Fontainebleau – Special Six

This short piece shows six special boulders from the world class forest of Fontainebleau.
This was a crazy trip for me. Heading out it didn’t look like I would be able to climb at all due to a serious finger injury sustained the week before. I was able to adapt to different styles of climbing, but also to a different mental approach. This gave me the confidence to overcome the discomfort and fear and to simply enjoy being on the rock, doing what we love to do. As the trip progressed I was no more physically able but I was mentally ready each day to learn, to grow and to simply move on these perfect pieces of rock in this wonderful landscape.
The six problems that feature in this video each offer something special: Gecko it’s sculpted egg shape and sloping holds; Partage its towering stature and positional subtleties; C’etait Demain its history; Ubik its timing and precision; L’Art de la Fugue its exquisite slopers; L’Angle Bens it’s need for balance and utmost trust. These problems each taught me something different and gave me more satisfaction to climb on, than to complete, something which is not always the case. But there is one thing which unifies them all, and that is the movement. That’s the special part, the part that you’ll appreciate only when you’ve felt the positions, the subtleties and the timing.
Thanks again to the whole team who came out and made this trip a great one, and to my good friend Will for his patience, encouragement and most of all his ability to drive efficiently ;)