Fontainebleau Technique Week, Easter 2008
Week 1: 16th to 22nd March
Week 2: 23rd to 29th March
Price £450 - includes coaching, luxury accommodation, breakfast & lunch.
The sandstone boulders in the forest of Fontainebleau are a perfect playground for experimenting with climbing technique. The emphasis of this trip will always be on having fun and getting as much quality bouldering in as possible; and the style of coaching really enables us to correct faults in your climbing along the way. If you can trust your feet in Font then you can trust them anywhere! This is also a great opportunity to improve your confidence and to enhance your overall approach to bouldering. And when the hard work’s done there will be plenty of opportunities to kick back in our gite or to sample the local cuisine and culture.
Style of climbing-
The bouldering in Fontainebleau is supremely varied. Whether its precarious slabs, burly overhangs, delicate faces or thrutchy cracks - Font provides an opportunity for a Masterclass in all of them! In particular, Font emphasizes the need for good technique - the footholds are often small and polished and many of the handholds are slopey. This often makes the climbing feel repugnant to those who adopt a half-hearted approach; but to those who are prepared to focus, it is one of the most satisfying places in the world to climb. It is almost true to say that if you can climb well here you can climb well anywhere.
The grades vary from the easy children’s circuits which can be completed in trainers on a wet day to a few select and utterly desperate Font 8c’s which are only attainable by the world’s best. (If you want to be inspired then you only need to stop and watch one of the local ‘Bleausards’ meditating serenely below some blank and undercut boulder before leaping up, swatting it frantically with a rag and then floating gymnastically over it’s contours.) There is an overwhelming amount in the mid grades and this is where most of the fun and indeed the learning can be experienced. A colour-coding system enables circuits of problems at a similar grade to be linked together: white is easiest then, yellow, orange, blue, red, black and finally, white (again). These can be fun but we don’t tend to follow them religiously (or indeed the grades) as we prefer to steer our own path through the forest.
The climbing is spread out over an area of approximately 20 square kilometers. Each climbing sector has its own unique character - some are buried deep within the trees and others are located in strange desert-like sand dunes. From the carnival atmosphere of the more popular spots, to the tranquility of the secret, esoteric venues, a Masterclass trip will give you the chance for a brief taste of everything that Font has to offer.
Most walk-ins are no longer than 5 minutes and there are plenty of options for sun and shade. The open areas are always the quickest to dry, but when it’s actually raining there is only one sheltered venue for climbing. We know the forest well enough to be able to match the venue to the prevailing weather conditions.
Style of coaching-
What to expect:
Coaching is a relatively new concept to the climbing world and if you’ve never experienced it then it can be hard to know what to expect. Our aim during this trip is to use the boulders as a tool for learning advanced climbing technique. With bouldering it is really possible to see how certain foot movements or body positions work well in some situations and not in others. Many of the skills you pick up on this trip will also translate to routes and roped climbing.We will also demonstrate strategies best to help you tackle hard boulder problems and get the most from bouldering trips in the future. The way we coach varies slightly from trip to trip and we always try to tailor the course to the requirements of individuals and of the group. Sometimes the coaching is subtle, like a few suggestions about how to correct a fault, but other times it is more blatant, we might leap on the rock to show you a particular aspect of technique.
The right problems on tap:
Another useful aspect of the coaching in Fontainebleau is that we know most of the areas and problems extremely well. This means that we can help you to select a problem that will either play to your strengths or help you to work on a weakness.Watch, practice and improve:
We also believe that it is important for you to watch us climb. One of the ways that people pick up bad habits in climbing is by watching climbers who are doing it wrong. When we’re not watching you, we believe that a vital component of the coaching is for you to watch us. We are not armchair coaches and hope to show you that we can practice what we preach!Technique demos, 1-to-1 advice & feedback:
A typical coaching day in Font will consist of a group warm-up and stretch with a chat about the options for the day. Then as we move around an area we will pick out problems that may emphasise a particular type of move.Sometimes Neil or Steve will demonstrate the problem first, but other times it is more revealing to see how people go about it without initial guidance. This provides a great opportunity to learn from other people’s mistakes as well as to discover your own strengths and weaknesses.
As we move on, if there is any problem or type of move that you’re struggling with then Neil or Steve can spend time with you individually to help to set you back on course. The day will finish with a warm-down and group discussion with the all-important feedback from the coaches. This helps to clarify your objectives for the following day, and so the process continues.
Videoanalysis:
When we have collected sufficient video footage we will conduct an analysis session back at the gite. If you’ve never watched yourself climbing before then this can be extremely revealing, especially with an expert present to point out the good and bad points of a particular performance.The best advice 24:7:
Although the climbing usually starts mid morning and finishes mid to late afternoon, Neil and Steve are permanently on duty to answer any training or climbing questions, whether it’s back at the gite or at the dinner table. Often the most interesting debates take place away from the crag having had a chance to reflect on the day’s activities. We’re always on hand to help.Future targets:
When the week is complete, we also intend to send you away with a clear understanding of how to make the most of your climbing in the future. As well as sending you written evaluations of your progress during the week, both Neil and Steve will be on hand to discuss your training requirements during the last few days of the trip.Push your own barriers:
The only thing we expect from you in return is that you have the basic will to push yourself in order to make the coaching work. Masterclass holidays are not boot camps and we believe that the motivation to do well in climbing must always come from within. It is only when you step outside your comfort zone that we are able to show you where you might be going wrong.
Accommodation & amenities-
Our Gite is located just outside the town of Nemours which is approximately 10km (15-20 mins drive) from the town of Fontainebleau. It is an idyllic spot, away from the hustle & bustle of the town and there are plenty of opportunities for forest walks (or jogs) before or after the day’s climbing.
The gite is a beautiful, traditional, period building which consists of two connected properties and it has a large courtyard with plenty of parking space. The main bedrooms are fitted with single beds, ‘dormitory style’, and there are some separate twin and double rooms in order to separate girls from boys.
Both properties have separate shower and toilet rooms, large kitchens, and combined lounge / dining areas with fantastic log fires. There are washing and drying facilities and a conservatory with table tennis table.
There is a telephone in one of the gites that can be used for receiving incoming calls. Mobile phone reception is intermittent inside the building but fine outside it. The nearest internet and banking facilities are 5 minutes away in Nemours.
Food-
The holiday price includes breakfast which we lay out at the gite and packed lunches which we provide each day. Evening meals are usually sociable group events, either at the gite or in local restaurants but you may also feel free to do your own thing.
Breakfast:
We lay out a selection of Tea, filter coffee, juice, cereals, baguettes with jam, nutella or cheese and ham. If you want a cooked breakfast then feel free to prepare it yourself!Lunch:
A ‘Masterclass packed lunch’ can consist of pretty much whatever you want it to (within reason!) We offer baguettes with a selection of cheeses, cold meats and tuna along with a few spreads and salad bits in order to have competitions to make up the ultimate sandwich. Crisps, nuts, fruit and biscuits always feature. Please bring a penknife or your own utensil. Bottled water is cheap - drink the tap water at your own risk.Dinner:
We will attempt to arrange a combination of cooking in at the gite and eating out. Nemours has an abundance of restaurants from traditional French, to Chinese, to a very popular Pizza place. Most restaurants cater pretty well for vegetarians. The average 2 course meal with wine, is rarely any more than 12-15 Euros per head. Fontainebleau is also accessible for evening meals but it makes more sense to use Nemours.Regarding home cooking, we hope that a few keen cooks will emerge, but if not Neil’s Chilis and lasagnes are legendary. We shop for food on the way to the crag and hope that everyone will be keen to lend a hand with shopping and cleaning in order to lighten the load for the chefs!
Extras & Entertainment-
We want you to enjoy every moment of your stay with us in Fontainebleau. Although it’s not always possible to guarantee certain events, we will endeavor to offer a range of optional entertainments during the trip. These may include a slideshow from Neil, a ‘curry night’ at the gite, and an opportunity to learn to slack-line on the rest day.
There is also bound to be an on-going table tennis tournament at the gite, and we guarantee there will be plenty of opportunities for shopping and stocking up on booze at the hypermarkets.
‘Neil’s enthusiasm was infective not just from a climbing perspective, but whether it was to cook up a chili or walk on a slack-line.’ Harvey (2003)
Climate-
Easter and late autumn are the most reliable times for optimum climbing conditions in Fontainbleau. The summer months are simply too hot and greasy for worthwhile bouldering, and winter can be notoriously unreliable, despite offering those rare days - dry, frosty days with perfect climbing conditions.
We choose Easter because it fits in perfectly with most people’s diaries and also gives you a great chance to improve your technique ready for the main part of the climbing season.
Bring plenty of warm clothes including a down jacket and waterproofs. See the kit list for further information.