It took us 2,5 days to drive from Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine, to Fontainebleau. At night we had rest and slept, and drove basically daylight hours. In total it appeared 3000 km.


Fantastic boulders
Approaching Fontainebleau we looked around local landscapes and were puzzled: «What rocks can be there? ». There are meadows and fields far and wide, just clean and well-groomed Europe. We could not believe that there can be boulders in this area. And then everything happened like in a fairy tale. We entered an unremarkable forest (seemed small at first blush), and found a lot of stones - mossy, unusual, like emmarbled dinosaurs, but with very interesting structure and good friction. It was very dense sandstone.

Boulders hide in leaves reminding mushrooms appeared after a rain. The amount of the stones and people trying them boggles imagination. You can meet there married couples that hang on all convenient ledges their one-year-old children (it is true that sports really became to be more rejuvenated ).

Youth, elder rock-climbers, amateurs and professionals are crowding or climbing alone. Say the least it's the paradise for boulderingers. The locals (admirers of this area) are going from one boulder to another with usual pads: clean rock shoes- send- move- to the following, and all of this they do very easy and without a special boulder pad at smart altitude and on not easy routes.


Hardened dinosaur
Short history…

Whether you know that a tradition to climb great boulders in Fontainebleau appeared in 1889. Already at that time people were fond of this kind of outdoor activity: they went in nature's lap, walked in forests and climbed rocky boulders of weird forms scattered everywhere in the forest cheering by friends.
In 1913 first rocky boots appeared. They reminded shoes for trekking very much and only in 1935 the first classical soft-soled climbing shoes were invented by Pierre Allain.
In 1937 the routes became to be estimated by different grades.
In 1945 the first guidebook with routes' description and categories appeared.
In 1953 the first problem Jocker 7a graded was opened.
Now Fontainebleau presents to your attention 1115 problems of 7th and 8th grades, the amount of the routes constantly increases due to the sea of boulders in the forest.
And there is no end of the routes of lower category there.

All the bouldering climbers need are:br> a boulder crash pad, a small mat (to clean your shoes from dirt and sand directly ahead of start), a chalkbag with chalk, brushes: a small and big on a long stick, an adhesive plaster (to strap your horny fingers) and a bag with rosin (to knock on crimpers and to sloppers cleaning from dust.

Climbing in Fontainebleau appeared very unusual. You think that you just can not hold huge sloppers. They will start to work if you find the certain body position. Friction helps very much, but the edges should be cleaned constantly. The problems seemed to us very difficult, and the 8а-graded lines that we saw were just unreal.

First time our friends consoled us: you should just feel it! Clean it! Pat it! Set teeth for it! Another important thing - the condition of rocks. They speak that the best temperature for climbing 0 C. But it was +20 and Serik failed to send a well-known problem with sloppers, 7а, (he started it about 100 times ), but in 2 days after a rain and when the temperature was +10, Serik succeeded it climbing in static.


Problem 8а


Finally we got in a good shape and Serik made a lot of routes of 7с and 7с +, and I did many routes of 7а and even 7b.


Jacky Godoffe, who lives absolutely nearby (it's his home area) is frequently noticed in the guidebook. It has become clear where he takes his ideas for route setting. But he seems not to take into account that competitors have only 6 minutes: that is very little to solve and send an unusual, super-hard problem.


Сamping
We stayed at a municipal camping Samoreau (4,5 euro/person). The living conditions were good: shower, hot water, plane sites and nests. There is a very nice free-of-charge camping near to Fontainebleau in the settlement of Bourron-Marlotte with potable water (a water column), toilets, and tables with benches (but without a shower). The biggest sight of this camping became a pair of crutches which are descended to unsuccessfully fallen rock-climbers twisted or broken something. It's really an extreme sport!


Otto Kurts
All names of the settlements and boulder-areas can be found on a local map that you can take in information bureau for tourists. Where you can buy the guidebook too.

We saved a lot of time due to our friends Natali and Otto Kurts. They were in Fontainebleau not for the first time, knew everything there and bore us a good company.

We were incredibly lucky with weather. Basically it was sunny or cloudy, it was spitting for some times. We met Mauro Kalibani and he told that once had being stayed in a tent under a week-rain.

We had time to visit several areas:
1) Bas Cuvier - Fontainebleau classics,
2) Cuvier Rempart,
3) Franchard:
a) Pascal Meyer
b) Isatis
c) Cuisiniere
4) Le Cul de Chien.

As appeared it is possible to be engaged in climbing there but also in orienteering with a guidebook to find any area. Fontainebleau is a forest for trekking and all the significant tracks are named and specified in a guidebook - like streets, and you try to find needed stones on them.


Le Cul de Chien area
In one of our climbing days we arrived to a new area and found out that the boulders are in 50m from a parking-site.

Bas Cuvier area is one of the most well-known by its lots of classical problems (the most entertainment and loved by public).


A poodle from this side
About 20 climbers of all nationalities gathered on the glade with boulder-pads. They chose one of the most popular problem and matted everything around they tried it by turns. If a climber succeeded he would get a burst of applause. There were cheering voices from all the side: Come-on! Ole! Come! Get stuck in! Go on! etc.

People loved in bouldering and mastered the art of climbing boulders attack a problem ingeniously. They consider that they should:
1. to gain an insight into a problem's character
2. to befriend with it (to pat, to clean it with brushes and a ball with rosin).


Rock-climbing dances
3. to mat boulder-pads, mats, to have done homework on it, to be shaped well, organize yourself and send it.
If you do everything point by points you will be able to send.


Rock-climbing dances
Some climbers can spend a half an hour for pre-starting preparation. And when a problem is sent you will feel overwhelming happiness dancing with victorious cries on top of the boulder… And it's very cheerful to take a detached view of that. Usually it embraves a lot of climbers and they send their lines.

One rest-day we devoted to sightseeing tour: Fontainebleau palace built and furnished in Renaissance period, royal residence since XII century (huge castle, park and lake). Napoleon Bonaparte named Fontainebleau "La demeure des siecles" (the residence of centuries) in reference to the large variety of architectural and decoration styles in the palace.

Also we visited Barbizon village located just outside Fontainebleau and a popular meeting point for painters and writers in the XIX century. They lived and worked there, escaping from vanity of Paris. This small town is similar to Gurzuf in the Crimea where you can often meet artists, visit a lot of exhibitions and there is an art school too.

We did not see any garbage in the forest. People are walking, climbing, having a rest but do not litter. Therefore the forest is very beautiful, well-groomed and clean. Culture is a great thing!

And we were pleased very much with the fact that Sergey Kovalev is on the right course of bouldering developing in the Crimea. And though the Crimea concedes amount of boulders and routes, but we are going fairway. Bouldering has the future! And crowds of bouldering climbers will come to the Crimea as well as in Fontainebleau.

We would like to wish all the bouldering amateurs to visit this wonderful place! And the Crimea too :-) !

We owe you my best thanks our sponsors Scarpa, Singing rock, Milo.