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Zebloc : You are an Austrian, and quite a strong guy. Do you think that it could help you in becoming a governor in the USA ? Zebloc : What have you been doing in the last 6 months ? Zebloc : You travel a lot… What do you know and think about french bouldering spots and french climbers ? Zebloc : Many people criticize (can’t be so hard, blablabla) quotation, and you recently decided to stop grading your problems… Can you explain a little bit about this ?
Zebloc : Fred Noé declared in a previous interview for Zebloc that « Reblochon is the base for a healthy diet ». What is your opinion on the subject ? Zebloc : Do you envy people who have a nice haircut, like Tom Cruise or Ron Kauk ? Zebloc : I climbed with you one day in a gym, and you spent the first half hour jumping around in the biggest dynos I’ve ever seen… Don’t you like wearing off your shoes ? Zebloc : Tell us a little bit about deep water soloing… Is it more like high bouldering ? route climbing ? sun tanning ?
Zebloc : Who is the best climber in the world (come on, I will not be upset if you do not say my name…) ? Zebloc wishes to thank SALOMON for the pictures |
Bernd Zangerl
Efficient boulderer
Zebloc : Despite you have one of the most impressive tick-list in Europe, french climbers don’t know you very well. Tell us who you are and where you come from.
Bernd : Facts and Figures
Born : 23.09.1978
Residence : Flirsch / Austria
Measures : 1, 76metres; 64kg
Occupation : Boulderer, Climber, Student
Other passions: exploring, clubbing ….live your life, live your dreams…
Zebloc : Do you have a job or are you a professional climber?
Bernd : A professional climber would earn money and can live with that money. So I can’t call me a professional. I am a student, or at least I was a regular student (geographie) from 1999-2001.
Then I spent more and more time on bouldering, and I just visit university …. for some exams once or twice a year. But sooner or later I should finish it. When I am running out of money I work on different locations (housebuilding, making tiles, climbingwalls…..). But this year I spent most time on the rock.
Zebloc : What is your favorite bouldering area?
Bernd :There are different areas I like. Magic wood and Tessino are always nice playgrounds. I go there since years and there are still so much possibilities.
Zebloc : Your favorite boulder problem (ok, if it is difficult to give just one, give me five)?
Bernd :Viva la evolution, Buggalagga, Mona lisa, Out of balance, Steppenwolf, Golden gate, …my project
Zebloc : What kind of boulder do you like? What kind of boulder do you hate?
Bernd : I am fascinated of at first sight unclimbable projects – of futuristic lines – not knowing if they’re possible or not and I am in search for the hardest possible move so far, but also of an approximate perfect and esthetic line.
I like everything if it’s a good line, proud boulder, cool moves.
I try to climb everything, and don’t care if doesn’t suit me ..or if its not my style. I like crimpers, powerful moves….. For me good boulders are not too long. Three to six moves, that’s a classic boulder for me.
…..I don’t like long boulderproblems, right now.
Zebloc : Do you have a particular project now? A known boulder or a first ascent?
Bernd :….too many projects. (first ascents)
Zebloc : Have you tried Dreamtime since it has been chipped?
Bernd : no
Zebloc : What is you opinion concerning already climbed boulders chipping?
Bernd :… climbing on natural rock-structures. This term should be clear and needs no more comment on. As soon as somebody is working on the natural rock structure we should say: artificial.
I have no problem, when somebody fixes, or removes hollow flakes on first ascents. But there are no excuses, when a climber is chipping on boulders, which have been climbed already. But more and more we are confronted with this – and « Dreamtime » is just the most famous example.
Already in 2002 the first new hold appeared on this great boulder problem, but in the last few months somebody worked really hard on this granite. There are a few new holds and one is much better now.
« Dreamtime » has been catched up by reality.
For me chipping is not understandable. Chipping is a sign for a « weak character » …or maybe somebody just wanted public appearance. Chipping means NO RESPECT FOR NATURE.
I have respect, and I try to modulate my body and not the rock, when I want to climb a project.
I can’t understand people, who are doing this. They are lying themselves, and it would be better if they try another sport.
Zebloc : Have you ever chipped when opening a new boulder?
Bernd : No
Zebloc : Who is the best climber in the world?
Bernd : Thomas Bubendorfer
Zebloc : Have you ever bouldered in France? Where? Which french area would you like to visit?
Bernd : I visited france twice. In 1995, when I started climbing. We were climbing in the Mt. Blanc area and we did grand capuchin. It was a great experience, but a few years later stopped alpin climbing after a horror trip in marmolada south wall. Last year I was in fontainebleau. ….I would like to spend more time in fontainebleau. It’s something different,and I think I will « learn » a lot there. And the place looks beautifull.
Jason Kehl
…has a good hairdresser
Those who follow the bouldering world news cannot have missed mad first ascents done by a funny hairdressed american guy. This guy is Jason Kehl and ZeBloc has tried to know a little more about him. Here’s the interview.
Zebloc : Who are you?
Jason : I am a traveling climber, artist, ninja, photographer, hold shaper, free agent, baby doll collecting, highball master. See what I’m up to at cryptochild.com
Zebloc : Where are you now and what are you doing?
Jason : I am in El Paso, Texas in a coffee shop resting, growing skin and hoping to climb at Hueco Tanks tomorrow.
Zebloc : What are your climbing projects?
Jason : Travel the world to new and well traveled areas searching out beautiful lines that the ones who came before did not see.
Plus a couple of lines I’ve spied with my little eye here in Hueco.
Zebloc : Could you please give me the address of your hairdresser?
Jason : That is funny because my Mother is a hairdresser. So I never went anywhere else as a kid, but as I started traveling and climbing I decide to cut my own; this is what happened.
Not that my mother approves of it in any way.
Zebloc : The image I have in mind thinking of you is that you’re a highballs addicted? Do you confirm? What do you like in highballs?
Jason : Ok, yes, I admit it. I am addicted to highballs.
I’ve been to several support groups, trying to cure my addiction but nothing seems to work. It must be the wind in my hair and the air under my feet that keeps calling me back.
Zebloc : Have you ever worn a harness?
Jason : I wore one the other day to clean off a highball.
Zebloc : As you are a travelling boulderer, which areas do you prefer all around the world?
Jason : Really any place thats new and exciting, from the culture, rock style, landscape
and the people. If you went to the best area in the world all the time, surely you would grow tired of it. But if I had to name a few; Japan, Fontainebleau, Spain.
Zebloc : Which US areas would you recommend to european boulderers?
Jason : Definitely, Hueco, Joes Valley, So iLL and all the Sandstone in the South.
Zebloc : Can you give me the name and locations of your 5 favorite boulders?
Jason :
1 Evilution in Bishop California
2 Kumite in Mizugaki, Japan
3 The New Zero in So iLL
4 The Wind Below in Joes Valley, Utah
5 Straight out of Squampton in Squamish BC
Zebloc : Can you tell us a little bit about So Ill? What are your activities in this company?
Jason : I got involved with So iLL a couple years back. I first was doing just a little shaping for them, then they pulled me on to do all there advertisement and image development, so all of the images you now see were developed by me and over 50% of their hold line too.
But more recently I have branched off with my own tshirt line CryptoChild, we are now doing Holds and have some crash pads in the works.
This is all in conjunction with So iLL and you can check it out here www.soillholds.com just click on the CryptoChild tab.
Zebloc : Why should I buy CryptoChild products?
Jason : Everyone should buy CryptoChild products because its the only bad ass gear on the market that is made from the core of climbing, from true experiences! Were not just
throwing a pro climbers name on the product.
All of this has been created from my hands, and if you know anything about me, I guarantee I will always keep you guessing as to what I will create next!
Annot
Southern Sandstone
« Better than Font » : that was the title of an article dedicated to these boulders in French mag Grimper a few years ago. The ZeBloc team went there in August 2005 to give you our feelings about the area.
But first, I have to warn you : although the name of the rock is the same as that of the rock at Font (sandstone), the kind of climbing there is not the same. A multitude of variously sized holes impose athletic moves often harder for the small (this is one of the drawbacks of the area), and the crimps are rare. So, you’ll have to go there with strong abdominals and arms, whatever the level you climb at!
Another specific topic in Annot is the grading system. Grades range from B1 to B15 (see the table at the bottom of that page for the comparison to the Font grades), but you quickly get used to that system. Our point of view is that this is a good idea because it is simpler than the Font system, and the letter B can stand for Bloc or Bulder or Boulder or Bloque…
You may think that, as Annot is in the South of France, you can only climb there in winter. Wrong! In fact the boulders are located between 700 m (2300 ft) and 1500 m (5000 ft). We were there at the beginning of August and in the highest areas, it was cold enough to have good climbing sessions. Moreover, one can always find problems (with holes for example) where meteorological conditions don’t make a difference.
But now, let’s give you a short introduction to the different areas, taking into account that because of the hot weather and because we only spent one week there, we didn’t climb in the areas below the 10th turn and we didn’t climb all the problems above that 10th turn! We’ve only been climbing in 7 of the 30 existing areas (more than 1100 problems!).
The areas
Entrons maintenant dans le vif du sujet avec la présentation de quelques secteurs, sachant que, à cause de la chaleur, nous n’avons pas grimpé dans les secteurs en dessous de la 10° épingle et que, bien entendu, nous n’avons pas essayé tous les blocs… Nous n’avons grimpé que dans 7 des 30 secteurs existant (à ce jour, plus de 1100 blocs sont recensés dans le topo de Annotabloc).
Madness
Area very close to the car park, flat ground and magnificient problems between B6 and B9 : ideal for a family climbing session.
You must try Bacalauréat (B6), Bachotage (B6), Redoublage (B5), Madness (B6), One Step Beyond (B9).Scary Movie
The top of this area is made up with nice short problems with flat landings : again, good for a family climbing session. ‘Must-do’s are Sympa Tique (B6), Panzer Division (B7) and Conatif (B4).
The bottom part of the area is dedicated to hard bouldering with the famous Scary Movie (B8), Bernadette Subaru (B10) or Le 6 (B12).Place des Cardeurs
Place Vendome
This was one of our favorite areas : undoubtedly because of the beauty of the boulders and of the landscape… Depending on your skills, you won’t be able to resist trying Tendu Comme un String and Triple X (both B11 even if we found Triple X harder). You should also try N° 1048 (B6) and 1049 (B5)! We didn’t have a rope the day we went there, so we didn’t dare climb Le Front du Macaque (B11) or Feet Less (B12) but they look great.Paf le Chien
La Crête
The landscape here is beautiful : some of the boulders stand near a big cliff. Don’t miss Panoramix (B8), only to be done for the landscape, and many other small boulders beside. Le Toit du Cul du Loup (B8 sitstart) is one of the problems no one should miss during a trip in that area.
The bottom part of this area is less interesting but, if you want to try a hard Font-like problem, try la Saison des Castagnes (B12).La Ruine
Area very close to the car park, flat ground and magnificient problems between B6 and B9 : ideal for a family climbing session.
Again, a very nice area with some magnificient problems : Si Tu Dérapes (B10), President Evil (B8), le N° 405 (B6), Citizen (B5) and Place des Cardeurs (B14), but we didn’t try that one!
Many boulders in this area. Do not miss Paf le Chien (B11), problem N° 742 (B6), Cartondulé (B8). But there might be many other problems to climb there (we didn’t spend as much time as we should have there…).
SiThe landscape is nice but we didn’t enjoy the climbing here so much. However, as it is close to La Crête, it’s worth a visit for a few problems: La cage Aux Folles (the hardest Annot B4) and La Ruine (B10) or boulder N° 452 (B10).Practical Information
You will find most of the information and the downloadable guide at the Annotabloc. website. We stayed in a studio flat of La Rouïe, which is the place to stay in order to get quickly to the different areas. It is more or less in the middle of the 10 km track that goes from the first to the last boulders. You can also put up your tent there and sample very good meals made by the owners. This place would be heaven if it was more kept up…
Recommandations
Recommendations
The recommendations to be followed are registered in the Annotabloc site and guide…
But it is useful to point out them here:
– The sandstone can be very fragile and it becomes even more brittle if it is scraped : do not use a wire brush on established boulder problems!!
– Considering the potential of boulders to be developed, let the « inconceivable » problems remain inconceivable : do not chip holds!
– Only park on the turns, as trucks use the track regularly.
– Wild camping is prohibited and do not make any fires!!!
– do not cut trees.
– do not demolish the stone walls under the boulders.
– the boulders are located on private property : thank you for remaining discrete.
– Especially do not collect mushrooms!!!
– Don’t leave any waste (as always).
– Locate the descent route off the boulders before climbing…
– Avoid climbing after the rain: the water makes the rock very easily damaged.
Conclusion
Conclusion
We don’t think Annot is better than Font : fewer problems, less variety, lot of morphological problems. But the potential here is huge, new problems are developed everyday, one can climb no matter the season, and there are by far fewer climbers than in Font. Lest’s say that the two areas are different and complementary. But for sure, Annot is one of the best bouldering areas!
Hereafter, you will find a small table showing the B system and Font gradse comparison.
| B System | Font |
|---|---|
B6 | 6b |
B8 | 7a |
B10 | 7b |
B12 | 7c |
B14 | 8a |
Font…ainebleau
Boulder Mecqua
Zebloc offers you a quick look at the fantastic forest of Fontainebleau. You will not be given guides or exhaustive bouldering lists but simply, with some English mistakes, some useful information.
A short story of Bouldering in the Forest
Check out several guides or the Grimporama site for some pieces of Fontainebleau history.
The important dates of bouldering in the forest are given here :
| 1914 | La Prestat ascent (4) |
| 1934 | L’Angle Allain is first climbed by Pierre Allain. This boulder has now been downgraded from 6a to 5+. |
| 1946 | Marie Rose is first climbed by René Ferlet. The first real 6a of the forest. |
| 1953 | La Joker is climbed by Robert Paragot at Bas Cuvier. First 7a… |
| 1960 | Abattoir is climbed by par Michel Libert at Cuvier. |
| 1977 | Carnage is climbed by Jérôme Jean-Charles at Cuvier. First 7b. This boulder has been chipped since that date and is now 7b+… |
| 1984 | C’Etait Demain at Rempart is the first 8a of the forest, climbed by Jacky Godoffe. There is now an easier method but the original is still 8a. |
| 1993 | FatMan is climbed by Jacky Godoffe at Rempart : first 8b. Again some holds have broken off…. |
| 2001 | Several boulders of the forest are chipped by a vandal : Carnage, Boucherie, FatMan, Karma etc… Some can still be done, some others can’t… |
The hardest boulder to this date is ‘Trip Hop’ at Boissy aux Cailles (8c)…
Areas
It’s difficult to explain all the areas of the forest. The table below tries to give you the basic characteristics of the main areas..
Location | Area | Circuits | Exposure
| Comments | |||||||||||
| North-West | Beauvais |
|
| An unknown area, despite the beauty of the climbs and the landscape. Low boulders with good landings… | |||||||||||
| La Padôle |
|
| Another unknown area. Some boulders are very high and the landings are often bad… | ||||||||||||
| North-East | Cuvier |
|
| Historic area of the forest (first 7a,7b, 7c…). No walk to get there and interesting whatever your level. Crowded over the week-ends. | |||||||||||
| Cuvier Rempart |
|
| Fantastic hard boulders with the well known ‘Big Four’ (Big Boss, Fourmis Rouges, Tristesse and Big Golden), the first forest’s 8a (C’Etait Demain). The first circuit was painted there in 1947. | ||||||||||||
| Rocher Saint Germain |
|
| Cool area with some testpieces (Mégalithe, Les Yeux plus Gros que le Ventre)… | ||||||||||||
| Rocher Canon |
|
| Nice area in the forest. Shady enough to climb when it’s sunny. | ||||||||||||
| Centre | Apremont |
|
| Divided into several areas: les Gorges d’Apremont, l’Envers d’Apremont, Apremont Bizons and the désert d’Apremont… Crowded over the week-ends but a large area… | |||||||||||
| Drei Zinnen |
|
| Some very high boulders but a very quiet area… | ||||||||||||
| Franchard | Cuisinière |
|
| In the forest with one of the most interesting black circuits. Some very well known hard boulders (Karma, Hale Bopp, Duel…). Dries out slowly… | |||||||||||
| Isatis |
|
| In the forest. Nice but crowded over the week-ends… | ||||||||||||
| Sablons |
|
| Some very nice boulders in or around the circuits. | ||||||||||||
| Gorges du Houx |
|
| |||||||||||||
| Trois Pignons | 95.2 |
|
| Very quick drying. Various types of climbing whatever the level. | |||||||||||
| Cul de Chien |
|
| The ‘toit du Cul de Chien’ and the ‘bilboquet’ are two boulders of that area. Bleau’s climbing wall is there too: « l’Autre Toit ». Very quick drying, good landings. | ||||||||||||
| Canche aux Merciers |
|
| Easy to reach, good landings, variety… Some don’t like the noise due to the motorway… | ||||||||||||
| Roche aux Sabots |
|
| Very very cool area, goodfor the intermediate level boulderers. Everyone can find a boulder here. Very cool red circuit. | ||||||||||||
| South | Buthiers |
|
| Some famous traverses (La Coccinelle, La Mygale…). Some very nice boulders too…. Two main areas : the Canard and the Piscine. | |||||||||||
| Dame Jouanne |
|
| Enormous boulders, some of them can be top-roped. Training for mountain climbing here. | ||||||||||||
| Eléphant |
|
| One of the most popular areas of the forest with some beautifully-shaped boulders… Good landings most of the time…. |
Bibliography
First of all you will need the complete map of the forest : IGN map number IGN – 2417 OT au 1:25000 « Forêt de Fontainebleau ». Otherwise you may get lost and eaten by the wolves.
Then, some guides will be useful to you :
First of all « Fontainebleau Climbs » is dedicated to the forest’s beginners. Written by Jo Monchaussé and Jacky Godoffe, you will find the main areas’ descriptions and the boulders not to be missed . Available in French (« Escalade à Fontainebleau (les plus beaux sites et blocs)« ). A nice book, available everywhere.
Then, an English book (« BLEAU » by Stephen Gough) tries to give you the complete list of the forest’s boulders. Good book even if it is written in English ;o) and difficult to follow when looking for a hidden boulder sometimes…
Bart Van Raaij’s guide (« 7+8« ) gives you 1115 boulders harder than 7a. A little bit elitist but Zebloc likes this guide. See HERE. The second version of this guide has been issued by the end of 2007. See THERE.
The same kind of book (boulders >7a) has been written by Seb Frigault and JJ Naëls : « Bleau, Jardin Public« ..
COSIROC also wrote some interesting guides : « Escalade à Bleau Tome 1 : Les Trois Pignons (1998) » and « Escalade à Bleau » Tome 2 : Forêt domaniale de Fontainebleau (2001)« .
« Jardins Secrets » gives us some unknown areas. Very interesting for those who are fed up with classic areas.
For those who are lost at the ‘Bas Cuvier’, Jo Montchaussé’s guide will help you. Available in any good library or at Vieux Campeur in Paris.
In 2006, a new guidebook has been published. This already is a ‘must have’ and it is called Escalades Hors Pistes à Fontainebleau.
Some other guides may be available (« Blocs en Stock » concerning Cuvier for example) but are not up to date…..
Web
Hard to give you a complete list of the websites talking about the forest. Those which you shouldn’t avoid are:
BLEAU.INFO Direttissima.com and 7ableau.com have merged into THE forest’s database : all the boulders above 7a, photos, videos, news, forum etc…
GRIMPORAMA Some nice pics.
BLEAU Jo Montchaussé’s website with some nice pics …
Weather
Many slopers to catch in the forest. So it is better if it is sticky!!! Depending on the weather, every season, excep summer, can be good for climbing…
Some useful links concerning the weather : Météo-France and the local forecast. Long term forecasts are available here. Finally, motorway’s webcam located very near the forest is good to see the real-time weather…
How to get there?
The easiest way to discover the forest is of course by car. This will allow you to get to Paris in about one hour (except in the evenings and Sunday afternoons when there are a lot of traffic jams). To have a look at the traffic conditions you may see the Sytadinwebsite. For the traffic on the motorways, Autoroute.fr is useful.
But you may take a train (then walk or ride a bike which can be rented in Paris or Fontainebleau) to several areas. For example, if you leave the train at Bois-Le-Roi, you will get to the ‘Canon’ in about 20 minutes and to the Cuvier in less than an hour. Bois-le-Roi is about 20 minutes from ‘Gare de Lyon’ (in Paris) and there is a train every half-an-hour.
Cuvier is a bit far from the train but, as there are a lot of climbers there, you are sure to find a car to take you back to Paris or somewhere else.
Other possible stations : Fontainebleau (40 min from Paris then ‘le Calvaire’ at 2 km) and Malesherbes (1h15min from Paris then 2km to Buthiers) .
Where to stay?
Campsites
The 3 free campsites of the forest (one of them was very closed to the Bas-Cuvier area) are no more opened!
If you are looking for more comfortable campgrounds (you will have to pay for that) , the one located near ‘La Musardière’ is well known. He is not far from Milly-la-Forêt (tél 33 1 64 98 91 91). The Samoreau campground, near Fontainebleau (tél 33 1 64 23 98 91), is open from march 15th to october 30th.
Gîtes
Two kinds of ‘Gîtes’ are available in the forest : the ‘gîtes d’étape’ (where you pay for your bed) and the ‘gîtes ruraux’ (flat renting for a week-end for example).
Few ‘gîtes d’étape’ are available in the forest.
The Trois Pignons one in Noisy-sur-Ecole is close to the ‘Trois Pignons’. 33 1 64 24 54 67.
The ‘Ferme du Coquibus’ is cool in Milly-la-Forêt (33 1 64 98 87 40 on the week-end).
Also, there is one in Moigny-sur-Ecole (33 1 64 97 23 81).
Concerning the ‘gîtes ruraux‘, the Gîtes de France de l’Essonne may give you some advice. Here , you will get the list of the forest’s gîtes.
Hotels
Warning, the chalet JOBERT, which you may find the adress for in some guides, is not an hotel anymore.
Lots of hotels in Fontainebleau. Contact the tourism office at 33 1 60 74 99 99. Milly-La-Forêt is a magnificent village with few hotels (33 1 64 98 83 17). In Barbizon and Bois-le-Roi too, some expensive hotels are available. For the areas located near Nemours (Larchant, Malesherbes …) you will find some hotels in Nemours too..
Formule 1 hotel in Ecuelles Tel : (+33)891705326 Fax : (+33)164311665
Shops
You will find anything in Fontainebleau. For climbing gear, there is a Decathlon shop in Chailly en Bière … You will also find the Soescalade truck every week-end on Trois Pignons car park.
Rest/rainy days in the forest…
For the rainy days, if you want to climb, some gyms are located in Paris. For bouldering, the best is Antrebloc, which is located in the South suburbs of Paris (Villejuif). There are two ‘Mur Mur’ gyms in Paris but Zebloc doesn’t like them : cold welcoming, poor bouldering walls… ‘CEE’ wall in Thiais is an old gym but this is the nearest gym to the forest.
In 2006, a new gym opened in the heart of the forest : Bloc’age is thus a place to climb on rainy days.
For the rest days, some interesting things to be seen in the forest : Fontainebleau’s beautiful castle, Milly-la-Forêt village…. But if you want to leave the forest, you are less than one hour from Paris and its numerous sites..
The Access Fund
By Rascal and Gaby
While many european (French in particular but several european major areas like Albarracin or Meschia are concerned) bouldering areas have access problems, solutions are often found after negociations between local climbers and area owners (may these be individuals or state agencies).
The best French example is certainly Annot where numerous private owners have accepted, after many discussions with local climbers, to share their homestead with the climbers. Other examples can be cited : La Capelle in the South of France, Albarracin in Spain…
As it has been said, the solution often comes from local climbers and not from organizations.
But, in some countries, climbers are getting organized to try and preserve their playground. The best example is in the United States where several organizations have been created, the most well known being the Access Fund.
The Access Fund was created in 1989. The 1.6 million (!) members come from all the climbing related activities (bouldering, route climbing, ice-climbing…). The first idea was to raise funds in order to maintain access for climbers to climbing areas. Indeed, numerous climbing areas in the States are located on private properties and climbers thought that it would be interesting to buy the related lands in order to keep access to them.
This association is nowadays working to reopen areas that have been closed, to prevent areas from being closed by owners, to reduce environmental impact of the climbers, to educate (the land owners and the others)…
The Access Fund gives help to local organizations who try to keep areas open, by giving advice and support and sometimes by giving funds. The well-known HP40 area, for example, was the object of negociation between the SCC (Southeastern Climbers Coalition), the Access Fund and the land owners in order to maintain access for bouldering. In other cases, areas have even been bought by climbers as was the case for the Jamestown cliff (Alabama) that was closed since 1993 because of trouble between climbers and the land owner. Negociations with the owner and the buying of more than 1 hectare (2 acres) of land in 2005 led to the cliff opening! Funds came from the Access Fund, from private donations (from climbers to sponsoring companies), and from fundraising meetings (comps etc…).
In order to reduce climbers’ environmental impact, the Access Fund role is mainly an educative role consisting of giving climbers advice related to environment preservation.
The lobbying role of the Access Fund is also an important part of its work, with land owners and federal organizations (National Parks, Forest Service etc…).
In 2006, the Boulder Project was born : it is the Access Fund’s initiative and its goal is to maintain access to bouldering areas and teach climbers how to behave whilst climbing.
It realy looks like American climbers are being proactive in order to keep access to climbing areas. Will we have, in Europe, similar organizations headed by motivated climbers?
What do we have to learn from the Access Fund initiatives?
If we go back to the origin of conflicts over climbing areas, we may find a kind of typical scenario : climbers visiting an area, thinking in good faith that it doesn’t disturb anyone, one or several land owners or users, thinking in good faith that their area is infested. Depending on the respective levels of discretion and tolerance, trouble comes more or less quickly and violently, but the mechanisms always are the same.
This scenario is not particular to climbing : the same scenario occurs when there is a concentration of riders in a countryside area, a rave-party, or even when a coloured family moves into the neighbourhood. Differences, unusual habits or behaviors are interpreted as a danger or even an attack. This is a fact!
When the trouble occurs, Access Fund-like associations’ role is not limited to buying areas. It first consists of mediation and communication. The lack of dialog is always the origin of the conflict. And this dialog has to be rebuilt step-by-step.
The Access Fund is quite similar to France’s Cosiroc, who step in when local dialog isn’t enough to find a solution. But even on a local, national or european scale, there is no boulderers organization. One may find some examples where local dialog has been a success (see the regulations in Albarracin for example). But how is it possible that 2 parties can talk when one is missing or is not organized? Climbers never have been very federated and boulder areas are far from being as managed as route-climbing areas by official organizations.
The route is clearly drawn : if the boulderers want to use their areas for a long time, they have to learn how to be accepted by the locals and show them a face. This can be done at a local or national scale, in existing or future organizations, but the dialog has to be started. Thus, climbers will no more be treated as invaders but guests, with whom one can discuss.
This is the way shown by American climbers. American people always have had effective lobbying, in its noble sense : they are able to give an unique voice from a blurry multitude, in order to make it strong and understandable. We have a lot to learn from that.
Manuel des Ouvreurs de Blocs
En collaboration avec le COSIROC
Les ouvertures de sites de blocs s’enchaînent en ce début de millénaire et il paraît important d’émettre quelques recommandations afin de ne pas voir tout et n’importe quoi se produire…
L’intérêt est grand : si on veut que la pratique du bloc ne soit pas freinée par des interdictions diverses, chacun doit faire des efforts, et en premier lieu les ouvreurs. Bien sûr, l’ouvreur est un grimpeur et il devra donc respecter également les recommandations formulées dans le ‘ Petit Manuel à l’Attention Grimpeurs de Bloc’.
Les ouvreurs de bloc ont un avantage : ils peuvent profiter des malheureuses expériences des falaisistes et des bleausards des années antérieures (on fait du bloc au Cuvier au moins depuis la deuxième guerre mondiale) : taillage, collage, brossage exagéré de colonnes, peintures immondes, sites interdits par absence de négociations etc…
Voici donc quelques recommandations à suivre :
1. Renseignez-vous sur le site que vous ouvrez. Il peut être sur un terrain privé, dans une zone protégée (Parc Régional, National), interdite (militaire). En fonction de la situation, il sera utile/nécessaire d’envisager des démarches et des négociations afin de conventionner le site. Pour cela, deux adresses : le COSIROC (http://www.cosiroc.org) et votre comité départemental FFME (http://www.ffme.fr). Ces démarches peuvent paraître lourdes mais sont nécessaires : un propriétaire peut avoir envie d’interdire l’accès sauvage à son terrain lorsqu’il est mis devant le fait accompli (et c’est bien naturel).
Il est en tout cas nécessaire de faire ces démarches si l’on veut populariser le site.
2. Sachez que la nature appartient à tout le monde et même aux générations futures. Il est d’usage de respecter les lieux dans lesquels on se trouve. Les recommandations qui suivent découlent de ce constat.
3. Pas de taille de prises. Le rocher n’est pas une denrée rare sur Terre et vous trouverez bien un peu plus loin ce que vous souhaiteriez trouver sur place. Si une prise vous fait mal, limitez le nombre d’essais mais ne la modifiez pas.
4. Pas de collage de prises pour les mêmes raisons.
5. Renfort de prises : cette pratique est à proscrire. Soit on laisse la prise et advienne que pourra, soit on la casse. Il s’agit d’éviter d’avoir d’énormes tâches grises comme on peut en voir au Bas-Cuvier (Fontainebleau) par exemple.
6. Limitez les coupes d’arbres au maximum, surtout en terrain privé ou protégé. A Fontainebleau, la règle est de compter les arbres situés a moins de 10 mètres et si le nombre dépasse 4 on élague.
7. Limitez les traces de peinture. Il est recommandé de limiter tout marquage à des flêches de petites dimensions (typiquement 3 cm de longueur) et de répertorier les noms et cotations dans des topos.
8. Evitez de modifier les aires de réception de façon trop importante. Si un bloc est engagé, c’est comme çà. Des crash-pads et des pareurs suffiront certainement à le rendre moins dangereux.
9. Lorsque aucun point d’assurage naturel (arbre…) n’est disponible à proximité du haut d’un bloc exposé, un scellement de sécurité au sommet du bloc peut être envisagé.
Manuel des Grimpeurs de Bloc
En collaboration avec le COSIROC
L’intérêt de respecter quelques recommandations logiques est grand : si on veut que la pratique du bloc ne soit pas freinée par des interdictions diverses, chacun doit faire des efforts.
Voici donc quelques recommandations à suivre :
1. Sachez que la nature appartient à tout le monde et même aux générations futures. Il est d’usage de respecter les lieux dans lesquels on se trouve. Les recommandations qui suivent découlent presque toutes de ce constat.
2. Pas de modification de prises. Le rocher n’est pas une denrée rare sur Terre et vous trouverez bien un peu plus loin ce que vous souhaiteriez trouver sur place. Si une prise vous fait mal, limitez le nombre d’essais mais ne la modifiez pas. Si vous ne tenez pas une prise, entraînez-vous…
3. Sur certains types de rochers fragilisés par la présence d’eau, évitez de grimper juste après une période de pluie sous peine de casser des prises : il s’agit en général de roches formée par la cimentation de grains de petites dimensions : certains calcaires ,des grès, des granites en cours d’érosion en bord de mer, etc. Si l’envie est trop forte, on favorisera les passages avec des prises plates…
4. Essuyez-vous les pieds : çà paraît évident mais y’en a marre de nettoyer des prises pleines de terre et surtout de les voir se polir par l’effet abrasif du sable ou de la terre.
5. Limitez l’utilisation de la magnésie et brossez les prises après votre passage. Dans les blocs surplombants, un brossage à l’eau ne sera que plus efficace. On évitera l’utilisation excessive de la magnésie et du pof (collophane).
6. Pas de brosses métalliques! Essayez de vous brosser les dents avec une brosse métallique : çà raye l’émail sans forcément nettoyer où il faut.
7. Discrétion sonore et visuelle sont de mise, surtout lorsqu’on est en terrain privé.
8. On ramène ses déchets : trop de mégots, bouts de strappal et autres ornent les pieds des blocs.
9. Soyez aimables avec les gens que vous rencontrez, même avec les chasseurs (je sais, c’est pas évident). Ils ont des moyens de pression importants et sont souvent bien implantés dans les conseils municipaux.
10. Enfin, sensibilisez les autres grimpeurs à la fragilité du support de notre sport favori et de son environnement…
La Parade
La parade est un acte important de la vie d’un bloqueur! Certaines règles de base sont à respecter afin d’éviter d’avoir de gros ennuis. Zebloc essaie ici de vous les livrer sans toutefois prétendre avoir fait le tour de la question!
Vous pouvez donc toujours discuter de ce sujet sur le forum.
La première chose importante est d’évaluer l’exposition d’un bloc, sa dangerosité. Cette première observation permettra entre autres de disposer les crashpads et les pareurs. Une attention sera portée aux types de prises que le grimpeur va prendre. On ne tombe pas dans la même direction depuis une inversée, une verticale ou une horizontale.
Le mieux est bien entendu de disposer le plus possible de crashpads. Attention toutefois aux jonctions entre crashpads qui peuvent occasionner des entorses si le pied s’y glisse. La meilleur solution semble être l’ajout de mini-pads (Pizza de chez SNAP, Addition Pad de chez BEAL etc…) afin de couvrir ces jonctions. On essaiera bien entendu de couvrir en premier lieu les rochers ou autres racines qui se trouveraient dans la zone de chute…
Lorsque plusieurs pareurs sont disponibles, il est conseillé d’identifier un pareur principal. Cela pour deux raisons. La première est de responsabiliser un pareur et d’éviter que chaque pareur pense que son voisin est concentré et donc que ce n’est pas la peine de se concentrer soi-même… La seconde est que le pareur principal aura priorité dans le placement et que donc il sera bien placé. On a trop souvent vu des grimpeurs tomber entre deux pareurs parce que personne n’est exactement derrière le grimpeur!
Bien entendu, il y aura toujours des cas particuliers : par exemple une traversée ascendante dans laquelle le pareur ne peut suivre correctement le grimpeur et il faudra alors disposer plusieurs pareurs tout au long de l’ascension.
L’attitude des pareurs dépendra fortement de la configuration du bloc. Pendant l’ascension, il faudra uniquement surveiller le centre de gravité du grimpeur : ne pas s’éparpiller à montrer les prises au grimpeur, à déplacer le crashpad. Cette dernière action pourra également être effectuée par un pareur supplémentaire si le bloc et le manque de crashpads le nécessite.
Le grimpeur joue lui aussi un rôle important dans la parade. Il essaiera bien entendu le plus possible de tomber sur ses pieds. Cà, l’instinct de survie l’y aidera certainement. Mais surtout, il veillera à ne pas se rejeter en arrière, à ne pas tourner sur lui-même pendant la chute. Sinon, le travail du pareur n’en sera que plus compliqué et dangereux…
Ci-dessous plusieurs situations d’escalade. Pour le détail de chacune, click sur la photo.
Vertical, hauteur modérée | Traversée proche du sol Toit proche du sol | Déversant et haut | Déversant et très haut | Dalle haute | Pareur exposé |
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Le bloc est une activité dangereuse dans bien des cas. Un dernier conseil donc : essayez de vous entraîner à la parade!
Le pan Güllich
Par O. Brousssouloux et L. Guyon
Photo L Guyon
Très efficace pour améliorer la force de contact, l’explosivité, c’est aussi un excellent outil pour progresser en blocage ou dans la traction sur un bras, puisque l’on peut y travailler avec les mains décalées.
Remarque :
Le pan Güllich est un outil qui se prête tout à fait au travail pliométrique, par le biais notamment des jetés à deux mains. Vous pouvez toutefois vous familiariser avec ce type de mouvements en amont, par des exercices sur deux barres fixes situées l’une au dessus de l’autre : le jeu consiste à se laisser tomber bras plus ou moins fléchis sur la barre du bas et, sans descendre complètement, à remonter instantanément.
Les déplacements sur le pan Güllich entrent dans deux catégories : une main après l’autre ou les deux simultanément. Pour chacune, les variantes de réalisation sont extrêmement diverses ce qui génère autant de jeux possibles.
Voici donc différents facteurs sur lesquels agir pour diversifier les exercices, suivis de quelques exemples de situations. A vous ensuite de les tester et complexifier !
Les facteurs de variation
• Les positions des mains au départ des mouvements (sur la même latte ; plus ou moins décalées).
• Pour les déplacements une main après l’autre : l’ordre de déplacement (toujours la même main, ou de façon alternée).
• La taille des lattes (de départ ; d’arrivée).
• L’amplitude des mouvements (latte par latte ; une latte sur deux, sur trois, etc.).
• Le sens de déplacement (vers le haut ; vers le bas).
• La direction des déplacements (verticale, croisée).
• La vitesse des déplacements.
Exercices de niveau 1
Jeter – rattraper :
• Monter une main d’une ou deux lattes ; ramener l’autre à la même hauteur.
• Jeter le plus haut possible ; ramener la seconde main latte par latte
• Monter une main d’une ou deux lattes ; relancer le plus haut possible ; ramener l’autre main sur la même latte, puis au dessus.
Jeter – toucher – redescendre :
• Jeter pour aller toucher le plus haut possible (sans saisir une latte), revenir sur la latte de départ.
• Idem vers le bas.
• Varier les vitesses
• Réaliser des montées les plus rapides possible (montées « pschitt »).
• Bloquer à chaque mouvement
Exercices de niveau 2
Montées, départ mains décalées
• Effectuer des montées en partant les mains de plus en plus décalées ; chercher à ramener la main du bas au moins à la même hauteur que la main plus haute.
• Croiser – décroiser
• Effectuer des montées en croisant et décroisant à chaque mouvement (le décroisé peut être facilité en ramenant la main de départ à côté de l’autre).
Jetés à deux mains
• Faire des descentes et montées simples.
• Partir les deux mains décalées et jeter sur une même latte.
• Partir les deux mains au même niveau et jeter vers deux lattes différentes
Exercices pliométriques
• Jeter à deux mains en sautant une latte, se laisser redescendre d’un cran, remonter de deux lattes, etc.
• Partir du milieu du pan, se laisser descendre (les deux mains ensemble) successivement sur deux lattes inférieures ; remonter sur la latte de départ.
Vous voulez en savoir plus? ZeBloc vous recommande l’ouvrage ‘Escalade et Performance’, disponible chez tout bon libraire ou en ligne ici.
