Fontainebleau flashback...

Trying to summarise two months climbing in Font in one post is a tough ask to be fair but ill at least try and give some of highlights...

Having lived in the States for the last 18 months i had not been to Font for a number of years and so on journeying down to the forest i tried to give some thought on what i might expect to climb here. I had become a better climber for sure since my last visit to the forest so i felt i could aim higher in terms of the difficulty of the climbs i attempted but in turn Font is a notoriously technical place to climb, the solution to a boulder problem is often hard to figure out and you can waste much valuable energy trying. I was bound to get spanked on some 4+ graded slab now and then but hey my ego could handle that. I decided that priority 1 was to climb the real classics of the forest in the 7th grade range and if i did sneak an 8a rated bloc along the way so much the better. 

So it all started with Hotline an immaculate 7c arete hidden away in a quiet part of the forest. Here i'm working the lower moves and at this stage the problem felt pretty darn desperate due to reach more than anything else. 

However after this short reccy i returned two weeks into the trip, armed with spotter and sent this fine line. The quest to climb some of these classic lines had begun....

In the first few weeks by far the stand out day had to be what has become known as the "Bas Cuvier blitz". I hit the crag around 3pm, temps were primo with a slight wind meaning friction was top. 

I took 20mins to fire Berezina, from there we went round to Aerodynamite and i did that in a few tries. Next up was Balance, id been told this was tough for 7c by a few strong guys and with it being a slopey, mantle type thing and me being a crimp fiend i thought i was done for. However great friction and some grim determination to not let go saw me top this one out 20 mins later. Two nice 7a's to warm down and it was getting dark. 

Great days at Cuvier when you have things your own way are rare and i certainly savoured this one with a few beers after. 

So the forest experience rolled on. I climbed a bit with Tyler Landman, one of the worlds best, and his brother Jeff. To gain inspiration from these guys is easy, next up was Eclipse 7c (on the day Ty sent Total) then Surprises 7b+ (but i think 7c) and then Cent Pof at Cassepots (hard 7c) and Triple Axel 7b+. 

Around this same time we made a trip to a classy roof, close to JA Martin. First visit i quickly dispatched Vandale, a soft 7c through the centre of the roof. Neil was up there too and showed me a line that traversed the roof to the right and exited at the arete called Contre Sens, given 8a. In the back of my mind i knew i wanted to get an 8a graded line done whilst in Font and this seemed a good place to start. Numerous sessions in the following weeks saw me top out Contre Sens for my first 8a in the forest. If you go to try this one note it tops out directly on the arete and it is definitely not over until its over. 

One month in friends and family visited which was great fun and allowed me to dabble on some of the easier problems. However, easier problems still eat skin and my tips were close to see through as people departed. Rest days were required but once back in the fold Sale Gosse and Noir Desir were both dispatched in a session.

Weeks rolled into months and suddenly I was staring down the barrel of a few days left with a tick list of 10 to 20 problems! With that in mind it was time to get out there....first up was Coccinelle. Recommended to me by Tyler, a classic traverse made famous by Jerry in The Real Thing.

At this stage in events having skin on my tips was a long forgotten memory, liquid chalk and tape were getting me through. 

Thankfully Coccinelle proved kindly and in 5 goes i got the send. 

The final few days dawned, Tristesse was next and then I revisited an earlier nemesis from the trip....Michel-Ange. At this stage i'd sent 20+ classic problems at 7c or above and the individual moves on this felt the toughest of the lot. I wanted to climb it Jacky's original way, with no toe-hook out left, but even if my shoulder took the strain, my feet would pop off the greasy smears. A friend offered me pof, but i declined...this was it last session or nothing. Two goes, shoulder screaming and my feet had blown both times. Chalk up, here we go again, but this time, its different...the feet hold and i'm in the undercut, work the feet up, slap the sloper and it's over. Classic end to a trip...7c+ in my view but this is Font i guess. 

So that about rounds it up. I've missed out loads and probably got it in the wrong order but they are certainly some of the highlights. I left the forest pleased with what i had achieved, but of course, i have some problems i must return to. Appartenance at Buthier, i was beaten by the dark on the final day, Beaux Quartiers, a superb crimpy 8a that i simply ran out of skin for and Total Eclipse, after Ty made it look so easy. There is more of course but i've written too much already, what I did decide is i'll return to Font at the end of this trip, coming full circle, so i'll be back... but now attention moves to the granite blocks in Switzerland.....