Crashouts

Area

Situated 90km south of Paris, this area contains some of the most spectacular bouldering in France, if not the world. The first documented accounts of climbers bouldering in Fontainebleau were in the 1870’s. The area really started springing into life with the invention of the first sticky rubber climbing shoes in the 1970’s. Historically bouldering was always viewed as a playful pastime, with the intention of creating tricky technical problems as a training ground for the high peaks. Nowadays, bouldering is mainstream and Fontainebleau is the Mecca.

Known as ‘Font’ to English speakers and ‘Bleau’ in France, the bouldering in Fontainebleau is truly unique. With such a wide range of problems this is definitely an area for all levels of climbing ability. You are just as likely to see families of children scrambling around as you are to see world class climbers. There are literally thousands of boulder problems here, most of which have been colour coded allowing a simple and consistent grading system. Ranging from yellow for beginners to blue, red, white and up to black - signifying a monster.

Season

It is possible to climb in Fontainebleau all year round. We would recommend spring and autumn for the average climber, but in summer you can always find shaded boulders and climb in the mornings or evenings. It gets cold in the winter yet this is when many of the hardest problems get done. Only for the most dedicated.

Amenities

Fontainebleau is the biggest town in the area and offers all the necessary amenities from banks, restaurants, bars, and climbing shops. There are also numerous little towns throughout the Fontainebleau climbing area.

The nearest major city is Paris, lying 1 hour to the north, which contains everything you would expect of a European capital and offers a nice mid week break from climbing should you be looking for one. A day eating and drinking along the Seine might sufficiently revive you to go and finish off that tricky boulder problem.

Getting there and away

The nearest airports are Paris and Orleans. Both are around a 1 hour drive to the Fontainebleau national park. For those coming from the United Kingdom it is also possible to get the Eurostar to Paris from St Pancras in London, which takes 2 hour 15 minutes. Many British climbers choose to drive to avoid lugging boulder mats on planes or trains, from London it will take around 6 Hours.