[Andy W]

I've got some time free and thinking about Font, having never been at Easter before and hearing it's a bit mental, I'm wondering how bad is it? bearing in mind that I'm a miserable ant social old git.

[Lund]

Mental in some ways: the honey pot sites are all packed, the gites are booked up, and all the decent accommodation is bursting.

However, it being font, you can always go somewhere were there won't be hardly anyone, e.g. renaissance, or any number of other venues.

[erm, sam]

It is pretty busy, but if you get to spots early or late in the day it is a lot quieter. Also spots with a bit of a walk, eg rocher fin, diplodocus etc are quieter. Also, I have to be honest I find large groups of loud english people more annoying than other nationalities, so it is not so much the business as the nationality of the business that has the most impact on my enjoyment.
As I now go with the family East is the only time I go really, and I still have really great time, despite being pretty crowd phobic when climbing in the UK.

[fried]

Any of the honey pot areas near car parks will be packed but seeing as there are so many problems, just choose something less well known, there are about 65 other 6As at Cuvier if Marie Rose is packed....Anywhere off the track will normally be empty as usual. Last Easter I climbed at Grande Montagne and it was empty and Canche aux Mercier which looked like an indoor wall.

I generally find group of British better behaved than some other groups.

Oh,and don't go to the renaissance as it will be full of Italian painters, the reconnaissance on the other hand

[Offwidth]

 I should imagine it will be horrid this year. Wet weather venues rammed, loads of poor practice as people try and eake out mileage on damp rock. Lousy forecast (albeit improved!)

http://www.meteofrance.com/previsions-meteo-france/ile-de-france/regi11

[T_B]

I should imagine it will be horrid this year. Wet weather venues rammed, loads of poor practice as people try and eake out mileage on damp rock. Lousy forecast (albeit improved!)

A bit like Stanage Plantation then eh 

At least there's cheap wine, croissants and fewer miserable moaning Brits than at home.

Sunshine and showers is par for the course in Font (unless you're there this week!), it's been so incredibly dry that I expect lots of things will dry off quickly.

A thousand apologies for not being a doom monger.

[Offwidth]

Hardly doom mongering.. I've been a lot at Easter and usually had a great time and showers give the skin a rest. I can't remember the last time I looked at a Font forecast and saw rain and heavy showers pretty much non stop for a 6 day period I was interested in (it has improved a bit now). I love Font (and quite like the Plantation) but the damage is getting depressing. Climbing on wet sandstone or with damp shoes carrying sand does erode things a lot faster. There are loads of other things to do in the area if the rock is wet. In terms of the practice on view, the UK venues seem better behaved to me

Good cheap wine and croissants never match the local feel but you can get them at home and the beer here is miles better.

[dave]

If it's any consolation it really is dry as a fucking bone right now. I mean really dry. It really is very very dry. Dry would be the first word I would use to describe the level of moisture at the moment. Absolutely is dry.

[Dolly]

So what are you saying Dave ?

[Will Hunt]

And the connies have been mint. Often overcast with a gentle breeze. And the magic elbow and skin fairy is doing the rounds at night keeping everybody topped up. I'm really not sure why you would have booked for next week.

[dave]

So what are you saying Dave ?

It's quite dry. Characterised by the absence of moisture.

[slackline]

I'm really not sure why you would have booked for next week.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

[T_B]

I'm really not sure why you would have booked for next week.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

That's putting it politely! I really need to re-calibrate my crystal ball.

[nai]

I'm really not sure why you would have booked for next week.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

School holidays are spread out with Easter falling early this year, some LAs have gone for the week either side, some the two weeks following and some ignore it all together and stick with two weeks in April.  So this week won't have been an option for a lot of folk.  Quite glad Sheffield and Leeds don't overlap or we'd have been going next week and I'd be going nuts looking at the forecast.

[ghisino]

I'll make a little coup de gueule about chalk abuse.

This week i've been to cusinière and to a new spot in apremont, and both had holds plastered with shitloads of chalk. Way more than last week.

There was this guy on Monday trying bleurb with 2mm of chalk on the starting slopers, not even getting his heel up since it was impossible to hold them in such conditions, and yet he kept chalking abundantly before each of his pathetic attemps!!! No sign of a brush!!!
I was very close to either walk in and brush the hold or starting an argument...

[Will Hunt]

Trying angle Ben's last year I had to keep politely (I hope) remove the big pat of chalk that a Czech bloke was repeatedly plastering over that right foot smear on the face.
 

[boxmonkey]

I went last Easter and it was busy but a great atmosphere. One thing about font is that it's more than just the climbing - it's the place itself, the history and how it brings people from all over the world together. I met so many people. It was very social. You'll get lots of that at Easter while you wait for a chance to jump on a problem.

I loved it. No problem. Except the traffic on the roads around Paris was diabolical and the French police handling of the dozen or so accidents on the ring road was pretty laissez faire. Then my car caught fire at one point and I got heckled by a wedding party who were annoyed at my flaming car interrupting their wedding. Other than that - it's great. Go!