[ksjs]

saw this recently and it looks superb but wondered what those with more knowledge of Font thought (ive only spent 3 days there and was using the old Richard Gough? OTE guide). im there for 4 days end of october and was keen to update / expand the guide library in advance.

i know the '7+8' guide is very well-respected but theres nothing beneath 7a and if you just want to do a whole stack of more relaxed stuff it might not be the best. maybe i should just get both and be done with it? 

[slackline]

Cofe wasn't that impressed.

[galpinos]

saw this recently and it looks superb but wondered what those with more knowledge of Font thought (ive only spent 3 days there and was using the old Richard Gough? OTE guide). im there for 4 days end of october and was keen to update / expand the guide library in advance.

i know the '7+8' guide is very well-respected but theres nothing beneath 7a and if you just want to do a whole stack of more relaxed stuff it might not be the best. maybe i should just get both and be done with it? 

I've got both the "7+8" and the blue Off-piste guide. Between the two, it's a perfect combination. 7+8 is greta for the topos and the hard stuff (I've never ticked harder than 7a in Font but still found it useful, and very inspirational) and the blue guide gives the best of 6a and upwards.

Where are you based.?I'm sure that locals lend you pretty much every guide out there!

[butters]

How it functions as guide book "on the ground" will have to wait until September when I head out on my first trip to the forest but from a perusal while sat on the throne everything seems to be clearly laid out, the maps look like they should work fine and there appears to be a good spread of stuff to go at from 6a upwards.

[ksjs]

Cofe wasn't that impressed.

i saw that and noted Cofe didnt exactly sell it!

[ksjs]

I've got both the "7+8" and the blue Off-piste guide. Between the two, it's a perfect combination. 7+8 is greta for the topos and the hard stuff (I've never ticked harder than 7a in Font but still found it useful, and very inspirational) and the blue guide gives the best of 6a and upwards.

Where are you based.?I'm sure that locals lend you pretty much every guide out there!

good thinking: i live in north wales and im sure i can borrow 7+8 and see how i get on with that. there is though something nice about having your own copy of a guide thats either very good or to a good area (or ideally both) - always nice to get psyched before a trip or indeed cheer yourself up with in the midst of winter

[ksjs]

How it functions as guide book "on the ground" will have to wait until September when I head out on my first trip to the forest but from a perusal while sat on the throne everything seems to be clearly laid out, the maps look like they should work fine and there appears to be a good spread of stuff to go at from 6a upwards.

i just liked its simplicity and clarity and Jacky should know a thing or two about decent problems. im not one for select guides but this sounded a bit different...

[Dave Flanagan]

How it functions as guide book "on the ground" will have to wait until September when I head out on my first trip to the forest but from a perusal while sat on the throne everything seems to be clearly laid out, the maps look like they should work fine and there appears to be a good spread of stuff to go at from 6a upwards.

i just liked its simplicity and clarity and Jacky should know a thing or two about decent problems. im not one for select guides but this sounded a bit different...

£29/35euro is alot of money. This must be one of the most expensive guides around. I have only seen the preview and I wasn't impressed with the style of it. Looked pretty dated. Some of the shots were ok.

[Paul B]

only guide I've paid more than that for is the Austrian Tyrol and thats a fairly hefty book and reasonable for the cash.

I've got the 7+8's (both editions) the Purple guide and the Off-piste. Purple and 7's are a perfect combo, the blue isn't that wonderful in my opinion and the maps are needlessly fussy. Plus, a lot of the things covered are so off-piste you need to go gardening before you can climb which isn't really my bag.

[Richie Crouch]

I bought it the other day Keith and think it's a nice guide to read through and get a bit inspired by. He did take a fair few photos in winter it seems with a lot of green looking boulders. The larger shots are on the whole pretty nice and the maps look clear and simple to follow. I noticed about 5-6 mistakes going through it which is a shame but I thought the positives outweighed the negatives.

It doesn't cover trois pignons or Buthiers..etc which may be an issue if you want to visit a lot of areas further from fontainebleau town, which I gather will be in the part 2 or 3 guide of the same series?

It is nice to have a photo topo of every problem though, a bit less cryptic to work out what things are.

[SA Chris]

which I gather will be in the part 2 or 3 guide of the same series?

That's going to end up a large hole in the wallet if you get them all.

[ksjs]

£29/35euro is alot of money.

i thought so too but figured it was probably due to number of photos (though im no print costs expert)

[ksjs]

I've got the 7+8's (both editions)

think this might be the vote that seals things - nobody seems that fussed on it and if youve got BOTH editions of 7+8 that says something

[Paul B]

I wanted to try some of the stuff that was off by itself and these kind of areas weren't covered by the previous guide.

All in, I'd try to track down a copy of the Font bible, I heard Neil H had a few to sell. If you haven't heard of it, some guy (from the Netherlands?) has basically compiled all of the guides into one and then fixed OS maps to match them.

Maybe not the most aesthetic book but certainly impressive.

I'd probably be quite happy to part company with my 1st edition of the 7+8's which I believe is in pretty good condition.

[ksjs]

It is nice to have a photo topo of every problem though, a bit less cryptic to work out what things are.

hi Rich,

this (and the author's experience) is largely what appealed to me and should help give a feel for an area without necessarily needing to go there (slack attitude i know and not one i would indulge if i had more time to explore). on reflection it is quite pricey for a guide that only covers a limited area. there is however a lot in there so i guess its fair.

it sounds to me like most people would plump for 7+8s if they had to make a choice so i'll probably go with this and maybe borrow something to give a bit more choice for lower grades.

cheers everyone for thoughts and replies 

[ksjs]

I'd probably be quite happy to part company with my 1st edition of the 7+8's which I believe is in pretty good condition.

i'll try and get a look at both and see if its worth getting the more up to date one. if not i'll give you a shout. cheers

[a dense loner]

£29 for a guide? people are on drugs.
i didn't like the black one either, ok if you speak german ish, so much so that when i borrowed one for a few days i didn't bother taking it out.
sounds like a combo of 7+8 and a.n.other is perfect. you could buy pauls old 7+8 it won't be spoiled by tickmarks

[Adam Lincoln]

I wanted to try some of the stuff that was off by itself and these kind of areas weren't covered by the previous guide.

All in, I'd try to track down a copy of the Font bible, I heard Neil H had a few to sell. If you haven't heard of it, some guy (from the Netherlands?) has basically compiled all of the guides into one and then fixed OS maps to match them.

I'll send you the email address of the guy.

[a dense loner]

what about chris's number?

[Adam Lincoln]

what about chris's number?

He has a new mobile