[a dense loner]

don't keep slappin up. too much height is a bad thing, i've always been a believer in this. get your palm turned round as soon as poss. then mantle with fingers facing u, looks like u shud go higher but don't. loads easier but no less scary!

[ian h]

medaille is definately harder since it got vandalised in my opinion. That guy who went round smashing holds certainly knew what he was doing.

hyper plomb i agree is way more scary than the climbing is hard. its the way you feel like you are gonna land on your back.

i have heard that a high left foot is the key to topping out on hyper plomb. just aint got the conviction to carry it out.

any one done big crotte at bas

[Doylo]

Medaille is good, but its an eliminate!

[ian h]

madaille, eliminate?

[Carnage]

Big Crotte is dire. Its a complete one move wonder. Side pull up to a weird, slopey pocket. Its such a crappy filler in the home of ace problems.  :x

Do it when you've done everything else.

(I'll probably get shouted at now by someone who likes it  :wink: )

[vivahate]

any classic 7a's for me to crack at when im in font in march..

[Carnage]

Apart from the usual suspects (Cortomaltese/Joker/Abbatoir..........)

Try the Cuvier Reconnaissance area for one classic 7a which hasn't seen much poffing. Its called Le Plafonique something or other (theres a piccy in 7 & . Its got classic weirdness value just 'cos its got a big reach to two rhino horns, one of which you do the mantle off.  Really good problem.

Anyone else done it?

[dave]

to be honest, there are more classic 7as than you can shake a dick at - in fact you'll probably be hard pressed to find one that isn't classic.

however, a few of the more popular and quite do-able ones are stuff like the dogs arse roof, cortomaltese, el poussah (sn**ger), lepreux direct, la coeur, medaille en chocolate, bizzare bizzare etc. If anyone tells you Holey Moley is a good easy 7a then they are shitting you.

[dave]

forgot to say festin de pierres at duroxmanie area is proper bo. also theres abbotoir, joker etc if you're into chipped holds and resin ice-skating.

[Carnage]

Le Lepreaux Direct is one  of the most flashable 7a's there I reckon.

And agree- Holey Moley is hard for 7a (Especially if it ain't that cold).

If you want an easy one for openers try the one on this arete opposite La Forge (at BC) which is cool.

[dave]

Le Lepreaux Direct is one  of the most flashable 7a's there I reckon.

you're shitting me - i recon LD is probably the hardest one on my list, certainly the hardest to flash.

that one opposite forge is called rhume folle, i agree its easy. however didn't stop me failing to do it exactly a year ago. sob sob.

[Carnage]

I guess what I mean't was that its not a lot of moves and its not too diffcult to get yourself established on the slopes. Once your foots up to that good edge and you pop, if you've checked the top hold first and know where to go its not too bad. Especially if you're tall.

Rhume Folle - Thats the one. Quite Ok for the grade although I found it harder than Cortomaltese.  :x

So maybe that should be first on the list!

[dave]

remember fred nicole fails on it on bleau video. nuff sed.

[Carnage]

Ok - I take your point. But its definitely worth trying.

Cos you might just get lucky  :wink:

But then you might not.........and still be there 4 hours later, cursing and muttering......  :cry:

[Carnage]

Oh yeah and Jet Set at Roche Aux Sabots is definitely a must as well.

[Adam Lincoln]

I guess what I mean't was that its not a lot of moves and its not too diffcult to get yourself established on the slopes. Once your foots up to that good edge and you pop, if you've checked the top hold first and know where to go its not too bad. Especially if you're tall.

Rhume Folle - Thats the one. Quite Ok for the grade although I found it harder than Cortomaltese.  :x

So maybe that should be first on the list!

Ahh, my first ever 7a flash in the forest!

[Jim]

While were on about font, I've only had two days there, one at calvaire (pissing with rain) and t'other at 95.2. I found the problems where completely sandbagged. I remember one arete on a blue circuit at 95.2, gets 4 in the guide and was completely nails. Local frenchies couldn't get it and took me a good couple of goes and when I did get it I was completely phyched out. Sames with a lot of the 5 slabs - felt utter nails and I don't think my technique was particulary shit although I could be wrong

[dave]

i think a lot of that is cos the guides are written by locals who've climbed the easy problems 10000s of times thus they've no real grasp of what it feels like to a visitor. Imagine Big Ron doig a plantation guide: Green Traverse 5b, NTBTA 5a, Crescent arete 4c etc.

[vivahate]

yeah some people i've talked to in the past said that over there stuff is dead low in the grades.. ill try and crank some of the problems your mentioned.. *scribbles* in guidebook..

oh and guidebook.. "bleu" or the pink one?

[dave]

bleau is no longer in print, and its out of date anyway. I'd get the english version of the pink one, and also the 7+8 guide.

[vivahate]

i've got it at home somewhere, i bought it years ago to perve over..

ill get the pink and 7+8

[Jim]

I've got the bleau one - don't rate it much tho

[Carnage]

Pink one and 7-8 are definitely the way forward.

Pink alone isn't bad, but so many new places are missing and 7-8 tells you how to find the newer areas. You can then judge what is the ahem 'easier' grade stuff for yourself.  :wink:

[jonP]

La Mur de la Fosse aux Ours at 95.2 is nice & easy.  http://bleau.info/95.2/2.html

[Jim]

When I go again would it be worth getting either of these two to go with bleau