I had planned on staying in Le Vaudoue, a small village near Fontainebleau, for the whole trip, but felt like it wasn’t an ideal place for a beginning French speaker.  I stayed there for 3 weeks and then moved down to Lyon.

I was living in my friend’s weekend home in Le Vaudoue.  I stayed there this past April, when him and his family still used it as their full time home.  I didn’t realize the level of isolation until I lived there by myself. The best was one day when the post woman came.  I think she said something about the house being hard to find.  I quickly explained that I didn’t speak very much French and she looked at me oddly, most likely wondering,  ”What the hell is this non-French speaking American girl doing at the end of this road?” Haha.

Looking towards the Le Vaudoue house from my neighbors house.  Yep… the house is down that road, all by itself in the forest.

Le Vaudoue “main street”.  It consists of a bar, market, pharmacie and a temporarily closed hair dresser.  I love the simplicity of this place.

Hiking through the Trois Pignon area with Guillaume and his family.

My mode of transportation.  I really liked when I would stop by the market on the way home, carrying fresh baguettes and wine in my bouldering pad.

Guillaume climbing at Cancier Mercier.

David came to visit Fontainebleau.  It was his very first time to be in Font… but it had recently snowed.  He still was psyched to try at least one problem, trying his luck on this slippery problem at Roche Aux Sabot.

Since I am learning French, I will start writing some French in parenthesis.  I wanted to start with this post, but it was going to take me forever.  So… I will start to slowly integrate.

Hope you readers are also doing well.

]]> http://www.cragbaby.com/2010/01/04/learning-french-first-stop-fontainebleau/feed/ 7 http://www.cragbaby.com/2009/06/15/tripbeta-fontainebleau-france/ http://www.cragbaby.com/2009/06/15/tripbeta-fontainebleau-france/#comments Mon, 15 Jun 2009 19:41:04 +0000 WasatchGirl http://www.cragbaby.com/?p=858

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.

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.

From Bishop, California I drove home to SLC to spend a week and half hanging out with friends and resting the ankle I had managed to sprain in California.  (My Bishop pics and trip beta will soon be forthcoming.)

From SLC I caught the direct SLC to Paris flight, spending four weeks in France before heading over to the United Kingdom.  My first 5 days in France were spent in Lyon visiting my friend David (pics also coming soon), then I drove to Fontainebleau. I am still in Bleau and will be here for a couple more weeks.  So far Bleau is hands down my favorite destination I have visited on this road trip adventure.  Below are some pics of the last two weeks…

Me working Graviton. Such a great line with a heartbreaker finish.

Guillaume on the Red 13 traverse at Canche Aux Mercier. Fabulous line!  Guillaume was introduced to me by my friend David and has been a great friend here in Fontainebleau.  He has generously allowed me to crash at his house (located in a village outside of Bleau called La Vaudaue) and is always excited to get out climbing with me. =)

Jussi on Helicopter.  I had heard that this problem was an ankle eater… but silly old me hopped on anyway because it looked like an enjoyable problem.  After attempting it about four times, I feel from the crux “helicopter” move and re-tweaked my already sprained ankle.  Argh! 

Juho sending Druxmanie. =)  I really liked this climb and am hoping to go back for another try at the send.

Me on La Marie Rose. 

Working the crux topout of La Statique.

Jussi getting so close to sticking Vin Rouge, a 7a dyno.

One day I met three Finnish guys, Jussi, Juho and Tuomo, and ended up meeting up with them on 3 different days to climb.  Tuormo worked for a Finnish television company and had this great 8mm camera that rattled loudly while in use. He took a handful of footage on the days we climbed together.  Here he was taking footage of an excellent traverse at Fronchard Isatis.  The traverse isn’t named but is on #29 on the Red Circuit.  Good times!