which I could start the dynamic move and I started to believe in it again. Not much later, I finally made it. I then briefly tried the sitstart, and even though I could quite easily get into the standing start and up into position to do the dynamic move again, but it was really hot by then and I didn't have the same motivation as before, so I decided to call it a day. But determined to go back for that sitstart on a cooler day. Very nice problem.
Fontainebleau - Mont Aigu - Cas Contact (direct) 7A+
I had done the right exit version of "La Coccinelle" in Buthiers Tennis almost two years ago, but apparently I had the moves of the first part still in me. There were some rain showers this morning, so I waited for a dry window, which finally arrived early afternoon. It didn't bother me that much as I had some things planned for today anyway. At least I got most of these done before being able to leave. On my way though, there was yet another rain shower when I was driving towards Buthier. Short, but long enough to make the boulder wet. There was some wind though and the sun that was out now and then, dried the boulder pretty quickly. It was then that I noticed that I still had the moves in me. My hope for doing "La Coccinelle (raccourci)" faded for a moment when another shower made the boulder wet again. Luckily, I was able to keep the key holds of the start dry. After rain comes sunshine and now it was also the case. The boulder dried fast, but after only another attempt or two, the next rain shower came over and everything except for the key holds got wet again. I was persistent though and waited it out until a seemingly longer dry period had made its way to Buthiers. This time, I was able to finish it, even though the top was still very humid and very slippery. The last move was uncertain, but despite being slippery, I managed to hold it and climb on. It was still too wet and slippery to safely climb down, so for once, I didn't mind the small audience that was watching and used the occasion to ask one of the watchers to move the crashpad to a spot where I could jump off the boulder onto the pad. Thanks again to the unknown mister.
Fontainebleau - Buthiers Tennis - La Coccinelle (raccourci) 7C
The rain that they predicted for today didn't look to be near when I left for Franchard Sablons Carriers this morning, but I somehow had a feeling that it would have to hurry a little bit. I made a first stop at "Idle Hands", which looked flashable, but took me some tries to work out the crux move. Quite hard for the proposed 7A. I would even put it at 7A+.
Not far from there, I made a quick flash of "Whale Party". Classified as traverse, but basically the most logical line on that boulder when starting on the left side of the overhang.
Fontainebleau - Franchard Sablons Carriers - Whale Party 7A
I repeated "Party Whale" also on my first attempt, but had actually already flashed this almost a year ago, wearing my normal skate shoes after I had done "Devil's Plaything" and only had a look at the other boulders that were opened in that sector.
Fontainebleau - Franchard Sablons Carriers - Party Whale 7A(6C+)
On the boulder almost next to it, I made a fairly quick ascent of "Point of View". Good that it went quite quick, because barely a few minutes after, a rain shower made the top of the boulder wet.
Fontainebleau - Franchard Sablons Carriers - Point of View 7B
Not a long climbing session, but enough to wear out what was left of my back and climb "La Baisée Niera". A very isolated boulder in Rocher Cailleau, of which the only registered repeater was Steven Demets, back in 2010. Only one registered repeat due to its isolation or just because it is quite hard for the grade, I can't say for sure, but I do know that it is hard for the grade. It's not not for nothing that it was the third time that I was trying it. A North facing wall without crimps, but only bad slopers, requiring good conditions and more technique than strength. Only four moves, but hard enough to make it a hard 7A+, maybe even soft 7B. It's probably somewhere in between. Glad to have ticked this one off, and so was my back as it still hurts a lot from a couple of days ago.
Fontainebleau - Rocher Cailleau - La Baisée Niera 7A+
I don't know why, but for some reason I had always walked passed "La Fourmi Verte" without noticing it whenever I was in Buthiers Tennis. Maybe, I always chickened out because of the height, but I couldn't even remember having a look at it before. Yesterday though, I did have a good look at it and started trying it as soon I felt confident. The crux is near the top and as I only had one crashpad with me and because of having a very painful back as a leftover from my visit to Apremont Désert a few days ago, I felt hesitant to give it all I had. Despite that, I did come pretty close and was determined to come back the next day, but with an extra crashpad to boost my confidence. This morning, I turned my determination into fact and took an extra crashpad before leaving to Buthiers Tennis again. After seeing a couple of videos of "La Fourmi Verte", I noticed how high others had put their right foot for the crux. I tried the same on my first attempt today, but a slip of my left foot set me back on the ground below. It was a slip that could have caused a bad fall, but luckily I was able to avoid that. Nevertheless, it did make me rethink my method with a lower right foot and I looked for good spot where to place it, but there wasn't much. Somehow, I did manage to keep it where I wanted and was able to push through the crux and up onto the high boulder. There I was, feeling relieved and excited, but couldn't immediately see a way how to climb down and with my still painful back, I didn't want to risk jumping down. Luckily, a nearby tree was there to be my savior and allowed me to climb down safely. Beautiful problem of which I'm still wondering why it was able to escape my attention for so long.
Fontainebleau - Buthiers Tennis - La Fourmi Verte 7B(7A+)
The French minister of Education has announced today that from next school year on, as soon as there is one CV19 case in a class, all non-vaccinated pupils of that class will have to stay at home and only vaccinated ones will be allowed in class. Just another step in pushing children aged 12 to 17 years young to inject themselves with a product that has only been authorized for emergency use. This is not the same as a fully approved product. This aggressive approach is worrying to say the least.
I went to Apremont Désert this morning, but the good weather that they announced yesterday hadn't arrived yet. The sky was grey, looked menacing and the clouds even let out some drops now and then. Luckily, the boulders were not wet anymore when I walked through the area, but I wouldn't say that the conditions were good. The only good thing about the weather was that it was a mild 20°C, not too hot for climbing.
I warmed up with a direct version of "Pas de Boutons!", which went down pretty fast.
Fontainebleau - Apremont Désert - Pas de Boutons! (direct) 7A
Next, I decided to go for the lower start version, sitting in the back of the roof and adding a very reachy move with a hard swing to the knob like holds. On my first attempt, I went with the wrong hand and thinking that the crashpad was right below me, I let go with the intention to fall on my back softly. This couldn't have been less true. Instead of falling with my back on the pad, I fell with my spine directly on a small boulder right next to it. It hurt like crazy. The adrenalin was luckily pumping through my veins so I was able to continue my attempts until I was successful.
Fontainebleau - Apremont Désert - Pas de Boutons! (du fond) 7B
I could feel my back stiffening up, but still continued with the nearby "La Squille (assis)", starting with my butt on the ground. Fitting my style, I did this on my first attempt.
Fontainebleau - Apremont Désert - La Squille (assis du sol) 7A+(7B)
For "L'Attaque de la Squille" on the same boulder, I needed two attempts. Using toehooks, this fit my style as well. I was glad in a way that I got to do these so quickly, because the adrenalin was running out, and the pain on my back was getting worse with every minute. By the time I arrived home, I could barely get out of the car. Now it even hurts to simply lift my arms up. Could be a rough night to come.
Fontainebleau - Apremont Désert - L'Attaque de la Squille (du sol) 7B(7A+)
The French Parliament's decision yesterday evening to vote for the 'Pass Sanitaire' and the obligation for all health care workers to be CV19 vaccinated has not gone by without a bang. The obligation not only counts for health care workers, but anyone who works in a hospital or care/nursing home, going from the cleaning personnel to the head surgeon. There are some parts that were not approved, even though none of great interest. What shocked me the most, is that health care personnel will not be fired if they decide not to get the injection, but will be put on leave without salary. This means that they are either forced to take the injection to get their salary back or quit their jobs. The latter will make them loose any benefit from the state for being jobless. These are the same people that were asked to continue working after testing positive to CV19, but showing no symptoms or not feeling sick. These are the same people that many of us applauded for every evening. Now they get the spit in their face. Is this really what we want this country, the country of 'Les Droits de l'Homme' (the human rights), to become ? A country where medical choice is punished financially, but also by taking away certain liberties and God given rights. We have supported and coped with many restrictions over the past year and a half, but I have a feeling that they have gone a step too far now. Counter reactions have started but not being reported on by mainstream media, and when they are, they are being minimized. I have a feeling though that people can no longer be silenced and that this decision could turn out in quite a big bang. Conveniently, the amendment to require that same 'Pass Sanitaire' for government deputies to enter the Senate/Parliament, places where more than fifty people are gathered, has been rejected. Another spit in the face. They should be ashamed of themselves.
The names of the two problems that I climbed today in Beauvais Hameau are in line with the bang.
I barely had skin left on my fingertips, but still managed to squeeze out the relatively new "Entrée de Game". Hard to believe that such boulders were still to be opened in the oh so popular area of Roche aux Sabots, especially when it is the first boulder when coming from the parking. Very morphologic start where even I with my long arms had difficulties to reach both starting holds. After doing the standing start, which felt already quite hard due to the reachy aspect, I tried the sitstart too. I could do the first two moves, but I don't see myself yet getting to the point where the standing start begins. Blood starting coming off my fingertips so I had to call it a day anyway. I definitely understand now how the 7A(7A+) standstart can become a 7C+(8A) for the sitstart.
Fontainebleau - Roche aux Sabots - Entrée de Game 7A(7A+)
A lot of question marks next to France's national motto. As most will probably know by now, starting today, we need the so called 'Passe Sanitaire' to be able to go to the restaurants, movies, museums, bars, events where more than 50 people are gathered, take a long distance train and even for having a drink outside on a terrace of a tavern or bar. The pass contains a QR code that will state that the owner of it has either received two Covid vaccinations, has natural temporary immunity due to previous Covid contamination no longer than six months ago, or has a negative PCR test of maximum 48 hours ago.
Liberté, freedom. Anyone who needs a pass to be able to enjoy aforementioned freedoms, is in my opinion not free at all.
Égalité, equality. In my humble opinion, this pass no longer treats people as equal individual, but makes a clear distinction between those who have made medical choice, which ever choice that may be. Vaccinated people receive a different regime than the non-vaccinated. This comes extremely close to Apartheid.
Fraternité, fraternity. President Macron's latest speech of about a week ago and the mainstream media clearly try to create two groups of people and attempts to set vaccinated people up against the non-vaccinated people. This was proven once again today when I was listening to a so called debate on the national radio RTL where listeners were allowed to dial in and express their opinion about the new measure or restriction. I was disgusted about how the so called moderators of the radio were steering the debate, and how they didn't even try to hide that they had clearly picked the side of those who were in favor of the pass.
To be clear, I am not against vaccines and would call myself even pro vaccines when they have proven their efficacy, but I strongly believe that every individual should have the freedom and the God given right to decide for themselves what they inject themselves with. The Covid vaccines have become mandatory for health care workers who have time until the 15th of September to take the injections. If they don't do it, they will lose their job. The injections are not mandatory for others yet, but the pass adds so much social pressure that many have chosen to take them. Most not for their or others health, but solely to be able to enjoy the freedom that they otherwise will lose.
The French government has wiped their dirty feet on the national motto by voting in favor of this pass. What's next ?
Luckily, we don't need a pass (yet) to go to the forest, so that's of course what I did and went to Rocher Saint-Germain after dropping off my oldest son in Fontainebleau. With "Pointe à Pitre" high on my list, I walked straight to that floating boulder. I have been trying it on and off for several years, but it was only today that I finally made my way up, despite the heat and very bad slopers. Lost a lot of skin off my fingertips, but it was all worth it.
Fontainebleau - Rocher Saint-Germain - Pointe à Pitre 7B+
On the way back, I stopped at "L'Arête des Comiques", an overhanging slopey arete that I had tried once a few years ago, but as it didn't fit my style back then, I didn't spend a lot of time on it and gave up pretty fast. Today, even though not without a small fight, I did manage to finish it.
Fontainebleau - Rocher Saint-Germain Est - L'Arête des Comiques 7A+(7A)
With the heat of the last days, it seemed like a good idea to back to Mont Simonet with the hope that the starting holds of "La Tortue Lutte (assis)" would finally be dry. Facing North, they have been wet every time that I was there, so was never able to give it a go. At 10h30 this morning, it was already getting very warm again when I parked at Mont Simonet. I didn't pay much attention to the car that parked right next to me, but looked up when I heard my name. It was a pleasant surprise and a big coincidence to see that it was Jerome Collet. He wanted to try some boulders in Mont Simonet Ouest, so we walked together for the most part until we had to go our own way. The big left starting hold of "La Tortue Lutte (assis)" was almost dry, but unfortunately still too humid, especially for the holds the holds and slopers that would follow after the start. Nevertheless, I was able to get a feel of the first move, which apparently is way too big for me to be able to reach the closest possible hold, which is a slopey crimp. No way that I would ever get that far. Luckily, for once, the starting holds of "Paddo Jump" were dry. Having been unable to give it some real attempts in the past due to them being not dry enough, today, I was finally able to give it some real attempts. I only needed two to make it to the top.
Fontainebleau - Mont Simonet - Paddo Jump 7A+
I then walked over to Mont Simonet Ouest to join Jerome with what he was about to try. I was able to do "Régime Sec" on my second attempt. It felt soft for the proposed 7A as I didn't even bother to take out the camera. Jerome finished it right after I did. The remainder of the climbing session, we spent on trying "A Cant'a Me", a hard 7B opened by the huge Fred. For our height, it definitely feels a bit harder. We will both have to come back for it, despite having done some really good attempts.
