Fontainebleau

After a rough start to my trip, Font proved to be once again, the best thing for me. I kicked off this part off my trip with a session on Rainbow Rocket 8A. This was the only day I got to work it this trip because of my no-car situation. It was not to be. I was able to get the first pad of 3 fingers over the top but no more.

The next areas visited were Mont Pivot and Roche aux Oiseaux. I finished off the amazing Prow that is Pancras Assis 7C and then re-did Satan m'Habite 7B, as I dabbed the first time. Both of these areas tend to be overlooked but they offer some real good lines. 

The next session found me at Roche des Souris, with the bleau.info guide on my phone. Being the closest crag to the campsite I soon ticked off Yoguinol and Ratatouille before making my way to Symboise. The friction was great and the moves didn't feel hard. I made it to the 2nd last hold when my excitement kicked in. Instead of readjusting i threw to the small pocket next to the MASSIVE slopey jug. After a bit of a scream and some rest, the rig went the right way. Nb. never go for the tiny hold in desperation.

It rained on and off for the next few days and the rest did me good. After my close call with Rainbow Rocket I rode a bike out to Canche aux Merciers to have a play on La Puce, also 8A. After about 15minutes I had caught the Jug. This however wasn't done cleanly, my feet grazed the mat so I was back, almost at square one. The next go I did it clean. The go after that was even better. My goal of 8A in font was complete.

My last day in Font saw me in the area of Fata Morgana and Satan i Helvete. It is decidedly my favourite Font crag. I knocked off Phobos Moon, an amazing dyno with a foot placement crux and Belle de Jour, a 60degree overhang on the zenith of one of the hills. AMAZING.

Swiss comes next, hopefully I can get a handful of those 'magic' ticks.

Europe!

Where to begin? I'm in Paris now about to leave to Fontainebleau tomorrow (the 11th). It's been a bizarre ride so far. My four month trip of non-stop bouldering could've had a better start. Arriving in France I was greeted by Jan, Stef, and interminable rain and clouds. It would seem that this trip was going to be wet. The forecast predicted terrible weather for the entire month, so we decided to journey south.
Provence.
What an amazing part of France, I'm really quite glad to have visited this area with all it's warmth and fresh food.

Sport climbing is the main game here and in two and a half weeks we visited the hardcore Buoux, the rainy day cave Volx, and St. Leger at the foot of Mt Ventoux. All three crags offered completely different styles of climbing, from old school techy pocket pulling, to powerful jug hauling. I hadn't lead outdoors in about 3 years and I was pleasantly surprised by my climbing here. I did my first 8a, Shaoshing, 2nd shot and flashed L'invitation au Voyage 7c+. 

After this brief period of non-bouldering I took a few days off and visited Paris, resting up before Mello Blocco. Missing my train on the day of travel, I was able to get in a few hours in Val di Mello before the storm hit. And what a storm it was. Three days and nights of solid rain and a flooded campsite left a lot to be desired climbing wise. I met both Chris Sharma and Sasha Digulian at the festival, and bought myself some much needed climbing attire. Font looks like it will be really good for the next three weeks!

Fingers crossed.