This part was initially (7 July 1994) written by Nicolas Veenkamp (NL - n.veenkamp@wkths.nl who also provided several pictures) and has been modified/updated by Daniel Taupin (France)), 24 août 2003. English text is deliberately more detailed than the French one, in order to help non-French speaking/reading people.
This part has a sort of general introduction to give you some idea. It was written by Quang-Tuan LUONG (qtluong@robotics.eecs.berkeley.edu) as an answer to a question about climbing near Fontainebleau. The various parts in the article below are more extensively explained in the rest of the FAQ.
Fontainebleau (``Bleau'') is the name of a forest and a small town with a classical castle which are about 50 km south of Paris. It is probably one of the finest bouldering sites in the world. Climbing started there in the 30s and, at this time, moves equivalent to 10+ (UIAA rating) were already done there. The climbing is on sandstone, generally with friction problems , very tiny edges, and lots of overhanging moves which are generally quite mysterious to the climber which is not used to the place (the ratings are two grades more severe than on french cliffs). The boulders are organized in ``circuits'', which are the enchainement of several boulders (30 to 100+) with a consistent level of difficulty. There are more than two hundred circuits, from the easiest, to the most extreme, featuring a total of tens of thousands problems. On each circuit, you follow the markings arrows, which are of a specific color, and each time there is a significant problem, there is an order number near the arrow. So it is relatively easy to follow a circuit, however, it is useful to have the guidebook. It is mandatory in order to find the beginning of each circuit, too. The most pleasant way to climb is to choose one circuit of your level, which gives you the best of an area (at a given level), however some people work only on very specific and hard problems. Typically, you do one circuit per climbing session.
The factors to influence the choice of a circuit:
Normally you do not need a rope (if you don't climb exposed boulders beyond your level). Chalk is supposed to be avoided as much as possible, but sap (``pof'' in French - on sale Au Vieux Campeur and SOS escalade) is generally recommended instead, to improve friction. Another piece of equipment which is needed is a small piece of carpet to stand on without getting sand on your shoes, and also a small piece of cloth to clean them. When in Paris, go to a climbing shop such as Au Vieux Campeur (rue des Écoles, near La Sorbonne) to find the guidebook. There used to be several, but one of them (blue cover) is supposed to be a bible. The salesman knows it of course. The choice of your shoes is important. Since the climbing is highly technical, you may want to have tight shoes. But it is very boring to have to take them off often, and since you will have to walk from a problem to another, you also may want something which has acceptable comfort.
Les blocs proviennent de dunes de sable d'époque stampienne (oligocène - cénozoïque). Ce sable, qu'on trouve encore au pied des blocs, est composé de silice (c.a.d. de quartz) à 99%, qui a été utilisée intensivement par les industries du verre et du quartz, à cause de son exceptionnelle pureté. En beaucoup d'endroits, la silice a été lentement dissoute par les eaux de pluie et redéposée par évoporation, produisant un ciment très dur qui a relié les grains. Il en est résulté une suite de plateaux de grès fin (en termes locaux, les « platières »). Ce grès est habituellement très dur (gris) en surface mais assez tendre (blanc) à l'intérieur.
Mais les eaux de pluie ont aussi érodé le sable sous-jacent, et les « platières » se sont brisées en en entassement de blocs qui ont glissé le long des pentes. Pour plus d'information, voir : Les problèmes des grès de Fontainebleau, par G. Marescaux, in Bulletin de l'Association Géographique de France,No. 334-335, p. 48-57, 1965.
The boulders originate from sand dunes that were formed in the Stampian (Oligocene) era. This sand, which is still found at the bottom of the boulders, is made of more than 99% silica (i.e. quartz) which has been intensively used by glass and related industries, because of its exceptional purity. In many situations, the silica has been slowly dissolved by rain water and re-deposited under dryer circumstances, resulting in a hard cement binding the grains. This resulted in fine sandstone plateaus (in local French, the ``platières'') usually very hard surfaced (grey) although soft inside (white).
But the rain water also eroded the underlying sand, and the ``platières'' happened to break into a confusion of boulders which rolled down the slopes. For more information, see: Les problèmes des grès de Fontainebleau, by G. Marescaux, in Bulletin de l'Association Géographique de France,No. 334-335, p. 48-57, sketch map (1965).
Many shops (bakery, butchers, grocers, chemists...) can be found in Fontainebleau, Milly-la-Forêt, Nemours, Malesherbes. These towns also offer cash machines to get money with credit cards. Food can also be found in Barbizon, Bois-le-Roi, La Chapelle-la-Reine.
In case of emergency, small groceries can be found in smaller villages.
From Paris (the Boulevard périphérique, a unfortunately overcrowded freeway which circles Paris itself) take the A6a/A6b highway (Autoroute du Soleil) in the direction of Lyon. After 50 km approximately, you have to take the important exit ( No. 37) to Fontainebleau (the last exit before the tollway, namely ``péage'') which leads you to a four-lane road, the N57 which in turns joins the N7.
Depending on the massif you have chosen, continue 10 km in the direction of Fontainebleau, using the N7 road, or turn right at the first bridge above the road and take the road to Milly (Milly-la-Forêt), which is the small and nice town near the interesting Massif des Trois-Pignons.
If you want to go to Larchant, continue southwards (direction Nemours) through Le Vaudoué and La Chapelle-la-Reine (25 km from Milly).
If you want to reach the recommended campsite of La Musardière, take the direction of Milly. At the northern entrance of Milly-la-Forêt, there is a roundabout where you find sign posts to the campsite (essentialy turn left 270 degrees). Follow this road (going to Arbonne) until you see on your left the Hôtel-Restaurant du Coquibus. A few hundred meters further the road makes a turn to the left. In the curve, turn sharply on your right. The entrance to the campsite is on your right, after approximately 2 km.
The station of Fontainebleau is unfortunately at the opposite side of the town, compared to the climbing massifs. However, from there, you can reach some minor groups in one hour, and Franchard in at least one and half hour (7 km), and as much when going back.
Another possible station is Bois-le-Roi: from where you can reach the Rocher Canon in 45 min, and the Cuvier in one and half hour. Powerful hikers can also reach Apremont, climb several hours and go back the same day. Bois-le-Roi in on the main railway line to Fontainebleau, but not all trains stop there.
Other trains start from the Gare de Lyon and reach La Ferté-Alais where some secondary massifs can be reached in a one hour hike. Many of these trains finish at Malesherbes, whose railway station is at 3 km of the massif of Buthiers-Malesherbes. Note that this railway line is bein transformed to an RER line (line D of the Métro Express Régional) whose trains will not only depart at Gare-de-Lyon but also Châtelet and Gare-du-Nord.
Finally, another interesting secondary climbing site can be also reached by train, namely Chamarande, on the RER line to Étampes.
There are bus services from Fontainebleau to Milly-la-Forêt, Buno-Bonnevaux on the railway to Malesherbes. They don't run frequently though, and usually not on sundays.
Hotels
Campsites
This campsite is located ESE of Milly-la-Forêt and is very close, i.e. walking distance (30 min), from the northern part of the Trois-Pignons area.
These Maisons Forestières are those of La Grande Vallée*, La Croix-Saint-Hérem, Les Barnolets, Bois-le-Roi*, La Solle, Les Huit-Routes, Le Bas-Bréau and Franchard. The asterisk means there is a watertap with drinkable water.
Road maps are mainly the Michelin maps, especially the 106 (green cover) at 1:100000 scale. But if you go to Larchant, you need the 1:200000 yellow mapNo. 61. You find them in most bookshops, including the service stations of the highways.
Two 1:25000 maps cover the region of Fontainebleau and the sandstone climbing areas to the southeast of Paris. Both are published by the Institut Géographique National (IGN):
Ces cartes font partie de la série TOP25 de l'IGN, c'est-à-dire avec des indications touristiques, notamment les campings et, last but not least, les sites d'escalade. / These maps belong to the TOP25 IGN series that is, with open air and tourism indications. They mention the location of campsites, swimming pools, picnic areas and, last but no least, all climbing sites. They may be found in the local libraries (especially the Maisons de la Presse) but you have better buy them in the mountain shops or libraries in Paris, such as Au Vieux Campeur.
Pour la plupart des secteurs :
Normalement, la corde n'est pas nécessaire , mais beaucoup de parisiens apportent un bout de corde (10 à 20 mètres) en cas... En général, cette corde reste au fond du sac, à moins qu'elle leur serve à poser les pieds s'ils ont oublié le tapis. Cependant, trois massifs demandent souvent une corde ; ce sont la Dame Jouanne - 2 km nord-est du village de Larchant - où des blocs sérieux atteignent 15 mètres, Buthiers-Malesherbes et Le Puiselet.
For most areas, the only things you need are:
Normally, no rope is required , but many parisian climbers still bring a piece of rope (10 to 20 meters) in case of... In most cases, this bit of rope remains in the hiking bag, unless they use it to put their feet, if they forgot their rug. However, three groups often require top rope, which are the Dame Jouanne - 2 km northeast of the village of Larchant - which offers serious boulders up to 15 meters, Buthiers-Malesherbes and Le Puiselet.
Tous les circuits sont balisés avec des flèches de couleurs spécifiques, qui indiquent leur difficulté d'ensemble : blanc, jaune, orange, bleu, rouge et noir. La couleur blanche peut indiquer, soit des circuits extrêmement difficiles, soit des circuits pour enfants : il est facile de faire la différence.
All circuits are marked with arrows of a typical colour, indicating the average difficulty: white, yellow, orange, blue, red and black. White marks indicate either extremely difficult circuits, or circuits dedicated for children : making the difference is therefore easy.
| couleur | cotation | signification | boulder | équivalence |
| colour | rating | meaning | rating | falaise/crag |
| white | E | pour enfants (for children) | 1-2 | 2-4 |
| yellow | F | facile (easy) or | 1-2 | 2-3 |
| ...... | PD | peu difficile (little difficulties) | 2-3 | 2-5 |
| orange | AD | assez difficile (moderate) | 3-4 | 3-6a |
| blue | D | difficile (difficult) | 3-5 | 4c-6c |
| red | TD | très difficile (very difficult) | 4-6 | 5c-7a |
| black | ED | extrêmement difficile... | 5-7c | 6b-8a |
| or white | ... | ... (extremely difficult) | .... | .... |
ATTENTION : les grimpeurs non familiers de Bleau doivent savoir que la cotation « bloc » (« cotations Bleau ») est bien plus sèche que la cotation falaise. La différence est de l'ordre de deux degrés pour les grimpeurs moyens.
Ainsi 3b en cotation Bleau vaut environ un 5b (UIAA VI-) en falaise. De même, un 4c à Bleau vaut environ 6b+ (UIAA VII) en falaise.
Aussi, un grimpeur moyen ne connaissant pas Bleau et usuellement à l'aise dans du 5 ne devrait pas essayer un circuit TD, mais d'abord essayer ses capacités dans un circuit jaune (PD), peut-être un orange (AD).
CAUTION: people not familiar with Bleau - this includes French people of other regions -- should be warned that, not only the French crag ratings are more severe than the UIAA ratings (a French 5a equals a UIAA V+ and a British 4c, a French 6a equals a UIAA VI+ and a British 5b, a French 7a equals a UIAA VIII and a British 6a, etc.), but the boulder rating (French people say ``cotations Bleau'') is much more severe by up to three degrees for the ``easy'' routes. Conversely, the difference is much smaller for gradings 7 or 8.
This means that a 3b in the Bleau rating is a French crag 5c and a UIAA VI-. In the same way, a 4c in the Bleau rating is a French crag 6b+ and a UIAA VII.
This means that a foreign climber of moderate experience, usually comfortable in UIAA V+ should not attempt a TD circuit, but he should first evaluate his possibility on a yellow (PD) circuit, perhaps an orange (AD) one.
The start of a circuit is depicted by using the letter D as in Départ, painted over a white rectangle which also exhibits the average rating of the circuit, such as F+, PD-, PD, PD+, AD-, AD, AD+, etc.
The end of the trip is denoted with an A letter as in Arrivée.
Most interesting routes are numbered with arabic figures besides the painted arrow which indicates the position and the direction (straight up, winding, traverse) of the proposed route. Other unnumbered arrows or dots are supposed to lead you from one block to the other, sometimes walking, sometimes with easier climbs. Most circuits have 30 to 40 numbered routes (typically 2 to 5 meters high) but very long circuits may propose a hundred of numbered routes.
Since many people start climbing the circuits at the beginning but give up before the end, the beginning of many is more polished and slippery than the end. Therefore, starting a circuit in the middle is a good way of avoiding crowds and having better friction on the foot holds.