June 29-30, 2025 - Heat alert.

With temperatures going deep into the 30°C the last days, it's extremely hot, just like in many other European countries. Because of the extreme, it's nearly impossible to climb in the afternoon, and even in the morning, it's best to find some very shady boulders.
Yesterday, I met up with Olaf and Victor at Beauregard, to climb in the shady roof of "Seuls les Vrais le Savent". Olaf was working in "Seuls les Vrais le Savent" itself, while Victor and I were working in "C'est Toujours Pour Ceux qui Savent". Despite the three of us doing moving quite well, we couldn't finish our respective boulders.
As a consolidation prize, we did do a team ascent of the easier "Savoir Limitrophe", after which Victor had to leave.

Fontainebleau - Beauregard - Savoir Limitrophe 7A(6C+)

Olaf and I stayed at the boulder, where I was still able to squeeze out a quick ascent of "Les Sachants s'Echauffent (droite)", also repeated by Olaf later that day.

Fontainebleau - Beauregard - Les Sachants s'Echauffent (droite) 7A

Today, even though already very hot in the morning, I met with Olaf in Recloses where we walked straight to "Le Clapotis Rondouillard", a boulder that I couldn't try last time, a few weeks ago, because it was wet. Now it was perfectly dry. 
I warmed up in the standing start, but came to realize that the move to the right of the low start is really morpho. Despite being able to reach the hold, there was no way for me to hold it due to not being able to keep my left foot where it was, no matter what, my legs aren't long enough, and I always cut off. As I also couldn't do Manuel Marquès' method, I was about to give up, when I suddenly had the idea to try the far right move and keep myself from swinging, by doing a left toehook catch at the same time. It still felt nearly impossible, but it gave me hope and I decided to try that method some more. It's a kind of move that you would normally see in new-school competition style boulders.As I never climb indoors, I'm not familiar with that style of climbing, but thanks to my gymnastics background (I guess), I seemed to be learning fast and got close to holding it with every attempt.

When I finally did that move from one move in, I turned on the camera, was able to do it again two attempts later and finished it off.

Fontainebleau - Recloses - Le Clapotis Rondouillard 7B+

After doing the easy, but nice slab right next to it, we moved over to the nearby boulder of "Body Press", which seemed impossible with very bad slopers in the heat, but, very surprisingly, I was able to finish it on my second attempt.
Definitely not a bad session in that heat.

Fontainebleau - Recloses - Body Press 7A+(7B)

June 15, 2025 - Good vibration.

Yesterday evening, the whole family went to the Oh My Bloc festival in Milly, where it was great to see some friends, some of which I hadn't seen for a long a time. I tried to be back home on time to not disturb my rhythm too much, but there a marriage party going two houses away from mine and I had difficulties falling asleep. By the time I almost fell asleep, it was well past midnight when I was suddenly spooked by loud bangs of fireworks from the party right next door. I was wide awake again. No wonder I was feeling very tired this morning when I met Olaf at Rocher d'Avon. He, Lars and Simi were at the festival too, and stayed longer than I did, so it wasn't a surprise that they were feeling quite tired too.
Luckily, the temperature went down substantially today, and the friction on the boulder of "Basta" was very good, which was somewhat motivating. Nevertheless, I didn't have anything too hard in mind.
I started with "Rasta (assis)" which I strangely enough had never tried before. The dyno was okay, and so was the topout, but I needed a bit of time to work on the middle move to be able to match the lip of the overhang right hand. Once I knew what to do though, it went down quickly.

Fontainebleau - Rocher d'Avon - Rasta (assis) 7A

Right after Olaf did "Pasta", I followed with "Pastis", starting in "Rasta (assis)" and topping out at the far right, above "Freak of the Weak". That was fun to do with such good friction.
Manuel (Marquès) was working in a new problem just below and after he had come over to see who was there, he invited us to come and try what he was working on. I was able to do the standing start on my second attempt, but felt too tired to do the crux move of the sitstart. Motivated by our presence, Manuel was able to send the whole line with us watching and motivating him.
After a nice long chat, we went back to the boulder of "Basta", where also Lars and Simi had arrived by that time.

Fontainebleau - Rocher d'Avon - Pastis 7A+

Simi lost a lost of skin trying "Hasta", while Lars and I made very quick work of "Pasta". 
Lars had a very hard time for the matching move on "Rasta (assis)", but after carefully working on little details on his body position, he also ended up with doing it. Olaf had too much trouble doing the dyno move, but was still able to do the standing and crouching start.
Good vibrations on what felt a bit like a lazy day, but ended up being quite productive for the state I was in.

Fontainebleau - Rocher d'Avon - Pasta 7A

June 14, 2025 - Success after doubt.

Last weekend, I tried "La Traversée d'Incognito" and fell off the very last move a couple of times. It was only when I was already too tired to try again, that maybe "La Traversée de Zigzag" probably suits me more because of the toehooks at the first part of "Zigzag" itself. I feel pretty comfortable with them and even the impression that I can rest for a second.
This morning, after a few very hot days and warm nights, I met Olaf again at Justice de Chambergeot, determined to go full on for "La Traversée de Zigzag" and hoping to finish it before the real heat would start again. After a short warmup, just trying the moves of the last part, I felt quite confident, but fell off the last hard move again. There was still too much doubt in some of my movements and with so many moves, it's definitely better to stay in a steady flow.
The attempt after the exact same thing happened and the heat was already starting to kick in. The sweat was dripping of my face and whole upper body, and I told Olaf that I probably wouldn't be able to finish it today. Barely ten minutes, and one attempt later, I found myself on top of the boulder, having finished "La Traversée de Zigzag" with the support of Olaf, Lars and his girlfriend Simi. Unexpected success after doubt.

Fontainebleau - Justice de Chambergeot - La Traversée de Zigzag 7C

June 09, 2025 - My story about flashing "An 8A+".

Today was supposed to be an active rest day in the company of Olaf, Lars and his girlfriend Simi. I met Olaf at the parking of Justice de Chambergeot, and we walked straight to the boulder of "Zigzag". Many lines on this boulder, so enough choice.
After a short warmup trying some of the moves of "Zigzag", I sat down and sent it on my first attempt from the start. Olaf followed me quickly, but going through "Incognito (droite assis)".

Fontainebleau - Justice de Chambergeot - Zigzag 7A

Despite feeling tired and it being a kind of rest day, I started trying some of the moves of "La Traversée d'Incognito". At that moment, Lars and Simi also arrived, and I got motivated to try the whole line.
To my surprise, I got through almost the whole boulder, falling off the last hard move, feeling exhausted and with sweaty fingers. I felt too tired to try it again, but I'm sure that this should go down soon when I have better skin and feel fresh.
Below, the video of my attempt in "La Traversée d'Incognito", and my story about flashing "An 8A+" in Rocher Canon. Sound on if you want to hear about it.

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June 08, 2025 - Train delayed.

I met with Olaf and Brian on the parking of Pierre le Sault, just outside of Nemours. A small quite unknown area where I had never gone before, and neither had the others. We waited a while for Victor, but when he wrote that he was still in doubt of what to do, we headed for the boulder of "L'Arche". 
the boulder looked quite small from far, but as we got closer, it only looked better and better, especially when walking around it. There are a few lines that go through the long roof, each taking a different exit. We started warming with trying the exit of the least hard, "L'Arche (droite)". We figured it out quite quickly and after inspecting some of the other moves under the roof itself, I decided to go for it and was able to send it immediately from the start, which was not a luxury, because even though the holds are quite good, the amount of them can quickly wear one out.
When Olaf also managed to climb the whole line, it looked like it was going to be sending train on this one.

Fontainebleau - Pierre le Sault - L'Arche (droite) 7A+

While Brian was still working some of the moves under the roof and trying to perfect his sequence for the right topout, I quickly found the way to finish the slightly harder left exit. I didn't let any time pass and sent the left exit also from my first attempt when coming from the start. This was definitely harder than the other, but I didn't hesitate and topped it out, albeit being completely out of breathe.
I filmed both exits again separately to give an idea of how these look. 

Fontainebleau - Pierre le Sault - L'Arche (gauche) 7B

Meanwhile, the sending train was delayed, because due to very bad, or the lack of, skin on his fingertips, Brian fell at least three times on the sloper at the very last move of the right exit. When he finally decided to give it one last go before giving up, it turned out to be the good one and he was still able to hop on the sending train, just in time.
Great session with good and chill company on a very cool boulder. Nothing but good vibes.

June 07, 2025 - Shared excitement.

I met Olaf this morning on the parking in Le Vaudoué, as we decided to go the small and quite unpopular area of Le 111. It being unpopular was one of the reasons why we chose that area, as it is again a long weekend with Monday being a public holiday in many European countries. The weather wasn't as good as last week, and it had even rained a bit this morning, but there was a nice wind, and everything was dry again quickly.
It's quite a long walk to Le 111, but as usual, Olaf's company made it feel shorter than expected.
We immediately started trying "Chaud Latin", the other reason why we chose that area. The conditions felt mediocre at first, but got better with every attempt. It was quite fast that I suddenly got high enough to be in a good position for the final jump, but I hadn't turned on the camera yet, so I decided to jump off instead. I felt quite confident that I would be able to that last far dynamic move, even though it's a somewhat scary one.
Unfortunately, a thicker grey cloud passed over and there was a short light rain shower. Not enough to make the rock wet, but just enough to make the slopey hold far right loose the good friction that I felt when getting there the first time. On top of that, I was climbing too confident and didn't pay enough attention to important details, which made fall off a few times. When I finally ended u in the good position again, and the friction was back, I set off for the jump and stuck the high sloper from the first time. A truly beautiful problem with great moves from start to end.

Fontainebleau - Le 111 - Chaud Latin 7B

Olaf usually needs some more time to get into it, but he was making quite progress this time. When he suddenly cruised through the first part and got to the far right slopey hold, he started to amaze me. He got the left hold just barely, but hung in there and slowly got into a much better position. He was in position to do the jump, but he looked down and I could feel and see his doubt. I encouraged him, even though I somehow expected him to bail out and jump off, but he stayed there, positioned his feet to prepare for the jump. I watched in awe and saw him make the big jump, but he just didn't make it far enough.
Despite not having made it, we were both extremely excited. Knowing Olaf, doing such jumps is not his cup of tea, so I really admired his great effort. I could see on his face that he had surpassed himself in a way and I felt proudness and true excitement for him.
He made handful of other great attempts at the jump, but he had to throw the towel in the end. He will be back for it again at another day, and I would love to be there for him when he does. I would love to another such session of shared excitement.

On the way back, we stopped at the nearby Rocher de la Tortue, where we were advised by Markus (Neher) to the sitstart of "Opus Marron". Markus had opened the standing start not very long ago, but hadn't been able to do the sitstart. 
I'm not entirely sure if Markus meant a sistart slightly left with an obvious undercling, but it seemed like the most logical place to start.
Olaf wasn't very interested in it, so I got away with the first ascent of "Opus Marron (assis gauche)".
Hard to grade, but I would estimate it be about 6C+, maybe 6C, depending on how tall you are.

Fontainebleau - Rocher de la Tortue - Opus Marron (assis gauche) 6C+ (First Ascent)

May 30 - June 01, 2025 - Fun+.

Friday was the first very, very hot with temperatures going above 30°C at the hottest moment of day. We, Olaf, Markus and myself had therefor decided to go to the shady boulder of "Le Crabe d'Or" in Moigny-sur-Ecole. Also, because we would make sure to avoid the huge crowds that had taken over the popular sectors of the forest.
Some of the holds under the roof weren't dry, so we had to limit ourselves to the few lines that were dry enough to be climbed. It was a fun session nonetheless, during which we were all able to climb a few lines. I had already climbed most of them last year, but it was fun repeating them together, and on top of that, I was able to grab one that I hadn't done before, "Object Lunule (gauche)". This boulder seems to keep giving new lines and variations.

Fontainebleau - Moigny-sur-Ecole - Objectif Lunule (gauche) 7A

The day after, yesterday, we met in Recloses to hopefully climb some nice problems right outside of the village. Hopefully, because it was cloudy and some light rain showers popped up now and then. On top of that, the air humidity was very high and felt heavy. The kind of air that makes you sweat and feel sticky with the slightest effort.
We were able to climb some easier and new problems while warming up, but right when we wanted to try some nice classics, a longer rain shower made sure that we couldn't. We searched for some other boulders that might have remained dry, but our hope was in vain. When another rain shower popped up, I decided to call it a day and go home.

Today, was still hot and the air felt slightly less heavy, but the conditions in Long Boyau were shitty. We didn't let it get to us though and cared more about having a fun time. Brian had joined us this time, and we all got to have our little send on the boulder of "Circulez, y'a Rien à Boire". We tried a few more problems, but shitty conditions shut us down. 
Anyway, we were all in good company and had a fun+ time.

Fontainebleau - Long Boyau - Circulez, y'a Rien à Boire 7A(6C+)

May 29, 2025 - Dude, where's your car ?

Being the start of the Ascension weekend, the forest promised to be crowded in a lot of places, especially the most popular ones. I therefor met with Olaf with whom I went to Rocher de la Petite Reine. Last weekend, when it was a wet day, we went for a walk around there, and we decided to now go for a climb. Olaf wanted to try "Suspension de Séance" and my main goal was to try "Skeleton". I had seen a video from "Skeleton" a few weeks ago, and I figured that the technical dyno was something for me. Not a far jump, but one where body awareness and catching the hold in the right place and the correct way, are key.
While warming up, I was quickly able to do the first part and soon realized that most of the difficulty was about the dyno. Luckily, it allows to practice that move separately, which I started doing. I got closer slowly, but steadily and when I finally stuck it, I turned on the camera.
Doing that move again when coming from the start proved to be a challenge. It turns out that keeping the friction on the pinch right hand was of extreme importance. As you have to take that pinch from the first move, and hang on to it until the dyno, it wasn't a giveaway.
When the moment where everything clicked finally came, I was glad to top it out. All in all, it went much quicker than expected.

Fontainebleau - Rocher de la Petite Reine - Skeleton 7C

Olaf, needed time to get acquainted with the body positioning in "Suspension de Séance", but was making good progress. Meanwhile, I was able to repeat it after a few tries. Markus (Neher) joined us some time later, but not long after his arrival, I had to leave. It was a bit unfortunate, because I do like their company.

Later in the afternoon, I took my kids to Eléphant, where we went halfway around the hill playing 'the floor is lava'. The whole place was extremely crowded, but I didn't mind. I wasn't there for climbing, and if I would have, then I would have most likely left immediately to go and climb somewhere else.
On our way back, close to the parking of Roche aux Sabots, the gendarmerie was there to hold up traffic while they were once again towing away a lot of cars. Multiple huge tow trucks were present and were picking up one car after another, all illegally parked along the departementale. Several people were standing and sitting next to the road, realizing that their cars weren't there anymore. Some were arguing  with the gendarmerie, but they didn't give in. 
Let this be a reminder to many, to not park illegally. When the designated parkings are full, just go to another area of the forest.
L

May 18, 2025 - For real.

The sun was out when I woke up this morning, and I decided to go to Beauregard in Nemours. I had visited this small area with Victor (Burger) at the end of the Winter this year, but we weren't able to climb there due to wet or too humid boulders. As we had a longer dry period, I estimated that the boulder with "Seuls les Vrais le Savent" had to be dry this time.
After a long walk uphill, I finally arrived at the nice roof boulder and it was indeed dry. I warmed up trying the topout of "Seuls les Vrais le Savent" and as soon as I had done that, I was surprisingly able to cruise through the roof on my first attempt from the start and topped it out. 
This is a really nice isolated roof and still have a few more lines to offer. 
I briefly tried the much harder "C'est Toujours pour Ceux qui Savent", but the crux shoulder move required full tension on the left heelhook and I didn't dare to commit, afraid I would injure my left hamstring that still felt sore after "Day of Tentacle".
As this is a perfect boulder for hot Summer days, I will gladly go back for it.

Fontainebleau - Beauregard - Seuls les Vrais le Savent 7B

May 17, 2025 - Ask my hamstring.

After having been so close to doing "Day of Tentacle" last week in Apremont Sanglier, it was my main goal for today's climbing session. It was substantially colder than last week, so I hoped for good friction on the extremely bad slopers at the end.
Last week, on Saturday, I had figured out al the moves and could do the boulder in two overlapping parts, but couldn't do the topout when coming from the start. That was my first session on it.
The day after, on Sunday, I went back, with Olaf this time, for my second session. I was able to cruise through the first part every time, but again kept falling off at the end. I did get a new highpoint though, and even couldn't have been closer to topping out, but still fell off. My left hamstring had started hurting though because of the constant pressure with the heelhook trying to top out. It got bad enough for me to throw in the towel and give my hamstring a break.
This morning, my third session on it, I could still feel my hamstring and for a moment I feared that I would have to stop again in order not to get injured, but I stayed and tried to come up with some minor tweaks to relieve some of the pressure on my hamstring for the topout. A little detail made that work and keeping that in mind, I was finally able to finish it.
A very cool problem that felt very hard for the grade. My hamstring can confirm.

Fontainebleau - Apremont Sanglier - Day of Tentacle 7B

May 15, 2025 - Sort of in between.

Even though the sun was shining all day long, there was also a chilly, sometimes quite strong, breeze. I was working, but considering that the conditions must be very good today, I decided to go for a short evening climbing session after diner. The boulder of choice, was "Didgeridoo (direct assis)". Not far from home, short walk, so ideal for a quick session.
There are two videos on bleau.info, each showing a different method, one for taller and another for shorter climbers. I started trying the method for shorter climbers, but didn't quite feel the flow. Then for the taller method, it felt like my legs were too short or something. Having longs arms, but short legs, I ended up figuring out my own method, sort of in between the two other methods.
Once I had decided on what to do, it went quite quick and felt rather soft for the grade. Great problem, nevertheless.

Fontainebleau - Bois Rond Auberge - Didgeridoo (direct assis) 7C

May 14, 2025 - Manyata reopened.

Two weeks ago, I spent a whole session trying the upper part of "Manyata", starting from a pile of stacked crashpads, but I couldn't figure it out and was unable to do it. I had given it a break since then, but this evening after work, I decided to go back and try the upper part again.
After some time, I was finally able to figure it out and was able to do the upper part. I suddenly felt psyched and realized that it could go.
A few attempts later, from the start, I almost flowed through the moves, executed the upper part nearly perfectly and topped out.
This is the first known ascent since a key hold broke, back in 2016. I really enjoyed the process and am almost sad that it's over. It was a perfect evening after work project.
The direct version is harder and more delicate than the right exit, so I'm giving it 7C.

Fontainebleau - Rocher Guichot - Manyata 7C

May 11, 2025 - Sugar breaker.

On Friday, I worked a lot in "Day of Tentacle", in Apremont Sangliers. I was able to figure out a method for the first part, could do all the moves separately, even though the topout just barely, but had a handful of attempts where I fell off the last hard move, which is my crux.
Below, a video with some of my best attempts on Friday, that I posted on Instagram.

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Yesterday, I went back to "Day of Tentacle", this time joined by the good company of Olaf (Deppe), and I had again a few very good attempts, one of which where I couldn't have been closer to topping out, but still fell off due to a bad desperate move at the very end. Unfortunately, my left hamstring gave me a severe warning to stop trying, it had had enough for that day.
I didn't mind it very much though and will be glad to come back to this quiet spot as soon as my hamstring allows me to. Hopefully again in the good company of Olaf.

This morning I met Olaf at Rocher de Télégraphe. We both felt quite tired and both were suffering from a minor injury in our left leg. Me, my hamstring, and Olaf at the back of his knee. I didn't expect much of the session, and mainly wanted to see what "Casser du Sucre" was about.
Opened many years ago, but not having a single registered repetition, it was all mossed over again, so I warmed up with brushing the whole problem again, watching a new line being born, "Casser du Sucre (gauche)". A very logical line, starting with a sitstart from the ground, on the left, with two fairly good crimps. From there, take a tiny sharp crimp left hand, make a big move to the right, to another small crimp and top out in "Casser du Sucre". This was before I realized that "Casser du Sucre" starts more to the right under the overhang, crouched and with one knee on the ground.

Fontainebleau - Rocher du Télégraphe - Casser du Sucre (gauche) 7B+(7B)

Olaf was trying "Nouveaux Horizons", a traverse on slopers on the other side of the boulder. I joined him and quite easily flashed it. 

Fontainebleau - Rocher du Télégraphe - Nouveaux Horizons 7A(6C+)

While Olaf was trying "Nouveaux Horizons", I had a better look at the description of "Casser du Sucre", and it was then that I realized how it actually starts. It looked quite hard, but I was able to do first and hardest move immediately. I turned on the camera and sent it right after. This honestly felt less hard than what I done earlier and is not more than 7B in my opinion.
Nevertheless, both the direct and left versions are pretty nice and I had a fun time with Olaf.

Fontainebleau - Rocher du Télégraphe - Casser du Sucre 7B+(7B)

I watched Olaf unfortunately fall off "Nouveaux Horizons" a few times, even though he normally cruises through the move where he always fell, when doing it separately. I had to leave , but I'm sure he was still going to do it. It turned out to be a good session after all.

May 08, 2025 - The water of life.

Climbing together with Olaf (Deppe) is always fun and cozy, so I'm glad that he's back in the forest for a few months. We met up this morning on the parking of Rocher Guichot and it promised to be quite busy on this French public holiday. At 10h15, I grabbed the last parking spot on the real parking, Olaf already had to park further out and more cars kept arriving, looking for a spot. I wasn't worried about climbing in a crowd though, because we had planned to go all the way out to the far end of Grand Montagne, to try "Eau de Vie".
"Eau de Vie" was opened by Laurent Darlot in 2022, and the first time I went to try it, was in the same year. Leaving the boulder unfinished back then, I knew and had felt that it was harder than the 7A+(7B), proposed by Laurent. A year later, in 2023, I went back, had a new high point, but still wasn't able to finish the problem.
"Eau de Vie" is somewhat hidden between mossy boulders and a somewhat denser vegetation, so a perfect problem to try when you want to avoid people and perfect for trying in Summer. Today was such an occasion to go and try it again, and even more perfect with Olaf. Even though it was my third session on it today, my previous one was two years ago, and I had forgotten most of the moves that I had managed to figure out last time. Anyway, with Olaf being there too, I didn't mind starting over. Having his vision and thinking out of the box that I was in, is always beneficial, even if it turns out not to work sometimes. It just gives you a fresh look at the problem.
After having warmed up with doing the last, but still sketchy, part of the problem, we started working the first part. It took a while, but after many failed alternatives, we found a method that worked. A few attempts later, I managed to work myself through and finish "Eau de Vie", albeit just barely, by the tips of my fingers.
I don't know what Laurent had eaten the day that he opened it, but I want it too. Even after finally having done the problem, I still think that this felt like hard 7B the least.
Even though he still didn't do one specific move, Olaf is getting really close, but he will have to go back for it. I'm glad I was able to show him a problem that he can go back to when wanting to avoid people.

Fontainebleau - Grande Montagne - Eau de Vie 7B

May 04, 2025 - Unboxed.

I had some very close friends from Belgium that were staying over for a few days, so yesterday was only some easy circuit climbing until it was too hot.
After my friends had left for Belgium again, I went for a quick climb in Franchard Hautes Plaines, with the intention of dedicating some time in "Le Surplomb de la Coquine". I had tried it a few times, but only very briefly, since I never figured out what to do or how to move. Decided to stick with it this time, I forced myself to find a way. The starting position is very boxed in, so I needed quite some time to figure out how to get out of that box and then again even more time to think out of the box for a move that seemed too morpho at first.
After an hour of figuring out what to do, I ended up finding a way and then was able to execute it all immediately after turning on the camera.
Definitely not one of the nicest problems, but I was glad to have found a way for something that I had never understood before.

Fontainebleau - Franchard Hautes Plaines - Le Surplomb de la Coquine 7C(7B+)

May 01, 2025 - Russian roulette.

A few days ago, I got struck with some kind of belly flue, with painful cramps, and which made me feel very weak. Trying to fart was like playing Russian roulette. This morning, I was still feeling extremely weak and painful cramps were still bothering me once in a while. If I wouldn't have agreed to meet Victor (Burger) at the boulder of "Plains Toit" in Franchard Meyer this morning, I probably wouldn't have left for climbing at all. That's how I bad I still felt. Nevertheless, I met up with Victor at the boulder, and by the time I arrived, he had already worked out the moves, but was waiting for me, some extra crashpads, and a spotter to give it real send attempts.
His first few attempts, he fell off the last hard move, but after I gave him some advice for doing that move, he adapted and was able to finish it off. 
In between his attempts, I tried some of the moves, but it felt exhausting and I didn't even think I would be able to do the second part separately. Victor encouraged me to try from the start though and without any expectations, besides falling off too exhausted halfway, I gave it a go. To my big surprise, I climbed all the way until the last hard move, the one where Victor had fallen off a few times. I didn't make myself any illusions though, but I did turn on the camera for another quick attempt so I would have my method on camera for whenever I would come to try it again, in better body conditions. I was again able to get the last move, but fell off there again.
Victor had to leave, but I being so close, I got more motivated and somehow I was hardly feeling ill anymore. It had given me a boost, and I decided to stay, to have another attempt after a longer break.
Victor had left for barely five minutes and after placing the crashpads under the point where I had the most chance of falling, I gave it another attempt, feeling quite confident this time. I don't what it was, but I cruised through the problem, made it through the last hard move and topped out. It was time for me to stop complaining about how I had felt. Trying to fart is still a Russian roulette though.

Fontainebleau - Franchard Meyer - Plains Toit 7C

April 27, 2025 - Mental game.

I had proposed Jan and Sam to go to Rocher de la Salamandre today, where I finally wanted to try "Menumental", and I was glad they accepted. I had been wanting to try this beautiful boulder for such a long time, but it's not one that I would have ever dared to try it alone. 
We warmed up a little on the boulder of "Petit Tome", where I was impressed by Sam's quick adaptation to the Fontainebleau sandstone. It was only his second time here in the forest and on top of that, he's more of a route climber. Not the same style as you would find here in the forest.
After having warmed up, we went to "Menumental", where three other Belgian climbers were trying it as well. I'm sorry that I can't remember their names. I politely asked to join and tried to prepare mentally for my first attempt. With theirs and our crashpads stacked under the boulder, there was a pretty safe landing, as long as you didn't fall too far, because then you would suddenly three meters deeper.
After sticking the first move, the jump to a pinch, I was thinking about not having turned on the camera, but their cheers motivated me to keep going. I was in a flow and kept on going until I suddenly found myself on the top of the boulder. I flashed "Menumental". Luckily, one of the other Belgians had filmed the ascent and he will send it to me soon. 
Eager to have a video myself, I installed and turned on my own camera, and went for it again. Again, I didn't come off and climbed it the whole way again. The mental game was over.
The video posted here is the second time I climbed "Menumental". 
Two of the other Belgians had climbed it as well, almost making it a sending train.

Fontainebleau - Rocher de la Salamandre - Menumental 7B+

Jan didn't feel motivated and physically fit enough, so we all moved to the boulder of "Dune", where we wanted to try "Dune (sans convention)".
This problem seemed to have suited very well, because I did it on my second attempt. It must have suited me very well, because despite that I thought that the others would do it quickly too, nobody else had been able to do it more than an hour later.
It was unfortunately time for to go, and after watching Jan unexpectedly fall off the very top, I said goodbye and left. I felt a bit annoyed by it, but it was already much later than I intentionally had planned to stay.
Having seen Jan being so close and falling off where he shouldn't have anymore, I truly hope he was still able to finish it.

Fontainebleau - Rocher de la Salamandre - Dune (sans convention) 7B

April 26, 2025 - Few days, one post.

I was expecting visitors from Belgium last Thursday, so I had taken the day off work. Before they arrived, I had some time to go for a climb, but not too much, so I looked something up close by, with a not too far walk. The choice had become "Fermeture Éclair" in Canche aux Merciers, opened by Theo Konstantakopoulos in 2017. I had tried it once before a long time ago, and remembered that I couldn't get past the last part somehow. While driving, I was thinking that I actually like most of Theo's first ascents and kind of admired how a lot of times, he can see sitstarts to easy problems, creating a hard problem in the end. This also most of the time in popular areas, yet nobody seemed to have come up with his ideas.
I parked next to couple that was unloading their car, and to my pleasant surprise, it turned out to be Theo himself, with his wife and young kid. It was a very pleasant coincidence.
Trying "Fermeture Éclair", this time, I quickly figured out a method for the last part, but now I had more difficulties with the first move. Sticking with it, looking for alternative methods, I managed to top it out after all. It was nice to tell Theo afterwards in person that I did his problem. I didn't have time left after that, but we will meet up next time and climb together for sure.

Fontainebleau - Canche aux Merciers - Fermeture Éclair 7A+

Yesterday, I took my visitor, good old friend Koen, to the forest for an initiation in bouldering. We had a good time trying very easy problems in a pretty crowded Roche aux Sabots.
This morning, I received a message from Jan (Gorebeeck). He was in the neighborhood with his friend Sam, and they joined me for a climb in Cuvier Merveille. After a long warmup doing some easier problems, we moved over to the isolated boulder of "Bleautiful", of which I had done the standing start back in 2020, right after it was published. My goal for today was to do the sitstart.
I had it figured out quite quickly and was able to execute it soon after. Jan needed some more time and attempts, but ended up taking the ascent as well in the end. This one is a true beauty!
Thanks to Sam for filming.

Fontainebleau - Cuvier Merveille - Bleautiful (assis) 7B

April 19, 2025 - Struggle to succeed.

To escape the Easter weekend crowds, I had decided to go to the quite unpopular area of La Reconnaissance. There were a few boulders that I had put on my list to try and the first was going to be "Nicolaï Popovsky". With only three registered repeats on bleau.info, and the last known one being all the way back in 2009, it seemed to be a very unpopular boulder despite it looking pretty nice in my opinion.
I arrived at the small boulder, which was completely taken over by and covered under moss, and I almost left it for what it was, but when I noticed that the moss was coming quite easily with a stick, I stayed and started cleaning it again. Almost an hour later, it was finally ready to be climbed again.
I started working out the topout, which looked the hardest of the whole problem. Bad slopers, a strange body position and a quite desperate last move to a small crimp. It took me quite some time to manage to do it separately. Thinking I was ready, I started from the sitstart, which proved to be much harder than I anticipated. It turned out that I had work quite a bit on figuring out and doing the first move as well. When I was finally able to do it, I though it would be a quick deal linking it all together, but nothing could be more far from reality. I was struggling and had to put on a big fight. I gave it countless attempts, and almost every time fell on the topout. Taking a swing on the first move every time was sucking the power out of me and I had to take longer breaks to recover, all while loosing more and more skin from my fingertips.
I almost came to the point of giving up, but thinking I had spent all this time rebrushing the boulder and didn't feel like coming back here soon, I kept on trying, until finally after almost three hours at the boulder, managed to top it out. I was exhausted, but relieved that I did it.
definitely very hard for the grade, in my opinion and I would rather say that it's 7C. Many attempts are shown in the video, but it's not even all of them.

Fontainebleau - La Reconnaissance - Nicolaï Popovsky 7C(7B+)

April 16, 2025 - Manyata (droite).

After a very stressful day, I needed to clear my head and wanted to go for a climb after dinner. My idea was to go try "Manyata" again, without expecting too much of it. After all, it was going to be fourth session and I had been falling at the same point over and over again.
Having carefully inspected the key hold of "Manyata" many times, I am almost 100% sure that this broke at some point. Both bleau.info and 8a.nu show the last repeat of "Manyata" in 2016, so it must have broken s around that time.
I had many different thoughts about it over the past years, going from 'that's impossible', 'how does it go?' and 'something must have broken' many years ago, to 'there must be another way', 'hmmm, maybe it's possible this way' and 'I think I can do it' a few weeks ago.
This evening, with the intention to just be there and try the moves, just me and the boulder, away from all other thoughts, I felt good on it. So good even, that I finally managed to climb beyond the point where I always fell.
A sense of sending stress came over me, but I felt relaxed at the same time. There wasn't any real pressure, but then again there kind of was. It was a strange feeling, but it seemed to drive me somehow.
Getting past my high point again and not wanting to fall off, I decided at that moment to top out on the right. The least difficult topout.
I named it "Manyata (droite)", and graded it 7B+.
The direct exit remains a project. Perfect to go back for on an evening after work when my head needs to be cleared again.

Fontainebleau - Rocher Guichot - Manyata (droite) 7B+

April 13, 2025 - New wave.

After a rainy evening and night, it looked like there would no climbing possible this morning, but while strolling around in La Fontaine Saint-Bernard, I laid my eyes on a wave-shaped boulder and imagined a possible logical, but yet unopened line. I went back to the car to get some harder brushes to get the moss off, and the more I brushed, the better the line started to look. There was a mild wind, and the boulder dried quite quickly in the few places where it was still humid. I was pleasantly surprised to see that I would even be able to try it and went back again to the car to get the crashpad and my climbing stuff. 
The movement that I had imagined felt weird at first, and maybe even a bit too morpho for my size. After some finetuning and some more brushing for the feet, I finally managed to stick the far move to the sloper on the edge of the wave. Some more brushing of the top part later, I also managed to do the topout, and I knew I was ready for the actual sitstart.

I turned on the camera, and was able to send it right away. The new wave that I named "Vague de la Fontaine", was born.
Sitstart with both hands on a relatively good hold and both feet on a big ledge. Take a diagonal crimp left hand and then make a big move to a sloper on the edge of the wave right hand. Finish with a mantle slightly right.

The boulder is located right next to the blue path, to the right of it, 30m after "Le Travail d'Hercule", when coming from the parking of the Châlet Jaubert, aka the parking of Dame Jouanne.
I estimate the grade to be around 7B, but very likely slightly easier for taller climbers.

UPDATE: this is apparently "La Lordose", opened by Olivier Joanon years ago. This definitely felt much harder than the proposed 6C+, and I'm sticking with a personal grade of rather 7B.

Fontainebleau - La Fontaine Saint-Bernard - La Lordose 6C+(7B)

April 12, 2025 - From low to high.

There was rain forecasted to start today, and I expected it to be raining already this morning, but when I checked my weather app again, it was delayed to start raining near the evening. The sun was out, it was already quite warm, but good enough to go and try the a new right exit variation on the low boulder of "Voûte Étoilée" in Rocher Cailleau. I had one the original already three years, and I remembered that it didn't take me very long to do that one. The right exit almost seemed like a formality.
Upon arrival, I did have to admit that it the right exit part felt quite hard and morpho, but after some fine tuning, I soon had found the method and felt ready for attempting from the start. 
It only took me two attempts from the start. It definitely is harder than the original direct version, but still felt rather like a soft 7C at most in my humble opinion.

Fontainebleau - Rocher Cailleau -Voûte Étoilée (droite) 7C+(7C)

Not feeling like going to the "Vandale" boulder, I scrolled through bleau.info, looking for some easier seventh grade problems that I hadn't done yet for some reason. "Entre Deux Guides (assis)" was apparently one of them and so was "Malus Écologique (assis)" on the high boulder right next to it. It was a good reason to walk over to that little sector.
It took a while before I had figured out a method for the standing start, but as soon as I did, I did it on my second attempt from the sitstart.

Fontainebleau - Rocher Cailleau - Entre Deux Guides (assis) 7A

For "Malus Écologique (assis)" I only needed one attempt, even though, despite having done the much harder "Malus Auto (direct)" three years ago, I must admit that I felt a bit scared that high up without really knowing what to do or what to expect.

Fontainebleau - Rocher Cailleau -Malus Écologique (assis) 7A

April 10, 2025 - Steering wheel crimp.

Even though Jan (Gorrebeeck) is one of the few who had done "L'Introuvable" in Cuvier Ouest already back in 2008, he needed a break from all his work in Belgium, and decided to join me anyway. There was a clean up day organized by Fanatic Climbing in and around Cuvier, and as I was early, I filled up a big bag with trash while waiting for Jan.
As I had finally found "L'Introuvable" about a month or two ago, we were able to walk straight to it. We had a long dry period, and the boulder was perfectly dry.
"L'Introuvable" turns out to be quite morpho, and when I first tried some moves, I was worried that I would be too small to be able to do it. However, Jan was able to give me some good beta for a slightly different method, and even though it felt harder than the other method at first, I did manage to do all the moves separately after some time. I had even done the whole problem in two overlapping parts, so it was only a matter of time. That time took too long, with too many atempts, and after having lost quite a lot of skin on "Furia" the day before, I had to let it go. My hands and fingers were burning too much. I knew though that I would be able to do it next time, being fresh.
I had planned for that next being this Saturday, but as there is a slight chance of rain starting that day, lasting until next week, I decided to go back for it today after work.

The method I use for "L'Introuvable" involves three small crimps, and to not lose any time, I warmed up my fingers on the road, crimping my car's steering wheel like crazy. It must have helped somehow, because when I held the crimps when I arrived back at the boulder, I felt that I could it give it some good attempts right away.
My skin felt perfect and I felt strong. I only needed three attempts to top it out, warmup attempt included.
"L'Introuvable" might not look like the most attractive boulder, but the moves make it a beautiful line. I really enjoyed trying and climbing it.

Fontainebleau - Cuvier Ouest - L'Introuvable 7B+

April 05, 2025 - Furia.

It promised to be a hot day, so I left quite early when it was still fresh. I went straight to Apremont Haut des Gorges, where I wanted to try "Furia". 
I had tried it once very briefly eight years ago, but as I couldn't even do the first move, I had quickly given up on it and forgotten about it since. I had set it back on my list a short time ago, and had made it my main goal for today. When I arrived at the boulder and had a look at it, I immediately remembered why I hadn't been able to do that first move and almost decided to leave again without even trying it. The slopers looked way too bad to even think about trying it, especially with these higher temperatures, even in the morning. It did get some shade from nearby trees though, so I ended up trying it anyway and soon realized that it might be possible after all.
I took my time, and stayed with it, feeling more and more confident with each attempt.
It felt great to top it out, and I was glad that I had decided to stay after all. I liked this problem a lot.

Fontainebleau - Apremont Haut des Gorges - Furia 7C

March 29, 2025 - Off day.

Last week, I had done all the moves of "La Serpe d'Or (assis)" in 91.1 and even linked the two first moves, both the crux moves. I was eager to go back for it, feeling fresh, but I immediately felt this morning when I was walking towards the boulder, that I didn't feel in the best shape and after a short warmup, didn't even bother trying it. Instead, I focused on "Falastin Hura", but it gave a much harder time than I expected. It took me a long time, and when I couldn't top it out the intended way, I made an escape to the exit of red 24. The whole line as such could be about 7A+.

Fontainebleau - 91.1 - Falastin Hura (droite) 7A+

The 91.1 started to get quite crowded by then and I decided ot leav to J.A. Martin, without setting any expectation. 
Looking for a quiet spot, I turned up at the boulder of "Ca Couine à Droite", where I did a variation, starting in "Ca Couine à Gauche" and exiting in "Ca Couine à Droite". I named it "Ca Couine de Gauche à Droite" and did it on my first attempt.

Fontainebleau - J.A. Martin - Ca Couine de Gauche à Droite 7A(6C+)

Finally, I also did "Ca Couine à Gauche" on my first attempt as well.
It was an off day, but at least I had been in the forest and did some (easier) climbing.

Fontainebleau - J.A. Martin - Ca Couine à Gauche 7A(6C+)

March 22, 2025 - Turn of events.

It was raining a bit this morning and everything looked wet outside. I left home with the intention of doing a walk in and around the Rocher de la Salamandre Est area, but it had stopped raining by the time I parked the car, and the sky even had cleared up, making place for quite some sun. I decided to take my climbing gear after all, thinking I might give the bottom part of "La Revanche Hurlante" a try, thinking it would be most likely dry. And it was.
I ended up figuring out a possible method for the hard bottom part, but there is one move that just felt way too hard, no matter how much I tried. When then also "Hash de Guerre" wasn't working out, I thought that I must have an off day, and I indeed didn't feel in very good shape.
I did end up topping out "Diesel" quite quickly, which was kind of surprising, because I found this much too difficult back in 2016.
Anyway, I was happy with the unexpected turn of events and having been able to climb despite my earlier expectations. 

Fontainebleau - Rocher de la Salamandre Est - Diesel 7B

March 19, 2025 - Getting my share of sun.

The weather has been beautiful the past couple of days and it will stay that way until tomorrow. With rain forecasted to start on Friday and on through the weekend, I decided to take a day off work today so I could at least profit from a very sunny day.
Last weekend, when I was in Apremont Belvédère, I wanted to walk over to Apremont Mare aux Biches to try "Désertec", but for some reason, I didn't get to it. I had wanted to try "Désertec" a few times, but either the starting hold was wet, or the very bad sloper near the top was humid and didn't have enough friction to even consider trying it in that condition. After a few sunny days, I had planned to go there today, and funny enough, Bart (Van Raaij) happened to have opened a variation on the boulder of "Un Ch'ti Délire", which I did a little over a year ago. "Ch'timi" shares the same start and end, but instead of going left through the roof, continue on the prow and go left with the top slopers. I figured it was ideal to be able to try both.
The boulders were still cold when I arrived quite early in the morning, but the sun was already warming up the air a lot. It felt quite warm and I enjoyed the feeling of the warming sun. The slopers of "Désertec" was dry and felt good, just as the starting hold. I could finally try this short problem. I had watched a video of Manuel (Marquès) yesterday and still remembered what he did for the top. I managed to that topout separately on my first try and then did the whole problem on basically my first attempt. That could count as a warmup.

Fontainebleau - Apremont Mare aux Biches - Désertec 7B+

The spot of the boulder with "Ch'timi", which I was going to try next, was nicely in the sun and is usually a quiet spot, but the quietness got interrupted by a class of shouting kids. Their teacher decided that the small valley was a perfect for a break with the kids and they kept on shouting while playing hide and seek at not even 100m from where I was. So long for the quietness.
I tried to not be bothered by it and tried the few moves around the small birch tree separately so I would know how to move around the tree. Surprisingly, it went immediately and after setting up the camera, I sent "Ch'timi" on my first attempt from the start. Barely twenty minutes after arriving in the area, I had already done both of the problems that I wanted to try.

Fontainebleau - Apremont Mare aux Biches - Ch'timi 7B+(7C)

I still wanted to climb some more, and I made a quick decision to stop by the Drei Zinnen area on my way home, with the intention to try the relatively new "Digitalement Fastidieux". On this one however, I didn't feel the friction on the key sloper, so I stopped trying after not even five minutes and moved to boulder of "Jubile". I had done the standing start back in 2018, but didn't manage to do the sitstart. Somehow, I had never gone back to try the sitstart again. After a few fruitless attempts, I could understand why. The moves didn't fit me very well. Determined to not give up, I stuck with it and sent it some time later.

Fontainebleau - Drei Zinnen - Jubile (assis) 7A+

March 15, 2025 - Like a duck.

The boulder of "P'Tit Quinquin" is one of only two boulders in the micro area of Apremont Belvédère, right next to Apremont Mare aux Biches.In the middle of a small chaos of boulders along one of the blue paths, it's not the easiest to find, and it was during a scouting session that I briefly tried it many years ago. Back then I wasn't able to do any of the moves. I had completely forgotten about it since, but not very long ago, I saw a video on Instagram of Laurent Darlot doing this rarely repeated problem. and it gave me a sense of urge to go and try it again. I had set it as my goal for today.
After arriving at the boulder, still being almost exactly where I remembered it to be, I started trying the single moves one by one and immediately understood why they all felt impossible a few years ago. Realizing that I am stronger or maybe wiser then back at the day, I stayed with it and practiced. The problem consists of three very hard moves into a quite sketchy and delicate topout, one where it is still possible to make a mistake and fall off.
After some time, I had managed to do every single move, including the topout, but linking them seemed to be another crux. The first three moves allow as good as no room for error at all. They all had to be precise. I took a short break and afterwards started to give it some real attempts. There were a lot of fails at first, but with each attempt, I became more more and more consistent in the moves, and built up the so necessary muscle memory. And then all of a sudden, it flowed all together and I made my to the top, relieved that I had practiced the topout as well. A really cool problem, glad to add this to my done list.

Fontainebleau - Apremont Belvédère - P'tit Quinquin 7C(7B+)

March 06, 2025 - Releasing steam.

I can cope with quite some stress, but the last weeks have been very demanding at work and I do feel the need sometimes to release some steam. I felt like I needed it today and went for a short climb after work now that the daylight starts to last longer again.
I didn't mind the long walk to the Diplodocus area, it felt good to be in the forest in the evening again.
A few weeks ago, I had been trying "Plaplatix" and by the time that I found a possible sequence, it had already shut me down. The countless attempts on very bad slopers had taken their toll.
This time, after practicing the topout, where I always fell last time, it went pretty smooth and I only needed one attempt from the start to finish it. This one definitely felt harder than it looked at first sight.

Fontainebleau - Diplodocus - Plaplatix 7B+

After watching a video of  "À Flore de Peau", a beautiful slab, I was able to do it on my second attempt.
I was happy with the short session. It had completely disconnected me and it was exactly what I needed. I was even still on time for dinner at home.

Fontainebleau - Diplodocus - À Flore de Peau 7A+

March 02, 2025 - Unexpected change of plans.

My plan this morning was to go and try "Contrôle A" in Buthiers Piscine, so I had taken a third crashpad in the car, but I couldn't believe my eyes when I arrived in Buthiers. The whole place was packed with cars and campers. People running around with dogs everywhere. It turned out that there was some kind of a race for runners with dogs, and it seemed to be extremely popular. There was no way for me to find a free parking spot anywhere near where I had to be, so I unexpectedly had to change my plans and come up with an alternative.
For some reason, thinking quickly and completely out of the blue, I chose to drive on to Larchant, thinking to instead go and try some of the quite new problems in La Fontaine Saint-Bernard.
Arriving at the parking there, I had a feeling that Easter fell early today. The parking of the auberge at Dame Jouanne was very crowded, but luckily I did manage to find a free spot. It didn't seem like the big amount of cars and vans that arrived just after me would be able to, but they all drove on the parking, with many having to reverse back, creating a small chaos. Apparently, all those folks went to Dame Jouanne or Maunoury, because I was all alone in La Fontaine Saint-Bernard, and besides an occasional walker, I didn't see anyone else the whole time I was there.
As a warmup, I chose "Tria Brachium", and with small crimps to start, it definitely warmed up my fingers. I was able to do the low, harder start on my second attempt. Hard start and an easy second part.

Fontainebleau - La Fontaine Saint-Bernard - Tria Brachium 7A+(6C+)

"Le Bicepsceptique" didn't look very attractive and maybe a bot easy, but it was right next to a sunny spot, so I decided to give it a shot anyway. This turned out to be much harder than I expected, but also much nicer than it looks.
It took a short while, but I had fun with it and ended up finishing it, albeit with painful fingers.

Fontainebleau - La Fontaine Saint-Bernard - Le Bicepsceptique 7A+(7B)

Finally, "Le Platiste (assis)", 7A or 7B depending on how high you start with the right hand, seemed to have a broken hold for the left hand. I only did the high right hand start, but had to use a painful two finger crimp for the left hand due the other broken hold. Even though I did it on my second attempt, I did have the impression that it was hard enough for 7A+. Maybe I will come back one day for the low right hand start. My fingers felt too painful by then. I had a good time, nevertheless.

Fontainebleau - La Fontaine Saint-Bernard - Le Platiste (assis) 7A(7B)

March 01, 2025 - The method.

About five months ago, I started doing the so-called Wim Hof Method, which in my personal case, consists of taking either an ice cold shower or an ice bath every day, and I haven't missed a single day since I started. I only take a warm shower on days that I took a five minute ice bath. I let my body warm up itself when coming out of the ice bath, and on those I days, I take a warm shower about half an hour after. On rainy days, or on days where I have less time, I take a five minute ice cold shower and don't even switch to warm before or after, just cold.
Even though I'm absolutely not into meditating, I also do some breathing exercises and I'm enjoying those a lot.
I have noticed that since I've been following this method, I am and feel more relaxed and approach negative situations in a different way. A more relaxed way, just dealing with them, without letting them get to me. It's something that I have also noticed during my climbing sessions. In case of any failures, I don't let negativity take over, but just go with it, go with the flow, without any pressure. In that way, even bad sessions end with a positive feeling somehow.

I also take a different approach in the way I work out boulder problems. I take more my time looking at a line, imagining the moves and wherever possible, work out moves separately. Again, also without a sense of pressure at all.
That's also how approached the "Le Crunch Stat'" boulder today in Coquibus Auvergne. Given the high exposure factor and a bad landing, this one always scared me. Enough to not having tried any problem on it in the past. Now it looks different though, despite the boulder, exposure factor and landing not having changed. I changed.

I carried two crashpads to the boulder early this morning, the sun was out but a wind coming from the North made it feel very cold. After strategically placing the crashpads, I looked at the holds of "Le Crunch Stat'", imagined the moves and didn't have any sense of fear. Not even nervous. I was actually feeling very relaxed, followed the moves like I had imagined them and somewhat unexpectedly flashed "Le Crunch Stat'".

Fontainebleau - Coquibus Auvergne - Le Crunch Stat' 7A+

Now I felt ready for "Autonomie", the problem that I had set as my main goal for today.
The first couple of moves almost felt impossible and very morpho, but I took my time to work them out and ended up after a while getting where I wanted to be. I turned on the camera, executed every move perfectly and topped it out.

Fontainebleau - Coquibus Auvergne - Autonomie 7B+(7B)

I hadn't planned on trying it, but it seemed logical to also try the sitstart, "Autonomie (assis)". I felt quite confident that if I would get into the standing start, that I would top out this one too.
The few moves from the sitstart into the standing start are beautiful, and even better than I had imagined, but also harder. They require quite some power and tension, but soon I had it all figured out. Due to freezing toes though, it had become difficult to feel the best foot placement, which made me fall off the problem a couple of times. But then suddenly, it all clicked, I kept it all together and also finished the sitstart. Thanks to those few additional beautiful moves of the sitstart, I feel that it deserves the five stars that I gave it on bleau.info.

Fontainebleau - Coquibus Auvergne - Autonomie (assis) 7C(7B+)

February 23, 2025 - Once you see it.

My main goal for today, was "L'Aéro Pris à Pic (assis)" on an isolated boulder at the far end of Rocher Cailleau. I had tried this problem a few times, but it was long ago, and I thought to give it another try after that much time. The other times I tried it back then, I still remember that I could just barely do the first move and the second felt nearly impossible, despite the compression style being something that I like quite a lot.
The sun had just broken through a light fog and had started warming the air to a very comfortable temperature by the time I arrived at the boulder. Just the way I like it.
Before starting with trying the moves, I inspected the problem from close by and from a distance, imagining how it would do the moves. Just like the other times, I had to smile when realizing the shape of the boulder. It didn't steal the name that has been given to it, "Le Phalloïde". Once you see it, you can't 'un-see' that it looks like a giant penis, ready to go.
I was ready to go as well and immediately noticed that I felt much more comfortable than a few years ago, trying the first move. The second move took a bit more time, but fairly quickly I got the hang of it. I practiced the upper part as well, to avoid any surprises. I turned on the camera, and immediately executed the moves almost perfectly and climbed on to the high top. A great climb!

Fontainebleau - Rocher Cailleau - L'Aéro Pris à Pic (assis) 7B

Having done it much quicker than I expected, I still stopped at the "Vandale" boulder, and as there was nobody there to my surprise, I stopped and decided to try the what for me feels like the crux move of "Le Bon Sens". About a year and a half ago, I had injured the inside of my elbow trying it, and I hadn't come back for it since, as I was afraid to get injured again, or even more. It was the move that I hadn't been able to do yet when working out the separate moves.
I slowly built it up and after some time, I had done the move, the only one that I hadn't been able to do yet. My skin was too bad by then to give it a go from the start, but it was okay. I hadn't planned on the trying the problem in the first place, and I was happy that I done the crux move. This problem has made it back on my list. Not very high, but it's back on it.