So it really is hard to grasp how much climbing there is around Fontainebleau. If you were to visit just one area a day from the 7s and 8s guide it would take close to three months of climbing everyday before you'd see them all. That's how much Font has to offer and it is far from tapped out for those willing to explore. I like to keep that in mind when I go to Font, leaving project lists and heightened expectations of crushing V-blahblahblah at home.
I feel there are too many great boulder problems in Font to spend days projecting just one when you would be missing out on so many equally amazing climbs. I prefer to roll on Font time, which means I climb everyday possible, trying to see as much as I can and scrape up problems with difficulty corresponding to number of days on. I find this schedule only works in a place with abundant 3 star problems of all difficulties and enough areas to make your head spin.
I pretty much count on Font's notoriously bad weather to force me to rest but this trip the weather was almost too good as it allowed me to climb 13 of 14 days. Everyday we went to a new area and it was only on the last day that I even ventured to the extremely popular Bas Cuvier just because it seems odd not to go there at some point (it is far from my favorite area and the reason, I believe, some visiting climbers can come away with a less than ideal opinion of Font). The amazing thing about this trip is that my tips didn't bleed (lots of tape was the key), my elbows didn't totally explode (just kind of) and I somehow managed to pull off some good sends nearly everyday.
It was nice to have spent a good amount of time in Font before (around two months) so I could be a little selective and save some skin but my gite mates (Luke, Chris and Oscar) were not so lucky. For a little taste of how it is going for them check out Lukes blog, koanbouldering.com.
To sum-up, Font was great. There was lot and lots of climbing but is it was the company that made the trip what it was. My friends were huge, from booking the gite and making room in the car to following me aimlessly through the woods and baby sitting Hammie. My friends are heroes. Seriously, thanks to everyone for hanging with Hammie and putting up with my need to climb all day everyday. What would a neglegent father do without you guys. Actually, I'm surprised Luke, Chris and Oscar didn't keep Hammie and kick me out of the gite, but I'm sure my willingness to change diapers had something to do with it.
Here are a few more pictures from the trip
Hammie making tick-marks on her project. I'm sure the Bleausards love this.
Luke hopes that whispering sweet nothing will make the rock more forgiving
The super classic Égoïste in Apremont
Justin fires Onde de Choc in Apremont
Chis roof climbing on Retour aux Sources at 95.2
Oscar pulling on slopers
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