Page 23 - 1993 AMA Summer

The Forest of Fountainebleau, fifty miles south of Paris, contains hundreds of sandstone boulders and is perhaps the best bouldering area in the world. Imagine climbing all day on clean sandstone boulders , usually between ten and twenty feet high, with the odd large problem, upto thirty feet high, but with soft sandy landings just in case you slip, no ropes or harnesses to get in the way. The boulder problems contain a variety of features, overhangs, slabs, arêtes and steep walls with no more pockets than the latest Berghaus jacket. Tiny flakes and edges as sharp as any on a slate, are finger ripping good, and mantleshelfing onto ‘gritstone’ sloppers, at the top o f the routes, tests the balance.
The boulders are divided into areas and within these areas, problems of roughly the same difficulty, are marked into coloured circuits. The easiest circuit is yellow (PD) up to British 4a, followed by orange and green (AD) upto 4c, then blue (D) with problems, each marked with a coloured number and arrow, showing the line. When or if you get to the top, there is another arrow pointing in the general direction of the next boulder. The powerful nature of the climbing, tends to take its toll on your arms, so its a good idea to warm up on an easy circuit. There are always a few stoppers in the circuits, problems that seem desperate and can take ages to crack.
The only gear you need is some rock boots or slippers and a full bag of chalk. A mat is handy for keeping your feet out of the sand.
while if you are under six feet tall a breeze block helps reach some tricky starting holds. It is also a good idea to take a picnic, with lots to drink on hot summer days. Ropes are not necessary, but it is good to get somebody to spot for you on the bigger or steeper routes. There are more than twenty areas, each with its own character and enough rock to keep you busy for years. One area, Trois Pignons is the largest and most concentrated area of desert, or should I say boulders, including the famous Cul de Chien and 95.2 with its fingery climbing.
Great Positions (95.2)
Getting a helping hand, or two (95.2)
The boulder problems at Fountainebleau are very addictive and ideal as a stop off, on the way back from Chamonix or Southern France. Or maybe a long weekend from BAOR or the South of England. The Rock Climbing Guide to Europe’ by David Jones, gives you enough information to get there and find the circuits. There are some French guides that give a breakdown of difficulty of each problem, but the grades are Fountainebleau grades, not French. French IGN map sheet 401, helps locate the start points and get back to the car at the end o f the day. There are many good camp sites and supermarkets are the best bet for food and alcoholic beverages. So despite their small size, the boulders of Fountainebleau Forest are an excellent climbing area, widely used by the top rock stars, but just as good for mere mortals, so go there and just do it !
Fontainebleau
'Small but perfectly formed' by Sgt Wayne Willson
Army Mountaineer 2)