UKC

Right I've got some training advice. Now we're looking for a guide as the place looks bloody massive.

Any idea which one is the best?

In reply to RossKirtley: Depends what you want to do. There's a circuit guide (Jingo Wobbly) which is good for choosing a venue based on its character (quick drying/popular/esoteric/highball/shady etc). The Off-Piste guide is my favourite, for individual problems grade 6 and up. There's a 7+8 guide if that's your thing, and there's the purple 'everything' guide which is incomprehensible IMO.

In reply to Jon Stewart: Its our first trip so we're going to spend a few days on easier stuff to get the feel of the place etc then step it up to 6b/6c the rest of the week.

As I said first time we're going so which guide would you say suited us best?

In reply to RossKirtley: Off-Piste I think, if you're looking for memorable problems in the 6's. It's a selective guide, so if it's in there, it's worth doing. Also it gives a little heart symbol for particularly nice problems, which is nice. You can almost follow the diagrams too.

You don't need a guide for the easy stuff. Just go to a well used venue and follow the circuits. For a first visit I would recommend not missing:

- Franchard Isitis (popular, lots of great stuff, beautiful spot)
- 95.2 (as above)
- Elephant (really cool highball stuff - try the terrifying blue circuit)
- Bas Cuvier (arguably amazing or really annoying, I wouldn't go at a weekend)

In reply to RossKirtley: The purple guide is a good 'overview' book and I find it to be fairly easy to get on with.Its great if you are knocking out circuits aswell and good for planning your days..

Jingo Wobbly guide is OK and the Essential fontainebleau guide from Stone Country is worth a look.

If you havent been before its best to remain open minded about the grading and just enjoy it, some of the 6b's in the forest would be 7a's in Northumberland. Font has a habit of kicking arses, but in a very very pleasant way Were off out there again in 4 weeks, super psyched!

Where are you staying?

Have a good one.

In reply to SeanB: For a first time visit areas to head to would be

Roche Aux Sabots (not at weekend tho) Mellow easy going and classic blue circuit to warm up on.good intro area.
Franchard Cuisinere (awesome red circuit!)
Elephant (slabs, highballs, cracklines and slappy testpieces over sandy landings(mostly)
91.1 and Cul de Chien (scenic!)
Isatis (mellow)
Apremont (amazing place but properly huge, maybe not for a first day out as easy to get lost) Oh, look out for the wild boar here aswell...

In reply to RossKirtley: would second a recomendation for the purple "fontainbleu climbs" guide as its well laid out,had lots of circuits and plenty of harder bis problems and covers a wide range or locations.

In reply to SeanB: Sabots on a busy day could put someone like me off bouldering for good. You can see your face in most of the holds, which for me (maybe 'cause I'm not used to it) makes me pull twice as hard and end up very tired/tendonitisy and frustrated.

To the OP - if you get fed up of the polish and pof at the classic venues, if you go off the beaten track the rock improves dramatically - there are even climbable slabs out there...

In reply to Jon Stewart: Which is why I said to not go at a weekend.
I think Sabots is fine during the week and not so polished that it affects the quailty IMHO.It was the first area I went to and Im heading back to font for the fourth year in a row so obviously not that bad!!

That said, areas like Petit Bois are less busy and offer a nicer forest experience.Its good to mix it up though
Odd that you picked up on Sabots as being polished, as someone mentioned Cuvier earlier!@!! Now theres one area I would happily miss out. (apart from Cuvier Rempart, as I have one nemisis I have to slay there !)

In reply to RossKirtley:
There is no 'best' guide, there is only what suites you for each visit.

My favourite guide is the "Off-Piste", but it's perhaps not ideal for a first visit.

The Jingo-Wobbly guide has it's own style, but its probably better for the lower grades.

The 'purple' guide is probably best for a first visit - though it is probably not 'the best guidebook'. Then there are tens of others.

Part of the fun of Font, though, is just turning up in an area and climbing (especially on a first visit). This is particularly relevant if you've never been before, as the grades will make no sense at all. I used to flash 'Font' 6b/+ regularly in the Peak District, and tick 6c/+ without too much hassle. Yet I struggle desperately to climb 6a in Fontainebleau itself!

Don't forget- "for every grain of sand on the sole of your shoe, add one grade of difficulty to the problem"!

In reply to RossKirtley:

I used the purple guide in conjunction with the 7+8 one. The 7+8 is very useful, even if you don't operate in this range, as it's got the best maps and topos.

In reply to Stefan Kruger: Plus the venue descriptions are the most useful for someone who's not familiar with where's popular and where's off the beaten track.

In reply to RossKirtley:

Personally I think the best guide combination is:

a) a map and compass
b) Purple guide for understanding the areas and what's available where
c) off-piste guide for harder stuff

IMO the Jingo wobbly guide is utter crap, especially all their stupid icons - the majority of which seem to be wrong especially if looking for fast drying areas. It also covers a much more limited number of problems, sometimes not even acknowleding the presence of other circuits, and has incomplete circuits that add to the difficulty of identifying climbs. It's a nice idea poorly executed.

In reply to RossKirtley:

I'd recommend Font a Bloc Vol.1 and Essential Fontainebleau. Both quality guides with great topos.

In reply to RossKirtley:

The purple guide is ok once you're at the crags but is hopeless for finding them - if you get it make sure you also buy a decent map, off piste is better but still not great. For a first visit I'd really rate the Essential fontainebleau guide from Stone Country - good clear maps and provides all the info you need for an area including a great list of classic problems, its also a bit cheaper thna the others as it's small. In font you don't really need to know the exact grades of climbs if they are on a circuit - you just end up trying things that look good anyway and if you want to know the grade just ask someone with the relevant guide...

In reply to Alex1: I find the IGN 1:25 000 map more useful than most of the guides once I've decided where to go, and on line sites such as http://bleau.info/ give enough information for that.

Although if you're looking for a particular problem you'll probably want a guide as well

In reply to RossKirtley:

Also in the nicest possible way looking at your previous thread I suspect you will get absolutely spanked at 6c/7a in font, what you will want to know is the locations of the good blue and red circuits as these will give you loads of problems in the right range - the off piste guide won't help here... Buy the stonecountry one!