FONTAINEBLEAU MAGIQUE

We have produced a full colour exciting guidebook for the middle grade boulderer, that is both comprehensive and seeks out the quieter and less visited parts of the giant Fontainebleau forest. There are over 2500 problems in the book, and all are mapped using the latest GPS technology to get incredible accuracy.

ESSENTIAL FOR THOSE NEW TO FONTAINEBLEAU

This book prides itself on highly detailed maps that guide you around the forest. If you have never been to the Forest before, you will not believe how easy you can get lost - and consequently waste most of your trip searching for the boulders hidden in the forest. Even those boulderers who know Bas Cuvier and 95.2 will still struggle to find any new outcrop. This book should find you 52 great locations with ease.

FRENCH & ENGLISH TEXT

The text is repeated in both French and English, but with variations to suit the comic styles of each language. The book is also rich with a whole array of icons to amuse and give warning when a problem is high enough to turn from a highball - into a DEATHBALL! There are around 270 colour photographs that illustrate many of the hardest problems in each particular area (In the easier grades of course 3a-5c).

FONTAINEBLEAU GRADES

The book has a full grade chart for those not used to the Font grades and are more familiar with V grades. It also shows the comparative grade suitable for your sport climbing ability. All of the problems were climbed for the book and have been re-graded. Much amusement will be had in comparing our new grades with some of the older and more traditional sandbags, but hopefully it will give the newcomer a fairer understanding of the fiendish difficulty undertaken in just a couple of metres of climbing.

CAMPSITES

All the local campsites are included, plus local shopping locations are shown on the maps in the book, plus details for contacts etc. See our page for any new information.

HOW BIG IS FONTAINEBLEAU

Fontainebleau is huge, and has around 10,000 important problems with easily 30,000 variation problems, so putting everything in a single book would give you a gigantic telephone directory. The area is so rich in different climbing styles and levels, that it demands specific books for different interests. We have concentrated on collecting a set of 2500 problems that work together and should appeal to boulderers that like a flowing approach and nothing too powerful or dynamic.

OTHER GUIDEBOOKS

It is fair to say that there are no other "Guide" books to Fontainebleau. There are some superb "Problem" books out there, but they don't guide you to the boulders very well - and used on their own will leave you floundering around in the undergrowth on many occoasions! If you want books to every problem in the forest, look out for the Cosiroc series one (Forest), and two (Trois Pignons) - unfortunately both are usually out of print and are now very out of date for the harder problems. Note: the easier problems are so badly graded that you will get stuffed. If you want a general book for hard classic problems (UK 6a-ish), seek out Escalade a Fontainebleau by Jo Montchausse. (Purple cover) It's a nice book but not ideal for the first timer. His new book OFF PISTE is the new bible for all the hard problems in the forest (UK 6b upwards), and is available in either English or French. It is very nicely produced with lovely photos and drawings, but you do need to know the forest well (take note everyone). Jean-Jaques Naels has produced some books to grade 6 and grade 7 problems, but the grades tend to be meaningless to newcomers, and the maps are, well !!!! There is an old series of Edisud books to most of the outcrops but these are now very out of date and can be very misleading.

UPDATES:

Page 73: The forest road leading to the Apremont areas has been closed as the Bas Breau, making it 400m further to walk.

Page 90 - Circuit 11 has been re-numbered, easy to follow old circuit or new - both good to do and the same grade.

GPS: We use the French Grid for this book; this is different from Lat Long - but is the same as on IGN maps.