Written in Stone: Climbing History

Bart Van Raaij is the owner of Bleau.info, the author of the popular 5+6 and 7+8 guides, and is obsessed with Fontainebleau. Since the 1980s he's visited Fontainebleau more than 400 times, despite living 6 hours away. In this episode, we hear the stories of his first time doing legendary boulders like Carnage, Berezina, Amok, and more. We discuss why he would choose to write a guide to a seemingly endless area so far from home, and why the history matters to him. Check out Bleau.info at https://bleau.info/
Find Bart's guides at https://www.7plus8.com/

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Jacky Godoffe joins me to chat about legends of Fontainebleau: Jerome Jean-Charles, Robert Paragot, Pierre Allain, Fred Nicole, and more. We hear the stories of his boulders Big Boss, Fatman, and C'Était Demain, as well as stories about Carnage, La Pierre Philosophale, La Merveille and more.

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A few thoughts that combine all of the things I spend time thinking about while I get together the Bleau interviews.

The future of climbing difficulty isn't only about the size of holds or the distance between them. In fact, that's rarely what changes things. It's more about the climbers and their skills.

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DISCLAIMER: Climbing and training for climbing is inherently dangerous. Anything you do is at your own risk and Power Company Climbing and our coaches takes no responsibility.

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Bouldering began as a way to train for the mountains, but by the mid 1940s in Fontainebleau, it had started to form it's own identity. A Bleausard named Fred Bernick had an idea that would continue the tradition of preparing for those mountain routes: Circuits. He laid out the first two, and inspired by a piece of Fontainebleau history from the late 1800s, he marked them with painted arrows.

They were instantly popular. 80 years later, there are over 370 of Bernick's circuits.

Resources can be found at https://www.plugtoneaudio.com/written-in-stone

Support the restoration of Fontainebleau: https://www.fondation-patrimoine.org/les-projets/sauvons-la-foret-de-fontainebleau-/105641

Music:

"Sneaky Snitch" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
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"Cello Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Hob. VIIb:1" Aspen Symphony Orchestra
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"écoutez ça" Alix Combelle
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"Fariboles" Alix Combelle
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"Rue Deperre" Alix Combelle
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"L'horloge du grand-père" Alix Combelle
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Perhaps the most powerful force in the early years of Fontainebleau bouldering history was the consistent changing of the guard. Every few years a new group would supplant the old, bringing new ideas, updated ethics, and stronger fingers. But when a brash group of climbers, formed from the best of several groups, the difficulty standards of the previous leaders, Pierre Allain's Convicts of Cuvier, were left in the dust. 

Led by Robert Paragot, a young climber who often wore only his PA's and his underwear and climbed while smoking a cigarette, this new group would do battle for several major projects, resulting in the world's first V6 (7A) boulder, The Joker. 

And just as suddenly as they'd shown up, they'd disappear from Cuvier. 

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Resources can be found at https://www.plugtoneaudio.com/written-in-stone

Watch Paragot par Paragot: https://vimeo.com/465783740

 

Music:

"Blue Eyed Baby" Alix Combelle
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"Elle et Li" Alix Combelle
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"Rue Deperré" Alix Combelle
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"Ma Chanson Triste (Melancholie)" Alix Combelle
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"Ambiance (In The Mood)" Alix Combelle
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Willie Dixon
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"Divertissement dans une Fonderie" Alix Combelle
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"Fou (Mad)" Alix Combelle
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"Nerves and Fever" Alix Combelle
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"La-Da-Da-La-La" Alix Combelle
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