UKC

Hi all,

Just a post to promote the protection of my local crag at home which I am sure many of you love too: Fontainebleau.

This heartbreaking video of people trying to dry the rock with a welding torch or whatever it is, is going around facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/bleauboulders/videos/2057589564515478/?t=0

So just as reminder, here are some guidelines for your next trip there: https://bleau.info/ethics

A lot of it is common sense, such as not leaving litters and toilet paper, but some are probably less obvious. I would particularly insist on cleaning your shoes from the sand before you climb on a real "brushy" doormat (just need a piece of it) and / or a piece of fabric. Please be obsessed with that ! The brush on bouldering mats is not enough. Last time I went there, an old school bleausard who had been bouldering in the forest for the last 30 years, the type of guy who just comes with his shoes and a bit of fabric commented that in the last 10 years, because our forest has become so popular and a lot people don't realize that the sand under their shoes acts as sandpaper on the rock, the "polishing rate" has dramatically increased compared to the 20 previous years.

The other important rule is "no climbing when it has been raining" (and no torch to dry the rock !!). The sandstone is soft and fragile out there. It is like here in the UK, if the conditions are not good, either we need patience, either we need to drive to our plan B, either we go indoors (Karma in Fontainebleau is a good indoor climbing gym with bouldering and ropes if you need).

Thanks very much for caring for the rock !!

Cécile

Just replying to give this a bump.

Good shout. Bump.

Not 100% certain, it was a long, long time ago, but I seem to recall that the first climbing boots, it may have been the PA's, came with a little round rubber mat.

Al

they should come with a mat.

Incidentally, anyone thinking of buying a pad to take to Font think about the Ocun Moonwalk. Not only is it a cracking pad with traverse zip, it comes with a door mat in a pocket.

Besides, don't people wipe their shoes first anyway, regardless of sand? Usually sheep shit/mud etc.

True that people would wipe their shoes when they consider them dirty, but not thoroughly enough when it comes to sand (on our trousers is not enough to clean them well), and possibly not if they are newish to climbing or if they are not aware of the issue and have never climbed soft sandstone before. It sticks so much to the rubber, and it is small enough to look clean and seem harmless compared to a shoe full of mud...

It is also very easy to wipe our shoes, but then stand on a bouldering mat full of sand ... 

Another bump.