BURSTAlex Honnold recently visited Fontainebleau, France, an area known for its world-class sandstone boulders and distinctive coloured circuits. Honnold sent Sous Ex V10, and completed the Black Circuit, watch both below.
Climbing in the area dates back to the 19th century, when Fontainebleau was used largely as a training ground for mountaineering. In 1945, climber Maurice Martin published a guide documenting problems and climbing areas throughout the forest. Painted markings appeared at Cuvier Rempart two years later, helping climbers identify specific routes.
The circuit system expanded during the 1950s and was further organized in the 1980s, when local climbing organizations standardized colors to indicate approximate difficulty. Today, Fontainebleau has more than 350 circuits across roughly 250 square kilometers, with more than 40,000 individual problems. Circuits commonly use yellow, orange, blue, red, black and white markings. The routes are maintained by volunteers associated with COSIROC in cooperation with France’s Office National des Forêts. Most circuits contain dozens of numbered problems and finish at a marked Arrivée.
While Honnold is known for his bold free solos, he’s also sent several test-piece lines over the years, including The Mandala V12, Amborsia V11 (second ascent), The Aquarium V12, Too Big to Flail V10 (50 feet), La Merveille V12, Bachelor Party 5.14d, Man-Bod 5.14d, Manphibian 5.14d, and Arrested Development 5.14d. On a side note, the Honnold Foundation was just recognized in Time, read the article ‘Free Solo’s Alex Honnold Is an Unexpected Solar Power Champion’ here.
Fontainebleau Circuit and Sous Ex
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