Written in Stone: Climbing History

A few thoughts that combine all of the things I spend time thinking about while I get together the Bleau interviews.
The future of climbing difficulty isn't only about the size of holds or the distance between them. In fact, that's rarely what changes things. It's more about the climbers and their skills.
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Bouldering began as a way to train for the mountains, but by the mid 1940s in Fontainebleau, it had started to form it's own identity. A Bleausard named Fred Bernick had an idea that would continue the tradition of preparing for those mountain routes: Circuits. He laid out the first two, and inspired by a piece of Fontainebleau history from the late 1800s, he marked them with painted arrows.
They were instantly popular. 80 years later, there are over 370 of Bernick's circuits.
Resources can be found at https://www.plugtoneaudio.com/written-in-stone
Support the restoration of Fontainebleau: https://www.fondation-patrimoine.org/les-projets/sauvons-la-foret-de-fontainebleau-/105641
Music:
"Sneaky Snitch" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
"Cello Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Hob. VIIb:1" Aspen Symphony Orchestra Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
"écoutez ça" Alix Combelle Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
"Fariboles" Alix Combelle Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
"Rue Deperre" Alix Combelle Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
"L'horloge du grand-père" Alix Combelle Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
 

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Perhaps the most powerful force in the early years of Fontainebleau bouldering history was the consistent changing of the guard. Every few years a new group would supplant the old, bringing new ideas, updated ethics, and stronger fingers. But when a brash group of climbers, formed from the best of several groups, the difficulty standards of the previous leaders, Pierre Allain's Convicts of Cuvier, were left in the dust. 
Led by Robert Paragot, a young climber who often wore only his PA's and his underwear and climbed while smoking a cigarette, this new group would do battle for several major projects, resulting in the world's first V6 (7A) boulder, The Joker. 
And just as suddenly as they'd shown up, they'd disappear from Cuvier. 
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Resources can be found at https://www.plugtoneaudio.com/written-in-stone
Watch Paragot par Paragot: https://vimeo.com/465783740
 
Music:
"Blue Eyed Baby" Alix CombelleLicensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
"Elle et Li" Alix CombelleLicensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
"Rue Deperré" Alix CombelleLicensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
"Ma Chanson Triste (Melancholie)" Alix CombelleLicensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
"Ambiance (In The Mood)" Alix CombelleLicensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Willie DixonLicensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
"Divertissement dans une Fonderie" Alix CombelleLicensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
"Fou (Mad)" Alix CombelleLicensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
"Nerves and Fever" Alix CombelleLicensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
"La-Da-Da-La-La" Alix CombelleLicensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Shortly after WWII, a new group formed in Fontainebleau. They called themselves the Cuvier Academic Club, but were quickly known as The Convicts of Cuvier. Led by Pierre Allain, René Ferlet, Guy Poullet and Jacques Poincenot, this group would raise standards in the forest with the first ascent of La Marie Rose, the first V3 (6A) in the world.
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Resources can be found at https://www.plugtoneaudio.com/written-in-stone
The Fontainebleau Boulder post mentioned in the video: https://www.instagram.com/p/DZ1sYqwDE6a/?img_index=1
 
Music:
"Tel Quel (En Plein Sur le Nez)" Alix CombelleLicensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Willie DixonLicensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
"Panassie Stomp" Alix CombelleLicensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
"Midi à Jalopi (12 O'Clock in Jalopi)" Alix CombelleLicensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
"Strictement pour les Persans (Strictly for the Persians)" Alix CombelleLicensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
"That Blue-Eyed Baby From Memphis" Don RedmanLicensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
"Mush Mouth" Claude HopkinsLicensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
"Joyeuse Fumée (Holy Smoke)" Alix CombelleLicensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

After World War 1, bouldering began to shapeshift into something that very closely resembles the modern day game. At the forefront of that movement was Pierre Allain, a climber who was openly competitive and aimed to be the best. Also a talented and accomplished alpinist, Allain invented much of the gear we take for granted today, including the first shoes specifically for climbing -- and they were shaped by bouldering in Fontainebleau.
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By 1908, people had been practicing on boulders for over 25 years, but it lacked something essential to bouldering: community. In Fontainebleau, groups of climbers with a shared passion would unite around the sandstone blocs and forever shape the game of bouldering.
Resources can be found at https://www.plugtoneaudio.com/written-in-stone
 

Was Oscar Eckenstein the first boulderer? What does that even mean? This season, we are asking and trying to answer some big questions. In this episode, I talk with our research assistant, Efix Roy, about the big question raised by the first episode of the season.
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Bouldering & The Vertical Path by John Gill

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People have likely climbed on boulders for all of human history, but in the late 1800's, one man began advocating for climbing on boulders as a way to become a better climber. His name was Oscar Eckenstein, and he fundamentally changed the way we climb. Was he the first boulderer?
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Resources can be found at https://www.plugtoneaudio.com/written-in-stone
 
Music:
"Concerto No. 4 in F minor, Op. 8, RV 297, 'L'inverno' (Winter)" The Modena Chamber Orchestra (https://musopen.org)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
"String Quartet no. 2 in B minor - IV. Allegro furioso" Steve's Bedroom Band (https://musopen.org) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
"Nocturne in B flat minor, Op. 9 no. 1" Eduardo Vinuela (https://musopen.org)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
"String Quartet, Op.25 - II. Intermezzo. Andante con moto, quasi allegretto" Steve's Bedroom Band (https://musopen.org)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
"The Wand of Youth, Suite no. 1, Op. 1a - II. Serenade ( For String Quartet - Jones)" Steve's Bedroom Band (https://musopen.org)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
 

What is bouldering, really? What defines a "boulderer"? And how has that changed since the beginnings of the game? Are there rules, and if so, where did those "rules" start? 
Coming Soon: Season 3 of Written in Stone | The History of Modern Bouldering.
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Michael Kennedy is a legend of climbing media. As the editor of Climbing Magazine from 1974 to 1998, he helped to bring climbing culture to tens of thousands of climbers who otherwise didn't have access to it. He also took the photo that I believe best defines climbing in the 1980s. 
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Written in Stone is co-created with Power Company Climbing.