Where to Visit – Crags to Visit as a Solo Traveler (Perhaps I will later make a post of all climbing destinations)
Tips and Tidbits
I don’t plan very much when I travel. I usually pack up the bag and car and simply take off, figuring my path along the way. I usually will have a couple destinations in mind, but fill in the majority of the trip along the way (this goes for backpacking trips through foreign countries and rock climbing road trips).
I realize this spontaneity isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, so I have created a map of climbing destinations that are good stops for a solo traveler (meaning ability to find climbing partners). This map is public and editable, allowing anyone to add markers and information. (If you can not edit for some reason, please leave a comment and I will add your suggestions to the map). It is definitely missing information as I can opine only on places where i have visited. For instance, the only place I have climbed in Colorado is Rifle, meaning this really is the only destination I have added.
Map legend: The markers are colored for the type of climbing for which the area is known. Green = trad. Blue = Bouldering Red = Sport. Yellow = All.
If you are fortunate and have a traveling mate, your options are definitely wider. I came across a google map of rockclimbing the world. When I first came across it I thought it was fab, but now I realize it is incomplete. Still a good resource and should be included on this post, but also means that perhaps I will make my own map of world destinations.
Rock Climb the World Map. Author unknown. He/she states it is open to public edit, but I don’t see how I can edit when I am logged into my account.
Do you have any suggestions or thoughts? If so, please comment or reach out to me.
One of my favorite aspects of my trip was the dichotomy of my life. I was living a completely dirt-bag life, literally living out of my Honda Civic, while also working with a venture capital firm, raising millions of dollars for their current fund. All I needed to work was a wi-fi connection, which was quite ubiquitous in the United States. I usually worked in my climbing clothes, covered in dust, usually with dirt still under my fingernails…. but completely capable of still doing my job. =)
I started to capture shots of my different office locations, with my favorite being the “office” in Joshua Tree, not for comfort but for pure humor.
My Hueco Tanks office. I was staying in a house in El Paso, living with 4 guys, 3 of which worked remotely making it really easy to motivate on climbing rest days. Photo Credit: Frank Wu.
The only wi-fi I could find in Joshua Tree was at this little store (the name is slipping my mind right now). They allowed access to their wifi, with the caveat that you had to sit outside. One day I had to work on a project for 4+ hours, resulting in a nice sunburn on my back when the work day was complete.
I had a great setup in Fontainebleau. I was staying with my friend Guillaume and my “office” included a beautiful view of the Bleau forest.
One of my Salt Lake “offices”, Alchemy Coffee. The coffee is quite good, the regulars entertaining, and a couple times of the week there is local music. Photo Credit: Pang.
I must admit that I love my current, flexible lifestyle, hoping that perhaps I can get this setup to extend. =)
I finished my 10-month climbing trip approximately 2 months ago, but I have been so incredibly busy getting back into the groove of life (finding a home, finishing my job, looking for a new job, re-adjusting to normal-day-life, sorting through all my belongings, while still trying to squeeze in climbing, etc.) that I have yet to write the concluding write-ups, though they are definitely still en route.
One of my favorite photos from the trip. Photo credit: Frank Wu.
CB. Photo Credit: Elliot Warden.
On this solo adventure (well, solo except for the inclusion of my chihuahua, CB, during the US portion) I explored the following destinations:
Fontainebleau, France – This was hands-down my favorite destination. Everything about this place was ideal: quantity and quality of rock, ability to meet someone from a new culture daily, cheap and delicious wine, hour proximity from Paris, etc. =)
Bishop, California - mmmmm…. Buttermilks!
Chattanooga Area – Chattanooga allows easy access to Little Rock City, RockTown, and HorsePens40, each place providing a unique climbing experience.
If you are planning a trip to visit any of these areas and need additional beta, please feel free to reach out to me. Or, if you have additional information excluded from these posts, please comment and / or email.
A couple other highlights I would like to include from the England portion of my trip.
I was so incredibly excited to catch up with my friends Simon and James while in London. I had met these two boys in China in 2005 and had not seen them since. Simon graciously came and picked me up from my hostel, took me to James’s house, and cooked James and I a great stir-fry accompanied by Asian beer (how thoughtful!). We sat and reminiscenced about our time in China, then Si gave me the printed out directions to my next destination, and they both dropped me off at the bus stop. What incredible friends! It honestly was one of the top moments of my 10 month trip….
But even better was the fact that Si got us lost in London on the way to James’s house. =) You have to understand that Si was the one who kept J and I in order while in China. He always knew the itinerary, always knew where we were going. I must admit that this moment was fabulous. Oh Si… I adore you.
Ha ha… and I must share one of the rain videos. Ah, the “perfect gritstone weather”.
I felt extremely fortunate to be able to swing through England at the end of my trip. Not only were there numerous excellent problems, but the grit ended up being my favorite rock type. (I want to add in another thank you to my friend, Steve, who was my tour guide plus a huge contributor to this post.)
Best Time to Visit
The best time to visit is when the temperatures are in the 50 – 60 Fahrenheit range, with the ideal visitation months being November and March. April and early May can also be good (though perhaps starting to get warm) with longer days and usually a better bet (in terms of daylight and rain) if wanting to do routes and boulders. Definitely note that England houses gritstone and limestone, with the grit being incredibly temperature dependent.
Length of Stay
There is definitely enough bouldering to keep a visitor happy for 3 – 4 weeks. However, it rains quite a bit and there is a possibility that you can get completely rained out on your trip.
How to Get There
If flying, the best airport to fly into would be Manchester as it’s only an hour-ish drive to Leeds or Sheffield. For Americans, it is usually cheaper to fly into London, with a drive of approximately 180 miles from London to Leeds.
If coming from Europe, there are a couple ferries: DirectFerries and Eurotunnel. It is also an option to take the Chunnel, renting a car in England.
A car is a definite necessity and can be booked as either part of a flight package or individually through an airport or in any main city.
For getting to the crags you definitely will need a guidebook and a map! And I would even dare say, a local tour guide.
Guidebook
I ended up with two different guidebooks (thank you, Steve, for giving them to me plus marking all the problems we did!), one covering the Peak district and one for the Yorkshire area.
‘Peak District Bouldering’ by Rupert Davies and Jon Barton (2005). Brilliant guide, beautiful layout, and really well put together.
‘Yorkshire Gritsone Bouldering’ by Steve Dunning and Ryan Plews, (2008). This is the most recent guide, though I have heard it excludes a handful of the classic problems (in particular at Caley).
If sans guide, definitely check out Yorkshire Grit as it is a free site with all the main crags and problems, maps, topos, directions, and forums for users to comment on beta, grades, etc.
Classic Climbs
I really, really enjoyed the problems in England. Every cliff we visited was fabulous with my favorites being Caley, Almscliffe, The Plantation, and Cratcliffe. Ha ha… well, that is almost every crag we visited. =) Some of my absolute favorite climbs were the following:
Matterhorn Arete (v0 – v1) – highball warmup that is fabulous. Definitely bring pads “just in case”.
Jerry’s Traverse (v8) – Seriously fabulous line… unfortunately I needed more time to work it, therefore not getting the send yet.
Green Traverse (v6) – must do!
Dope on a Slope (v7) – This is the Green Traverse extension and I think is actually a bit better than the Green Traverse as it lengthens the goodness.
Captain Hook (v8) – Good problem.. that I could not finish. Ha ha! =)
Flying Arete (v3?) – Aesthetic line that climbed as great as it looked.
The Horn Direct (v4) – One of the classics of Caley.
The Horn LH Arete (v7) – I LOVED this problem, and definitely claim it as one of my top 3 favorites over the whole road trip.
The Weedkiller Traverse (v7) – Cool limestone traverse, with a throw at the end.
Pine Tree Arete (v5) – Yet another great traverse.
Flapjack Traverse (v7) – Tricky little line that liked to repeatedly toss me off. =)
The whole crag of Caley – everything I hopped on at Caley was fab. I didn’t like the boulders near the road as much due to the noise, but the more hidden boulders were fabulous. But now that I think about it… I really can’t think of a problem I DIDN’T like in all of England … nope, I can’t think of one.
Camping / Accommodations
I was staying with a friend, so am not knowledgeable in this area. However, my friend, Steve, mentioned that there are some camp sites in the Peak and Yorkshire areas, plus there are Youth Hostels, and Bed and Breakfasts.
Personal Hygiene
I’m sorry but I can’t comment on this as I was staying at a friend’s house.
Food / Drink
There are a handful of great pubs and restaurants. My number one suggestion is near Sheffield and is called Strines. I mention this place solely because it has the oddest collection of stuffed animals for decor. The food is good, but not nearly comparable to the excellence of the setting.
A visitor really must stop at a Chippy. How in the world can you visit England without going for Chips? In my case, I think I went at least 3 times. =) Ask them to wrap it up as a cone…
Lastly, I hear a curry is tradition after climbing, yet somehow missed out on this opportunity.
Taking self portraits in one of the local pubs.
Rest Day Activities
While resting or waiting out the rain, definitely check out Leeds (the theater there is great), take the train into London (but definitely buy tickets in advance), or enter the Huddersfield cork shooting contest. =)
Steve and I seriously had to stop playing this game because it was getting downright competitive, plus Steve liked to cheat. What the…??
The Rain
The rain was a bit demoralizing, and supposedly it wasn’t even that bad when I was there. Often the drive time to the crag was 40 – 60m, meaning a high likelihood of different weather upon arriving (usually for the worst). To navigate the weather, use the below links / webcams.
Certain areas, The Plantation and Almscliffe, dry quickly while north facing crags such as Caley do not and stay green after the rain. Caley, though, is a better option on warm days.
The links above provide insight, but aren’t perfect considering the weather is very localized. Unless it is absolutely pouring, it’s always worth a try to get out, especially in the Peak since it can be raining at Stanage and dry at Cratcliffe.
If you do get rained out, there are a couple of climbing walls that are very good.
Outside – near the Peak district in Hathersage. Let me just add to check prices before purchasing (reference the below picture).
I stopped in Outside to buy some tape to wrap my sprained ankle. It was my last day of climbing and I probably could have gotten away without tape. Regardless I stopped, got the tape, and handed over the money requested. I then realized the price was 10 pounds…. the equivalent of $15, 70 Freddos, 4 pints of beer, 10 meals from Tesco, or 1/3 of a cost of a London hostel. Ha ha! I would suggest bringing your own tape or stopping by Off the Wall. I had to take a picture of the most expensive tape I had ever purchased, though admittedly it was good tape.
The Best Part
One of the very best parts of England….. was…… the ‘Bouldering on Yorkshire Gritstone’ by Steve Rhodes, (1993). It was the first real guide to bouldering in Yorkshire and came out as part of the bouldering boom of the early 90’s when all of the major English crags were developed. Rather than giving classic problems stars, Rhodes rated the classic climbs by beds: 1 bed meant a good climb worth getting out of bed to attempt and 2 beds meaning it was such a classic that it was worth getting out of someone else’s bed to climb. Hilarious! =)
It is unfortunate (seriously unfortunate!) that this book is now out of print.
Additional Links
If wanting further information, the below links can most likely answer your questions.
Yorkshire Grit – Excellent site that features all the main crags and lists all the best probs, has topos too…
UK Bouldering – Simple forum-based site that I hear is good for getting trip info, problem beta, climbing partners, etc., and tends to get some very knowledgeable, helpful, and hardcore people as users.
UK Climbing – Commercial site that provides trip beta and pretty extensive forums.
The BMC – The British Mountaineering Council might be a useful site for additional crag information.
Have you climbed in England before and have additional beta? If so, please leave a comment.
The last destination of my 10 month road trip was Leeds, England in order to check out the grit stone, hang out with my friend Steve, and hopefully catch up with a handful of Londoner friends (I luckily caught up with more than I expected… seeing 9 friends). =) The grit stone ended up being my favorite rock type, but I also was extremely lucky that the temps were perfect and Steve knew how to escape the continual rain.
Me sending ‘The Green Traverse’ at The Plantation. This excellent line also had a fabulous extension, ‘Dope on a Slope’, a grade harder.
Steve on ‘Deliverance’ at The Plantation.
Both problems at this Caley Crag boulder were superb, with ‘The Horn LH Arete’ perhaps being my favorite climb on this 10 month road trip. Pictured here I am doing ‘The Horn Direct’.
Me on ‘Matterhorn Arete’. This climb was a warmup, but it truly got the heart a fluttering, especially since I knew that a fall on my sprained ankle could be quite disastrous.
Another fabulous problem, ‘Flying Arete’, at AlmsCliff (also known as the best crag in the world). =)
I wish I had had more time to project this line, ‘Jerry’s Traverse’ at Cratcliffe. We only made it to Cratcliffe once and unfortunately only got in a handful of attempts on this climb before the craziest storm, hail included, blew in. Steve somehow got re-motivated, but my little toes were so frozen I couldn’t find the psyche to try and jam them in my climbing shoes.
Legendary British climber, Ron Fawcett, out crushing problems at The Plantation.
The highball ‘Not To Be Taken Away’ at The Plantation.
‘Forked Lighting Crack’, a very tricky v4, at Caley Roadside. Geez, this thing liked to spit me off repeatedly.
A super great traverse, ‘Weed Killer Traverse’, at the Tor.
One of the Spaniards pointing out a mono pocket intermediary on “Ben’s Roof”. I didn’t realize the grade of this climb at the time, probably a good thing, as I would have never hopped on otherwise. But the moves I could do were real enjoyable, with the mono pocket being an excellent intermediary option for me.
A fellow American (whose name I am unfortunately forgetting! argh!) who I actually met in Fontainbleau and ran into in England since he was currently living in the UK. Here he is sending Captain Hook.
Steve on “Crimpy Roof” at Brimham Rock. Steve was positive that I would be able to do this climb. Wow, what a nice, optimistic friend! I could barely get my bum off the ground due to the necessary long reach after long reach. Oh well… always fun trying. =)
I took completely different things on the USA portion of my trip versus the international portion, so I will create two appropriate posts. The USA portion, which this post will cover, allowed me to bring more belongings since I was traveling by car and my car was essentially my “home”. When brainstorming the necessary items, I created 7 categories to ensure I wasn’t leaving any necessities behind, while also not over packing. Over packing, in my mind, is actually worse than not bringing a necessary item as it just creates clutter you must deal with the entire trip whereas if you forget something you can easily buy it along the way.
This pile consisted of all of my belongings except boulder pad that I used for my 8 month USA portion of my trip. This handful of items was perfectly adequate.
Climbing Gear
Prior to my trip I was mainly a sport climber, did a little trad climbing and had bouldered a handful of times. I decided to leave my trad gear (a mere 1/2 a rack) at home thinking I would mostly sport climb. I threw in my boulder pad just in case I didn’t find any partners. But within two months of being on the road, I found it difficult to consistently find sport climbers I could trust and transitioned to a full time boulderer. Depending on what type of climbing you do, this category will be different for you. Yet, this is what I packed:
70 meter rope – I purposely took a 70 meter rope so that I wouldn’t ever have to worry about the length of a climb.
Rope bag – I use one of the black diamond packs that is large enough to carry all my belongings
Backpack – I also had a crag backpack that I usually carried my belongings in. Looking back I would probably only take the rope bag but then again it never hurts to have a spare backpack.
Draws – I believe I took all my draws, equaling approximately 20+ at the time.
Harness
Locking biners – I believe I had 3
Two ATCs – I took two just in case one was lost or dropped
Grigri – I prefer to belay with a grigri so this was a must have.
Daisychain
Shoes – I took 3 pairs, but think most people take more. I had two pairs of anasazis (my current favorite shoe) and a pair of Mythos for trad climbs. There were times on the trip when I wished I had a more aggressive shoe, especially when in Hueco.
Plastic bin – in the South I was rained on quite a bit and I quickly learned that moisture could seep into my vehicle. This scenarios is horrible, especially for a rope. I found a thin, long bin that fit perfectly into the alloted trunk space that ensured my climbing materials stayed dry.
Bouldering pad
Camping
I slept the majority of the time in my vehicle as it became surprisingly comfortable and was definitely warmer. Pictured you can see my actual bed with the right side floor holding the spare stove (aka “night stand”) with my books and night time down booties. The left side of the floor held a basket full of my morning items (brush, face wash, etc) with spare books.
Tent – I did have a tent and would pack one again as on occasion it was useful.
Sleeping bag – I had a 10+ bag. It was sufficient.
Spare blanket – I had a spare blanket that was real nice for the extremely chilly nights.
Sleeping pad
Pillow
Cooking
I packed too many cooking supplies considering I HATE TO COOK. Trust me, if you hate to cook at home, you will especially hate to cook on the road. I ended up sending many of my belongings home and found I needed a small bag to keep me happy. The few items below are seriously all I needed.
Cooking in a parking lot while doing laundry and keeping the dog in place by tying her to the cooler. Yes, this IS life on the road. =)
Cooler – I did carry a cooler, which is not a necessity. I found that I really liked being able to buy things that needed to be chilled. I purposely carried a big cooler because it was nice to be able to buy blocks of ice, which melt slower than bags. Yet, in the south I could rarely find blocks of ice making my big cooler inconvenience not worth it. I would take a small cooler next time.
Stove / Propane – A friend suggested I carry a two burner stove and a small camping stove. The two burner stove was useless since I didn’t want to cook a big meal and seriously ended up being a “night stand” in the back of my Honda. For the next trip I would take only a small camping stove. The propane for these small stoves can be more expensive, but the small space taken up and the convenience make it worth it (in my opinion).
Small set of pots with lids
2 or 3 sporks
2 sharp knives
Can Opener
Matches and Lighters
Bottle / wine opener – needed of course only if you drink
Food Bin – I had a food bin that contained mostly pastas, peanut butter, soups, bread, etc.
Coffee cone and filters – I actually sent this home as well as I became a tea drinker on the road, mostly due to the convenience.
Clothing
I had two small drawers that I took for clothing and misc. items. Only clothing that could fit in these bins was taken. Essentially one of them was full of clothing and the other had misc. items and held perhaps a hoodie or two. The clothing I had transitioned a bit due to losing items, wearing out items or buying new things to combat the cold. In the end, this was what I had.
You can see one of the two clothing drawers in this picture.
3 pairs of comfortable pants – I picked up 3 pairs of cheap cargo pants at Old Navy for $15 a pair that became my favorite bottoms. They were comfortable, were good for climbing, but also didn’t look too scroungy if I needed to wear them around town.
1 pair of jeans
Around 10 shirts – mostly tank tops or layering items. If going on a road trip during prime season, it will be cold.
Hoodies – I wear a lot of hoodies, especially when climbing because the hood can be helpful when hanging out in 30 degree temps. I packed four.
Pair of capilene long underwear (top and bottom)
Down jacket – I carried one down jacket with me. I almost wished I had taken another because at one point (in Arkansas) the main zipper had broken, while another perfectly good down was back home in Utah.
Down booties – I have a pair of down booties and to be honest, these were awesome during the chilly nights around the campfire.
Running shoes / Approach shoes
Pair of Chacos
Pair of Flipflops – these were perfect when I was in Hueco.
Gloves / Beanie – I was traveling during the winter as this is often prime season for climbing. But prime season also means that it can get cold.
Belt
Hat
Scarf – I actually bought a scarf along the way because it helped me feel “dressed up” on my rest days.
Laundry detergent – though this can easily be picked up along the way.
Personal Hygiene
I carried more than I needed to in this area as it was harder than expected to go from a office job, where I needed to be dressed up all the time, to the life of a dirt bag. In the future I would pack the following.
Shampoo / Condition – I didn’t carry any body soap, instead using a tiche of my shampoo instead.
Towel – I packed a quick dry towel that I got from REI. This was perfect.
2 brushes – trust me, you will lose one at some point
Hair ties / Bobbie Pins – this items are a necessity for me.
Package of Razors – I like freshly shaven legs. Odd for a dirt bag, I know.
Face cleansers (if you use them)
Sunblock
Detergent
Medications / Over the Counter Drugs – if bouldering I would suggest carrying a bottle of good old Vitamin I (ibuprofen) as your body will start to ache from 5+ days of climbing per week. Bandaids and neosporin are helpful as well.
Dog Items
I loved traveling with my dog as she gave me some companionship on my trip plus was a great guard dog, warning me of anything that came near my vehicle (even friends). =) I took the following for CB.
CB’s “place” soon become the back window. Oh the joys of owning a small dog. =)
CB’s Bed – Even though CB doesn’t use her bed much at home, we had used it for training purposes and I noticed that she would use it especially when we drove.
Toys
2 leashes
Food
Treats
Sweaters – um, I own a chihuahua. Sweaters are a necessity.
Tick / flea medicine – I picked this up along the way because CB did get fleas while we were in the south. Next trip, I would take some preemptive care to protect her prior to actually getting the pests.
Miscellaneous
Guidebooks – I don’t like to own many belongings, but I do love owning guidebooks. I bought the guide for every place I visited.
Books – Take books that you can either mail back to a library or discard of when finished. This way you aren’t lugging around spare items.
Laptop - I was working from the road, so carried my laptop. Even if I wasn’t working I would carry my laptop because wi-fi in the states is ubiquitous. I did carry a laptop lock.
Software / Operating Disks – I did NOT carry this with me and got into a bind when my harddrive decided to crash in North Carolina. I ended up buying a new operating system disk (as mine was who knows where in storage so couldn’t have a friend find it) and then used all open source software (perhaps will write up a further post on this).
Blackberry – I found my blackberry, with google maps installed to be invaluable! I can’t tell you how much Google Maps helped me!
Ipod – an iPod is far superior to cds because of space.
Baby Wipes – these things become your best friend. Carry them.
Camera
A couple items that remind you of home – I packed a boomerang my friend had sent me from Australia, a postcard my British friends had just mailed me, and a little climbing comic a friend had recently left on my door. =)
But out of all these things … the best thing to take with you is a good attitude. Traveling is fun, but there are going to be some hard times. At some point you will definitely get lonely (especially if traveling solo), your car will need repairs, you will get tired of sleeping in your tent and not having access to a shower, you might simply get sick of climbing (trust me it happens) or will long for a good friend. Remember how lucky you are to be bumming around in your car, how few people actually get long extended periods of travel, and try to remain cheerful even during the rocky patches.
If you have any additional beta, I would of course love to hear it. Please feel free to comment, email or IM me.
The forest of Fontainebleau in the Trois Pignon area.
Best Time to Visit
Like every other bouldering destination, the best time to visit is when temps are in the 50’s. These temps can be found in Fontainebleau during early spring to around mid-April. And though Bleau can be fun during the off season, note that Bleau is BY FAR the most temperature dependent place I visited during my 10 month trip. Due to the necessary friction moves, the problems can feel a bit harder during the off season.
Be prepared for rain when visiting Bleua. I was extremely lucky and had only one climbing day cut short due to rain during my 3 week visit. I heard this was an anomaly.
Length of Stay
I was in Fontainebleau for 3 weeks and had barely scratched the surface of the climbing. A trip of months would still leave you with problems to explore.
How to Get There
The climbing in Fontainebleau is very dispersed making a car quite a necessity. Fontainebleau is an hour south of Paris or four hours north of Lyon. If without car, you can catch the train from main cities, with the ride from Paris being less than an hour ride. I hear you can usually hitch rides if staying at one of the main camping sites. That being said, I would still suggest to any readers to rent a car. I found the best deal through Holiday Autos, a Travelocity subsidiary, but would also suggest checking Expedia and EuropebyCar. Note that many credit card companies will have rental insurance (simply call and ask your credit company for details) and often will provide discounts on rental cars.
Guidebook
The must-have resources are the purple “Fontainebleau Climbs” and a map of the forest. Trust me, you will want a map of the forest in order to understand the forest layout. There are numerous other guidebooks that highlight certain grades, with the 7 + 8 book having additional excellent maps.
Classic Climbs
I usually write up a whole post of my favorite climbs in each area. However, in Fontainebleau you really can’t go wrong with anything you hop on. Plus the climbing in Fontainebleau is different than any other area because it is organized in circuits. At each crag there are a handful of circuits, meaning a grouping of problems, that are all marked (literally painted) with numbers. Most climbs do not have names, just a number. And the idea is you go to an area and run a circuit. Levels of difficulty are noted by the color, but also a circuit at one crag may be harder than the same color circuit of another crag because the difficulty is assessed by averaging all the problems in that circuit. The guidebook notates the difficulty of each area.
Each circuit problem will have a painted number and an arrow that shows the direction of the climb. Often there is a dot that shows the starting foot. It is NOT uncommon for a climb to be a jump start and very few climbs actually sit start.
There are also off circuit problems, usually named, often of very quality.
Some of my favorite problems and circuits included the following:
Everything at Le Diplodocus was great.
The Red Circuit at Roche Aux Sabot was very good, but hard.
Bas Cuvier Classics were The Helicopter, Druxmanie, the Joker, La Marie Rose, and Holey Moley.
Fronchard Isatais – Many excellent problems including La Statique (part of the white circuit), La Coquille, El Poussif and El Poussah.
Canche Aux Mercier has numerous great problems, with my favorite being 13 red.
Definitely try the Cul de Chien Roof.
Camping / Where to Stay
I was extremely fortunate that I was introduced to Guillaume through a mutual contact. Guillaume offered me a place in his house, such a generous offer and being the perfect setup for me. Most climbers either camp or stay in gites. Here is some information but there is definitely more out there.
Gites – gites are apartments that are rented out, being most affordable with groups of people. Two gites I would suggest, due to friend recommendations, are Lu Clos du Tertre, owned by Stef, and Maison Bleu, owned by Neil. I did contact both of these people prior to knowing I had a place at Guillaume’s and must say they were both genuinely nice. I would urge people to contact them if going to Bleau.
Formule 1 – Forumle 1’s are affordable hotels with simple accommodations.
Camping - There used to be free camping near Bas Cuvier. Note that this has now been closed. Musardie, based in (or right outside of) Le Vaudoue seems to be the main campground. I was told by a handful of American friends not to camp… but, to be honest upon seeing the campground I think I would have felt just fine staying there.
Food / Drink
I can’t really opine on this subject as I didn’t go out at all when in Fontainebleau. I instead enjoyed going back to Guillaume’s house and spending time with his family.
Personal Hygiene
Not very knowledgeable in this area since I was staying with a friend. I know the gites have showers, but unsure what to do if camping.
Rest Day Activities
I wrote up a whole post on this, which you can read here.
If wanting to visit Paris, it is easiest to either just simply take the train or drive to the closest port of Paris (I believe it is the Port d’Orlean) and park your car, taking the train from there. (In 2009 you could get roundtrip train ticket and full access to Paris buses and metros for 16 euors.) The driving in Paris is CRAZY and it is hard to navigate, to the point where I didn’t dare drive into the city. If you do drive, whatever you do AVOID THE ARC DE TRIUMP ROUNDABOUT. Supposedly the arc de triump roundabout has six unmarked lanes and is sheer mayhem. =)
Buying Gear
I had been told that the closest gear stores were the Vieux Campeur stores in Paris. Note that due to the small space available in Paris, there are many Vieux Campeur stores within a couple block section, all of which carry one type of outdoor gear (climbing, backpacking, capming, etc.) You must ask where the store you are looking for is located. (Yes, you read that correctly.) I did hear from an American friend that there is a gear shop by the Carrefour near Barbizon, yet I did not visit it. The best bet if you are needing climbing items, Fontainebleau guidebooks or your shoes resoled, is the below pictured van. The van is usually parked at the Cul de Chien / Roche Aux Sabot parking lot on weekends and holidays.
At the Vieux Campeur guidebook store. The entire store was simply guidebooks and maps. It actually was quite phenomenal.
The only shoe resoler and the best source for climbing goods in Fontainebleau. Usually parked at the Cul de Chien / Roche Aux Sabot area.
Other
Other items to remember or of interest.
Gasoline Prices - I love visiting other countries and being reminded of how spoiled us Americans are when it comes to gasoline prices. I was driving a tiny Ceteron C3 that took diesel fuel, yet it was still 39 Euro (approximately $55) to fill up my car. Unbelievable. If you look at the prix par litre of 1.04 Euro that is equivalent to $5.82 a gallon. The thing is, these are NORMAL rates outside of the US, yet all of us Americans complain with high fuel costs.
First time buying fuel in France. (Nice self reflection, I know!) =) I must admit that I was pretty proud of myself for driving through Europe, though speaking very little French, yet actually making it to all destinations accident free.
Lots of Pads – The problems in Bleau aren’t nearly as high as Bishop, but there are definitely still some high’ish problems. It never hurts to have a lot of pads. Pictured is L’Helicoptre. This problem is known to be ankle twister with everyone landed in different spots. Definitely pad this problem up!
The pad party at L’Helicoptre.
Links
The best link I found was bleau.info. However, it has changed since I used it and I must admit I don’t like the new look. Before it used to provide excellent trip beta, but now it is looking closer to an 8a. Boo! It does, however, have a forum where you can possibly post up for gite mates.
If you have additional information, please feel free to post a comment.
During the US portion of my road trip I would work each rest day.However, in Europe I spent my days enjoying the sites, instead working at night allowing me to be on the same work schedule as my firm’s Salt Lake City office. Some of my favorite rest day activities included:
1) Paris.
I climbed A LOT in Fontainebleau (I took perhaps 5 rest days over the 3 weeks) as it was the main reason for this trip. I had previously, in 2003, taken a “tourist” trip to explore numerous European cities, so didn’t feel badly with my focus mainly being on climbing. That being said, I did spend a handful of days in Paris, visiting either my previous favorite sites or seeking out the ones I missed during my earlier trip. I must admit… I LOVE PARIS! Love, love, love it. I feel like it would be an optimal city to inhabit (and I truly hope to live there one day) as it is chock full of culture and fabulous restaurants, it is a large city providing a wide range of employment, plus is a mere hour from Fontainebleau.
I fell in love with the Notre Dame cathedral on my previous European trip and so ensured I hit it up again on this trip.It was the perfect time to visit as the tulips were in full bloom and just simply beautiful.
“Graffiti” in Marais, the art district of Paris.
Though touristy, I must admit that I love the Place du Tetre with all of it’s artists and the adjacent winding streets of Montmarte.
I visited the Picasso museum and loved every minute of it, especially the very obvious evolution of Picasso’s work over his lifetime. This piece, Three Women and Their Toilets, was one of my favorites as it was a wall size mural made of wood and brightly colored wall paper.
I love self portraits, with this one being one of my all time favorites. =) Me in front of the Picasso museum.
I enjoyed relaxing at the Jardin du Luxemborg by watching a family play Bacci ball on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
This vintage Vespa seemed a necessary piece in front of this Montmarte hipster cafe.
2) The Fontainebleau Castle.
The castle in Fontainebleau is magnificent with parts of the chateaux being used as early as the 12th century. I had arrived late on both the days I visited and so walked only around the gardens. Now that I look through some of the online galleries, I think I need to go back and walk through the grandiose interior.
3) Exploring the Neighboring Villages.
One day I rode Helen’s bike into La Chappelle Reine to the local grocery store, ATAC. (Yes, the name of the store is pronounced the same as the word “attack” to which Guillaume stated it was not because of potential danger but rather to their aggressive prices. Ha ha!) I quickly learned that it had been quite a long time since I had ridden a bike, and also that the store was quite a bit further than anticipated. Ha! Yet the view was spectacular. This picture was taken while riding down the street. =)
This house was located in Le Vaudoue near Guillaume’s house and was one of my favorite sights to see each morn.
On my first trip to Bas Cuvier, one of the most popular crags, I temporarily got lost in Barbizon. It was a great place to get lost, being a quaint village known to previously house many Impressionist artists. I personally loved the lilacs that would hang from the buildings.
4) Meeting New People and Learning about Different Cultures.
I met this crew of Germans on one of my first days, actually the day when I was bouldering at Le Diplodocus. They invited Guilluame and I to join them at their gite for dinner … which soon evolved into lots of drinking and music. It was an excellent time! In this video Guillaume is playing one of my all time favorite songs “The Girl from Ipanema”. He soon learned that he should have never let me know that he knew this song on the guitar as I requested it daily. =) Guillaume also teased my friendly nature and started putting in requests of which culture he would like me to meet next so that he could also befriend them when he later joined me at the crag. He would joke that I would walk to the boulder fields and say, “Hey, I’m Rachel. Would you be my friend and spot me?” HA HA! =)
5) Other Sites of Interest
A site I did not visit, but heard was worth the stop is Chartres Cathedral. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its fine example of French gothic architecture and heard from my Finnish friends that the stained glass windows were amazing.
If interested in business, the MBA school Insead is located in Fontainebleau. It is a school I have always considered attending and so spent some time walking around the campus.
After my week in Lyon I picked up my rental car and made the four hour drive to Fontainebleau, France. David had introduced me to fellow climber Guillaume who graciously offered me the spare room in his La Vaudoue home and became a dear friend.
Fontainebleau (or simply Bleau) was by far my favorite destination on this trip (expect to see a couple posts about this destination). I didn’t send any new projects, but I loved this area because…
Climbing was a family event. It was very common to see entire families out picnicking while the climber in the family would do a circuit.
Climbers were of all ages. Everyone from little kids to 60-year-old+ crushers could be seen on the rock. One day I saw an older lady, I would guess late 50’s to 60’s, by herself and carrying a pad out of the forest. It made me smile and I went out of my way to say “Bonjour”.
Everyday I met someone from a different country and culture. Over my time in Bleau I climbed with the French, Germans, Dutch, Belgiums, Finnish, British and two Americans.
The sloping rock sandstone was unique. Sure HorsePens40 looks similar, but HP40 doesn’t even come close to comparing to the quantity in Bleau.
The quantity of boulders is mind boggling.
The scene was perfect, with people simply enjoying the sun and having a good time. I only saw one person, a girl, get upset and throw a wobbler. It was as if people remembered that climbing is a hobby.
Paris was only an hour away!
Me using toe hook beta to top out a traverse problem at Le Diplodocus.
Jussi topping out ‘L’auriculaire – Toit aux frelons’ at La Roche aux Sabots. Every problem on this boulder was excellent and tricky.
Me working into the crux of ‘Le Tiroir’ at La Roche aux Sabots.
Guillaume on an excellent traverse (Rouge 13) at Canche Aux Mercier. The red circuit at this crag was fabulous.
Tuomo on a three star traverse (Rouge 22) at Franchard Isatis.
Juho trying to grab the crux hold on ‘Surplomb de la Coquille’. The move looks so easy, but is amazingly tricky as it is necessary to make the move dynamically yet is hard to hold if going dynamically.
Me on classic line ‘La Marie Rose’. The climb was so enjoyable, whereas the down climb was sheer agony.
Me on the start moves of ‘Druxmanie’ at Bas Cuvier.
One of my British friends on the ‘Cul de Chien Roof’. This line was extremely excellent including a mono pocket and an extremely high, committing heel hook followed by an extremely long reach.
Emiel trying to catch the crux hold on ‘Jet Set’ at Roche aux Sabots.
Svilen on ‘L’helicoptre’. I really loved this problem, but the dynamic move, which Svilen is getting ready to do, is high up and often results on the climber flying off spinning. We padded the landing with 10+ pads in all directions because every climber would fall in a different location.
Me working into the dual underclings on another great sloper problem at Franchard Isatis.
Jussi so incredibly close to sticking Vin Rouge, a 7a dyno.
Guillaume at 91.1. I was so exhausted by this day, as this was our sixth consecutive day of climbing and my bicep was throbbing, that I just took pictures of Guillaume all day long. =)
Svilen on ‘Holey Moley’ at Bas Cuvier. This was on the Bicep Mou boulder and housed at least 5 good lines. ‘Holey Moley’ included a long reach, double toe jams (like Svilen is doing), a swing and a heel hook.
Me on ‘Graviton’ at Roche aux Sabot. Another fabulous line with yet another fabulously hard sloping top-out.
