I just
returned from a two week spring break. I had planned to spend two weeks in
Fontainebleau to have time to work on interesting projects. Unfortunately after
two days of sun the weather changed. With a forecast of 5 days non-stop rain we
decided to go to the South of France, the only place with reasonable weather and
pictures on Facebook of people swimming ON the campground proved us
right.
The two
sunny days in Bleau were well spent. I was able to do 5 7a boulders among which
a long standing project named Sa Pelle au Logis in Gorge aux Chat.
This is a
boulder with a history for me. When I was three years old it was my father’s
project. Being bored by spending too much time under the same boulder I became naughty.
I grabbed two little hands full of sand
and while dad was embarking on his ultimate try of his project I filled the two
little pockets with sand. Everybody was laughing their pants off but he was not
amused, which is quite an understatement! When I grew a bit older I started
trying the same project but dad was always close, seeking revenge. This time he
was not around to stress me out and the project went down very smoothly in the
second try of the day.
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Contemplating
half a day in heavy downpour what to do, I left Bleau with pain in my heart and
we headed for Orgon. This meant changing the crashpad for a harness and fumble
with rope and quick draws. I really prefer bouldering to lead climbing but it is
better to be in the sun than sit idle in the rain. The campground in Orgon is
really nice. It is surrounded by rocks and very well maintained by the new
owners which are Dutch.
I started
out at sector Canal. The routes turned out to be really hard, slippery and
dirty. All holds above the roof were full of bird shit which was not surprising
with 50+ corvidae breeding in the rocks. Respect to Marc for being able to
climb an 8b in this really though sector.
Next I
visited Mont Gaussier, which is half an hour drive from Orgon. It has a nice
cave which is in the shade most of the day. On my first visit to the cave I
managed to climb Maxi Grip, a 7b+ in the 2nd go. The route is not so
difficult but very pumpy and with my lack of endurance it gave me a very good
feeling being able to climb it.
I also
visited Buoux. It was great to have a go in some of the classics. I tried Reve
de Papillon an 8a which was the first 8a climbed by a Dutch female. Respect to
Mirjam who is one of my trainers for being able to climb this route in 1995, a
period in time when this was a super cool achievement. I was able to move in
the route but very far from being able to giving it a serious try.
I also
tried la Rose et le Vampire. Being inspired by Anna Stohr who is guided through
the route by Antoine le Menestrel in a cool YouTube movie, I really wanted to
try the beautiful cross over in the route. Well, it turned out to be extremely
difficult to even get to that move.
Trying
these classics in Buoux made me realize that this old-school climbing is not my
style and it also put the 8a routes that I managed to climb in Spain into a
different perspective.
I
definitely want to return to la Rose et le Vampire when I am a bit older,
stronger and more experienced. It is a brilliant route and it would be so cool
if one day I would be able to climb it.
I also had
a look at No Man’s Land which was recommended to me by Frank. The traverse
looked scary and horrible to clean and the lenght of the vertical wall higher up impressed me too
much. I guess I just missed the guts to give it a go.
The rock
surrounding the campground in Orgon are mostly slabs and vertical wall climbing.
We met a lot of old friends of my parents in Orgon. I had to do the obligatory
slab climbing in the morning with the old dudes. This is definitively not my
favorite style of climbing. When lead climbing I prefer big overhangs and free falls.
I am a bit scarred of falling on slabs. I did manage to do a slabby 6b+ on-sight
of which I am actually very proud.
Luckily my friend Vincent arrived in Orgon and business returned to normal meaning great big roofs to attempt. I was able to do a 7b and 2 7c’s in the 2nd go. I am happy with this result. After a period of feeling weak I have the idea that I’m getting back in shape.
On the way
back home we visited Fontainebleau for a half day of bouldering. We went to Bas
Cuvier where I tried a number of 7a’s but nothing worked out the way I wanted.
I did manage to top a 6c in the second go which was a nice closure of this
holiday.
More pictures can be found HERE
I will be
back in Bleau in 3 days’ time for the Ascension weekend. Really looking forward
to that and hopefully the weather will be nice.