As bouldering grew in popularity Fontainebleau quickly became a testing ground for the pros and birth place to many climbing legends. The area is steeped in history and the first climber’s guidebook was published in 1945 and the first circuits established in 1946. It’s one of the places that has pioneered climbing and where the boundaries of possibility have been pushed. Yes, I know we look like chump but don’t leave the page just yet, this guide should be pretty useful! An Introduction to Fontainebleauįontainebleau, often called Font by English speakers or Bleau (pronounced blow) by French speakers has been the centre of bouldering since the 1800s. What to take, guidebooks and renting gearĭuring our England to India bike tour we were lucky enough to spend nearly 4 weeks bouldering in Fontainebleau and putting together this guide – it was one of the best months of our lives!.

In this first timer’s guide to bouldering in Fontainebleau you’ll find There’s no point in wasting time, especially if you only have a few days, so this guide covers all the information you’ll need to you can spend as much time as possible on the rock!

Boulder problems are clustered together but spread across many different areas, all with their own characteristics and styles and outside of Fontainebleau town it can be hard to come by food, shops and accommodation which can leave you high and dry in the forest. It really is paradise for climbers and set in truly beautiful surroundings.ĭespite this destination being world famous there is surprisingly little climbing and tourist infrastructure so it can be hard to know where to start. You can watch pros attempt classic problems or explore quieter parts of the forest and have the whole place to yourselves.

You’ll find more than 30,000 problems for every level of climber techy slabs and long traverses, unforgiving roofs, giant dynos and pant-shitting highballs, you name it they’ve got it. Only 40 miles south of Paris and set around the beautiful Forest of Fontainebleau, the sheer quantity and quality of boulders in such a small area is completely mind-blowing. Email This is our first timer’s guide to bouldering in Fontainebleau, France with all the information you need to explore this epic climbing destination!įontainebleau really is the Mecca for bouldering in Europe and the rest of the world too.

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