Once again I headed down to more southern latitudes for some more world class bouldering. Last trip in March got me in love with the thickly forrests around the small city of Fontainebleau, just south of Paris. Fontainebleau is truly magical; thousands of top quality boulders in a beatiful setting. This time we stayd in a gite in another nice little village called Boutigny-sur-Essonne, located a little west of the major bouldering areas.

Magnus Palmestål on the dazzling problem El Poussif 7A+:

We’ve heard of a brilliant problem called La Baleine 7A+ in the area Petit Bois. Even with a GPS we spent close to an hour finding the parking for this small place. Surprisingly the area turned out to be packed with swedes that we know a bit from home. We had a nice, friendly few hours there before we took of to Bas Cuvier. However, we did find La Baleine and quickly sent it, and what a nice problem it was. Recommended! Here’s an american strong girl trying it:

Again, the area Franchard Cuisiniere was in the end one of the favorite areas. At the end of the day we found a really nice, sharp arete which offered a perfect backlight photo scene:

After a long day out climbing hard, you need to treat yourself with a taste of the french cuisine:

Our local security force consisted of the sturdy german shepherd Elsa. One evening when I was leaving the gite she scared the shit out of me when I opened the door to step outside. There she was, only a foot in front of me, like the muscles from Brussels… I jumped, and
so did she! Then she wagged the tail and wanted to play with the ball as usual…

The approach to the area of Apremont:

And last but not least: remember, you are never alone in the woods…