We tested bouldering for you
A bouldering session on a mythical spot, the Fontainebleau forest!
They were all bouldering! On Saturday 23 June, the forest of Fontainebleau hosted the grand final of the Red Bull Font&Bleau, a team bouldering competition. In Seine-et-Marne, our special correspondent Nicolas Arquin immersed himself in the heart of the event, multiplying interviews with climbers and following with delight the progress of the contest. This was done in order to write an article on the Red Bull Font&Bleau from the inside, but not only!
Nicolas took the opportunity to learn bouldering personally, an exciting discipline. Here is his feedback...
Bouldering is impressive!
As a preamble, if you haven't read our article on the Red Bull Font&Bleau, we can only advise you to do so! A meeting that our journalist was looking forward to with excitement, a little anxious however at the idea of being ridiculous on the block...
Neither (very) supple, nor (very) agile, nor (very) strong, Nicolas started with a few handicaps when it was time to climb in the heart of the Mecca of bouldering, Fontainebleau. And he was a little sorry not to have grabbed the poles of our colleague Vincent, who is fond of indoor climbing and never the last to propose sessions between colleagues!
" When I took part in this initiation, I wasn't particularly confident about my chances to shine! I had doubts about my physical ability to take on the challenge, but at the same time I was looking forward to this new challenge. I was a bit angry that I hadn't done an indoor session with Vincent, as that would have prepared me a bit!
A leap into the unknown for Nicolas, not the most athletic of the group but full of good will and self-deprecation. And he had taken the time to read carefully the article "10 good advices to start climbing", before taking the plunge... All of which, finally, boosted his mind and his confidence, so much so that he secretly hoped to do the show at "Bleau"!
Head for a rock'n'roll initiation!
A climb... in trainers
When we arrived at the site of the initiation, a boulder climbed by the competitors of the Red Bull Font&Bleau, we met Quentin, a climbing instructor. He will be our special advisor and our "pareur", i.e. the person in charge of making sure that in case of a fall, we land on the foam mattress provided to cushion the crash. Something to relax about?
Not necessarily, judging by the face of the boulder: the natural holds are rather hardcore, you'll have to be good to reach the top!
And to deal with a new handicap: for lack of climbing shoes in our size, we will tackle the boulder... in trainers. This means that the risks of slipping on the wall are greater, but never mind, we didn't come here to buy land!
Fortunately, we can count on Quentin's advice, with a smile on his face: " the principle of bouldering is to push more on your legs than you will pull on your arms. You should always try to put your feet up a little bit in advance, in order to take small steps like on a staircase ", explains this enthusiast. He also gives us some other tips:
" Try to find the best grips, that is to say the places in the rock that are going to be good, that you can pull on and that will allow you to reach the top. The goal is to try to find my way down the boulder, to find where I'm going to put my hands and feet to get to the top, with as little effort as possible."
Playing the transparency card, Nicolas confides in him: "In terms of agility and flexibility, I am not a brute...".
It doesn't matter ", answers Quentin, "there is something for everyone, the idea is to have fun. There is no minimum level required!
Phew, that's good! Reassured by these words, the time has come to tackle the blocks!
Block 1 - Nicolas 0
Here we are in front of the famous block, which seems incredibly smooth. "Place your left hand in this grip! Uh, what grip is this little thing here?
Then comes the time to push on the left leg, and to stand up completely facing the wall, while hoisting the right leg and then the right hand. An arduous, technical operation, which we carry out successfully but the hardest part begins...
Our lack of strength, our lack of flexibility and our apprehension of the bowl prevent us from linking the holds properly, it is rather the falls which follow one another!
Despite our repeated attempts, we will not be able to overcome this block...
"There isa little disappointment, after having spent several hours in the atmosphere of the Red Bull Font&Bleau, I was hoping to manage to climb higher. You don't become Chris Sharma all of a sudden", Nicolas joked. Not at all dampened by this first experience...
" This initiation in the magical setting of Fontainebleau made me want to try bouldering again, and to train hard, so to speak!
There is no doubt that Nicolas has caught the bouldering bug, a discipline that is 100% fun...
Are you ready to enjoy it too?
Front page photo: Little Shao / Red Bull Content Pool
.
.
We tested for you the bungee jumping
.