Pentecost-2016_Fontainebleau

I just returned from a three-day trip to Fontainebleau over Pentecost. Last weekend I was there as well and I spend quite some time in Rocher de Oiseaux. I had spotted a very nice 7C there which I wanted to try. Last week it was too warm but this weekend the weather was better. Lower temperatures so I decided to give the 7C, La Manderine a try. After watching my father struggle for 3 hours in Uruguay which he finally managed to top I tried to warm up in le Manderin droite (7B). That was quite a challenge but after tweaking my moves and finding the right beta it all worked out.

La Manderine is beautiful. I spend the rest of the day trying to work out all the moves. The far move with the right hand to the dent in the sloper proved to be the hardest and I was not able to make it.

The next day we went to Isatis where I finally did Vin Rouge a 7A+ dyno that I had tried on several trips before. This time I has able to send it in the third try. After that I managed to do Divine Decadence a 7B, basically the sit/crouch start of Surplomb Statique. I gave Surprise a couple of tries but decided this boulder was a bit too much for me right now. I was very sicked about La Manderine so we went back to Rocher de Oiseaux. I tried till my fingers bled. Every time the moves went a bit smoother but the long move remained a problem. I will be back for La Manderine when the friction is a bit better and I am sure I will be able to do this one.

On the last day we went for a quick visit to Zen in Roche aux Sabots. I thought it would be quite easy to top this 7A but to my surprise I had to give it quite a couple of tries before being able to send it.

Having been to Fontainebleau now two times in a row makes me remember again why I love to come here. A lot of boulders are really beautiful and require not only strength but foremost a lot of finesse and technique. It is truly the best bouldering place on earth. I only wish the conditions were better more often.

Below is a movie of my trip to Fontainebleau with at the end a good try in Kendo of the week before.

Fontainebleau Spring break 2016

I just returned from my spring break and Fontainebleau was the last stop. I spend 5 days climbing in the beautiful forest. The sunny weather was a warm welcome after the snow and hail storms in the UK but the friction sucked. My sweaty hands and high temperatures are not best friends. Nevertheless, I had a great time bouldering with Trevor. It was great to help each other in the problems we tried.

I am very happy that I managed to do Smash a 7B jump in Roche aux Sabots. I had tried this jump on several trips to Bleau but never managed to get even close to sticking the top. Now after numerous tries I managed to do the jump. And did it again immediately after that to put it on film.

After being able to do Brass Monkeys in the peak, a very nice 7C boulder I had high hopes of sending a 7C in Fontainebleau. I have sampled a number of them but they all turned out to be too hard for me. I came very close in Kendo but not close enough. Maybe next time. 

See below for a movie.