The bouldering trip to Fontainebleau left on Saturday 29 May 2010, leaving school at about 6am. Following a 9 hour drive and a one hour ferry ride we arrived at our accommodation in Herbervilliers, on the outskirts of Fontainebleau.
Day 1 began with a slightly damp start, so the team headed to Larchant and the climbing area of L’elephant. Very quickly the students were struck by the shear variety of boulders and the beauty of the forest. The visit here allowed me to go through how to risk assess and ‘mat out’ a landing area safely, also the do's and don’ts of ‘spotting’. Keen to get started we headed for Apremont our first climbing area. It is not uncommon on your first day to find that you are not doing as well as you thought you would, which forced a re-evaluation of everyone’s ability. As the session developed font 3’s and 4’s started to fall and the confidence with footwork developed.
Day 2 and the students were itching to get back to L’elephant. After warming up on some of the easier orange and blue problems, the students begin to demonstrate their own creativity and competitive edge. The highlight of the day for most was ‘topping out’ on L’elephant a challenging font 4. There was plenty of time during the day to play games on the large sand area and we were all very impressed with James Hall’s Diablo skills.
Day 3 had forecast rain, so a perfect day for a rest day in Paris. Following a thirty minute train ride we arrived at Gare de Lyon. After buying our tube tickets we spent the day taking in the sites and visiting the Arc d’Triumphe, the cathedral at Sacre Couer, and the Musee de Orcy home to Paris largest collection of impressionist artists including: Monet, Cezanne and Picasso. By the end of the day the students all agreed that city breaks were harder work than climbing days.
Day 4 we hit the proving ground of Bas Cuvier, where great imagination by each new generation of climbers has led to ground breaking ascents. After a quick potted history the students begin completing parts of the orange and blue circuits. The team were definitely getting the idea about balance, body position and power. Yet the elusive font 5 goal still eluded us.
Day 5 saw the minibus pull up at 95.2. The area is named after the contour line that the Croix St German stands on. The temperature was hot! and crept into the 30’s by 1130. Drained of energy the team struggled with the heat, but were happy to relax and apply Ambre Solaire. For one student, James Hall, had his eyes set firmly on a font 5 he would do. Steep, with little technique required and pull! Success came quickly and the team achieved another of its goals.
The final day was perhaps the best. The team were now operating exceedingly well with plenty of backup, support and encouragement. The gauntlet was thrown down, a chocolate éclair for the first person to climb the first 6 problems on the yellow circuit and Isatis. I have never seen a more motivated set of climbers. The prize eventually was won by Thomas Benjamin who went on to complete an additional 14 problems in the circuit.
Everyone agreed it was an amazing week and enjoyed the improvised fun that bouldering generates.