Dans le Foret pt 1

Well it was a lovely trip out in font with Mark and little Hoppo. Out of the 9 days we had out there, we climbed on 8 of them! Not a bad attempt considering the state of affairs as we left font on a very grey and showery Sunday afternoon, waving adieu to the recent arrivals.

I guess it's easiest for me to do a quick day by day summary with a pic or two for each day. The trip wasn't a crushing spree... more of a chilled return, getting used to climbing again after being either injured, having split tips or working too much the previous 3 weeks to have any kind of form going into it.

It was really enjoyable repeating some old classics and getting plenty of mileage in whilst showing the other 2 around some of my favourite venues as well as checking out new ones at the same time. It was pretty quiet wherever we went and mainly easy going foreigners to chat too (until the last couple of days when we met a couple of stereotypical bell ends from the uk - I must add they were not all bad, a couple of the Scottish guys we met at Gorge were very friendly!).

Sat 20th March

After arriving bleary eyed from a long drive down, we grabbed a couple hours sleep at the campsite and had a slow start to the day nipping to Carrefour to buy some supplies before heading over to Bas Cuvier to check out some problems seeing as it was raining. It cleared up a little bit, so we headed over to Rempart and ticked off the first 5+ in the forest l'Angle Allain, a great little technical arete that was good on both sides. We went back down and I did a lap of Duroxmanie which is absolutely superb. Mark should have done it but bailed near the top and Hoppo had a kick off after getting the shut down! ;)

The last problem we got on was La Mummery just over the way. I sketched up it before the camera could be set up and then Michael nearly did it before falling from the 2nd to last move getting his hand sequence a bit muddled. The rain then came down a bit more forceably and we went back home for the standard pasta, veg, chorizo and chopped chilli tea washed down with cheap beers! (30 for £9 euro)

Sun 21st

Apremont was the venue of choice and after the standard warmup on some classics blues we headed over to find Ju Jitsu wet which was a shame, Not to be deterred we turned around and ticked off lamentations before going around the back of the gigantic Ju Jitsu boulder to try jeremiades. I didn't realise it got a grade from standing and assumed it was a 6c from the left sitter, I overpowered it on my 2nd attempt cutting loose a couple of times and basically campussed/crawled up to lie out of breath on the top. I declared it to be a bit stiff at 6c and was relieved to find it got 7a+ from a sit when we consulted the book!

Next up was a visit to Hyperplomb which was fantastic but a bit puzzling on top. After falling off trying about 4 or 5 sequences I went around the corner and decided to give medaille en chocolat a quick go and managed to stick the top on the 2nd attempt, it's a really nice mix of delicacy followed by an unlikely catch as you fly up and out. A bit re-psyched, I returned to my original sequence on Hyperplomb and just managed to get the right foot up and in enough to stand on the obvious hold at groin height. A bit of slapping and it was in the bag.

We all ticked off the great La Lune and got a lap in on Science Friction before getting shut down on both Fil a Tordre and Onde de Choc. I got right up on top of Onde with the RH on the sloper but my left hand kept peeling off the thin sidepull in the sun. Most frustrating!

Mon 22nd

I was hoping to rest on the Monday but soon got keen to try and do an easy circuit at 91.1 as the others wanted to go there. We rocked up and the classics from 5+ to 6b were really enjoyable. We finished ticking the font essentials guide for the area and had a great baguette with several fillings.

We stopped off at Roche Aux Sabots on the way back and the others got stuck in to some problems as I decided to rest. I tired of this after about 15 minutes and went over to have a little look at Sally Goose. Psyched.

After faffing on the first move a couple of times I remembered what to do and found myself slapping at the top of the block. No matter which left shoe I tried, pushing off that left foot mono felt precarious and shit! I shinned myself from a foot pop twice in a row and gave up shortly after wondering if I'll ever make this move. (upon getting home and checking on bleau, I realised I kept my RF too low and should have bounced it up a hold to get more push and keep in contact when hitting the top!)

I went over and met the others at Le Tiroir and got a flash of Oblique, a burly start into a fun dyno to a tricky top out. They got shut down hard on Le Tiroir (a 6a featuring a crank and slap off an undercut mono!)

Last up was a trip to try red 25 the infamous l'Angle a Jean Luc. This time I was armed with some nice new Moccasyms which probably gave me a 0.01% improved chance over my old jet 7's. About 1 hour of solid effort and I somehow surmounted this nemesis utilising a shoulder wrecking palm edge mantle and a desperate deadpoint to a crimp below the top. This lowly 6c boulder was easily the hardest problem I did on the trip and took more attempts than nearly every other 7a-7c combined!


Tues 23rd

After the non restday rest, an aching team headed to Hautes Plaines. Mark destroyed Coquille on the flash which was most impressive after my epic on it a couple of years ago. I managed the low right sit link which was very fine indeed. Hoppo had another minor kick off... and we all ticked off lapin ou canard, a really fun roof up the hill a bit.


At Isatis main, there were masses of people from all corners of Europe but we reserved a ticket for le statique and the other 2 got it done whilst I took some snaps in between flashing Vin Rouge, an excellent dyno with a wild swing.

I got shutdown hard on rataplat, a 7b pillar that probably feels easier when not in direct sun and Mark did the classic double dyno thing that some fella climbs feet first on bleau.

We bailed to a quiet scene higher up and after a few goes and 1 split tip later, I managed to get l'Angle Ben's ticked. I had wanted to do this ever since I first visisted font in 07 and was psyched to get something done that is not exactly Parisella's style!

Plastikman was next up after a bit of a hike and also went down ok after a false start pullon. Mark looked good on it but gave up a bit early to save skin for the next day. We walked back towards the carpark and couldn't resist a quick go on el Poussif. I managed to get up on the pinch mantling the left arm and getting the right knee/shin on before twisting off and stacking it on to the sea of mats. The red flag was waved and we sacked it back to the car (with a brief 3 tries on Sur-Prises which was still greasy even in the dark!)

Wed 24th

I was really determined to rest today, so we headed to Cuvier and I brought along only 2 pairs of boots instead of 5. It was a busy scene with the first student arrivals and some local wads with their short shorts, pof rag and no pads ambling up some sketchy looking slabs.

After heckling little Hopski as he warmed up and got shutdown on Nescafe, we moved the pads under Marie Rose and watched him crush it first go, to the dismay of the several students who had just recieved a spanking! Good effort yoof'.

As the sky cleared and it got busier, we ran away to Rempart. I got bored of resting and warmed up on some 6b before getting Festin de Pierre 2nd go after an embarassing pullon and instant foot pop! I had to call in a bit of the overpower on the latter moves due to forgetting my glasses and being unable to spot any footholds!

The others ticked off some black problems while I chilled and we headed back to Cuvier as it began to go dark. Hoppo and Mark got close on Cortomaltese and Charcuterie respectively and I had a hard time trying to get the right heel to stick on Berezina. I reverted to the pull on and jump over the top method but found it impossible to stick the sloper. Lastly I tried a toe hook and instantly got across on to the sloper but then the toe ripped before an attempt to take it off in control could be made.

With desperation for a new tick, we ran over to the Biceps Mou roof. I tried this once and realised my left arm is still too weak to be of much use. Attention switched to Holey Moley and while the others started to fear boars and whores, I hauled my weak arse up it after receiving decent beta from a passing Swede, which felt more like the 7a it should be as opposed to my desperate 7b/+ method.

Thu 25th

It was the first day of really shit weather so we basked in the luxury of a lie in and didn't leave the campsite till about 2pm, bringing back wonderful memories of the wonderfully relaxed Magic Wood starts of last summer.

We decided to go check out the Cul de Chien hoping it would be fast to dry. A brief warmup was had on the head of the dog along with some blatant product placement photographs for mr Craven and we found our way to the roof. There was a group of unsociable Poles on it who weren't too keen on company so we played on the things to the right to get some blood in the fingers and waited patiently. About 30 seconds after they left, the sky opened and instantly soaked the top out. 2 minutes later and there was a stream of water coming over the lip as well as a storm blowing up sand into our eyes as we cowered underneath the roof!

Day over.

Fri 26th

More wet weather greeted us, so we went to Carrefour and had a leisurely start, buying some nice trousers in the decathlon sale rail and playing with all the apparatus whilst trying to avoid irking the staff.

It looked a bit better on the way out the supermarket, so we went to Gorge aux chats finding it fairly busy already.

We ticked off some excellent red problems from the essentials book like Sirocco, Gigi, dallain and maudite arete. I got a quick flash of Sa Pelle au Logis in before it pissed down for 20 minutes. We noticed the Rubis area was relatively unscathed by the rain, so rewarmed up on Travaux Forces and the others went off to find arachnee while I joined the 2 Scottish based Dave's on Rubis. After a fairly decent flash attempt, I found myself sat on my right foot trying to cross to the big pinch only to ping off violently. I stemmed the blood from the back of my right knuckles and then fell again at the same point, always leaning out too much. On the 4th go i decided to put the camera on and this extra motivation found me back up there feeling a lot more steady, I sat on my foot a bit closer in and stuck the pinch. Glory!

It rained again so we sat under Maudite arete and noticed it stayed dry. I decided to try the sitter (aka Tour d'Ivoire) and flashed it into the standup, cursed myself that I had wasted the flash as the top was soaked... then was relieved to be told by a French guy hiding under the adjacent roof that it began with the right hand lower as the FAist was not Crouch-like in proportions!

I got the move first try and then the heel popped a few moves later trying to slide the RH up to the good break. The rock dried up fairly fast, so I took a break and then had an all or nothing redpoint, getting into the standup before dismayingly powering out to the point where hanging on to two jugs was the living end! Hoppo heckled a bit and I nearly cried.

Sat 27th

The weather was a sack of shit. We walked around Elephant and then to the Dame Jouanne car park. It got worse so we decided to go to Bloc Age, the indoor wall near to Milly. As we sat outside it began to clear and I begged we go back to Gorge aux Chats which was about 5 mins away. Thankfully the others agreed and after a brief warmup I got back on Tour d'Ivoire and destroyed it first try of the day totally flash pumped! (when I say destroyed, I mean cut loose twice, whimpered and blew wind out my arse whilst barely avoiding dabbing the rock and pads by a matter of centimetres and snatched my way up jugs to victory!).

It was possibly my first 7C in font, so a nice one to get done too, being good moves and aesthetic - just a shame about the encroaching block and the finger numbing undercut crimp you crank on in the roof.

We did various controversial versions of Greve des Nains and moved to 95.2.

We met some hostile Scots who blanked us save for 1 at Retour aux Sources so kept walking to Duel Dans la Lune block.

A brief play on Rudeboy and I thought the last move was ok going LH up. From the start it proved a different matter as I dropped this last move about 5 times crying in desperation as to how it could possibly merit a mere 7a! I then did the move going right hand up as a rockover slap and after a bit more puntering finally latched it as two of the aforementioned scots turned up to geg in.

Duel dans la lune went down ok and we left them to it, moving on to Retour. I watched little Hoppo have a go and then attempted the retro flash using about 100 intermediate holds and fell to the floor in a right state, realising this was not the way I tried it last time!

Mark showed the way with a more direct method and I soon topped it out... what a great set of moves.

Little Mike got so so close but couldn't quite get his left foot up on to the big crimp to stand to the top. We went on a mission, found Ange Naif and it started to spit, then rain... then piss down. Day ender.


Sun 27th

It rained heavily, so we sacked it back to Liverpool.

It was a fun trip with plenty of good easy classics ticked as well as something I really wanted to do in Rubis and a surprise 7c that wasn't even on the shortlist of things to try.

The other guys had a good time getting to visit a new area nearly every day and also getting their first 7a's in the forest.

There is a fair bit of footage, so either myself or Mark will have to convert these annoying .TOD files into something useful that can be edited and made into a short flick on vimeo!

It was nice to get back to font and climb on amazing rock, just a shame that it took about 6 days to feel like I could climb again after having less than ideal preparation in the run up.