There exist 100+ boulders graded 8C and harder, out of which just a few are in Fontainebleau. In 2005, the hardest Boulder in Font was 8B at the same time as some were already doing 8C+'s around the globe. For example Antoine Vandeputte had an 8A+ Font personal best when he did Tonino 78 8C+ in 2005. Around 2004, 8a started to question the hard core grades outside Font and in the beginning we were heavily criticized for it. In 2005, Dave Graham opened The Story of Two (Grading) Worlds as an 8C and this, together with downgrading suggestions from 8a, stopped the grade inflation. In fact, most hard core grades outside Font have later been downgraded. The strangest thing is that in Fontainebleau, the locals seem to have the opposite grading mentality. We asked the question to Pierre Délas – Font local who is running the new Fanatic Climbing page. Here is his answer, and his picture of Paul Robinson doing the classical Kheops that has been upgraded from 7C+ to 8B: “In Font, there is a sort of downgrading game. When a new hard problem is opened it's a sort of challenge to repeat it quickly and to suggest a downgrade, because on the one hand it’s very technical, and new and easier betas are often found. Also on the other hand, it's a sort of challenge to test the grading credibility of the one who has proposed this new boulder, because there’s a tradition of being careful with the grading here. Now it's more quiet but at the end of the 90’s and in the beginning of the 2000's when all the hard classics of the forest were put up, it was like a jungle or war with different clans and some epic stories! So in Font we are now used to propose solid grades, because there is a sort of tradition and one to be taken serious by the community. Have a look at 7C+ test pieces like Proueptologue or Deforestation for example…Some boulders like “Realist” opened as 8B+ now downgraded at 7C+/8A… Most of the active climbers who are opening new problems in Font are now very prudent. On the other side, it’s important to be homogenous in the area and some boulders have been upgraded with 1-2-3 grades to fit the modern standard. The best example is Kheops, a standard 8B opened by Laurent Avare with the 7C+ grade. That’s maybe why the Font bouldering grade is so famous all around the world and we are proud of this! For finishing I would say that bouldering in Font is so specific with bad friction, compression on slopers. Very physical and technical at the same time. Smooth, sensitive with some tricky balance to feel. That’s why it’s magical ! Grading and climbing here are unique! Remember Jacky Godoffe’s sentence: Font is the climbing move laboratory !”

Charles Albert, who always climbs barefoot, has done the FA of Marc LeMenestrel's original unrepeated L'Alchimiste left exit, after some holds were chopped about ten years ago. Nalle Hukkataival and Alban Levier have done it with a slightly different right exit, calling it an 8C. The 18-year-old barefoot climber thinks the left version is an 8B+. "Mowgli" stopped using shoes three years ago and says the biggest problem is that you have to rest more in order for the toe skin to recover. Previously, he had done one 8C traverse.

Fanatic Climbing has made an interview with Charles Albert, who did an 8C yesterday, giving it a personal grade of 8B+. The interesting fact is that the 18-year-old seldom trains indoor and the only training he does beside Bouldering is stretching. (c) Neil Hart "Yesterday I was climbing alone without pads and luckily I met Kevin Thibaut and Mounir (strong but low profile Font locals) who were trying it. I joined them and I managed to send it on my first real session trying the left version. Regarding the grade, I would say for me it’s not harder than “Gecko assis”, the 8B+ I did barefoot last year… I also tried the sit start of “Alchimiste” which adds an easy but beautiful move but doesn’t change the difficulty. I have not done the sit-start version but will come back and try sending the whole thing because it makes the line even more beautiful !"

Fanatic Climbing has made an interview with Alban Levier, who won one Boulder WC in 2015 and who has been one of the most productive boulderers in the world in the last few months. - I’ve been training for the next comp season for the last 4 months (it starts in April). I think my training is paying off. I feel good, so I’m profiting from it! I´m physically on form so I´m just trying not to fix any mental limits on myself. So I´ve simply said I´ll try some hard lines which have received few repeats, and it’s all going right!

"One more time so happy ! Today I sent le Surplomb de la Mée sit start 8b+"
This means that the 21-year-old has done three 8B+'s and three 8C's in just two months. Posted by Alban Levier on Friday, January 29, 2016

Adam Ondra has joined up czech rope producers - TENDON. "Follow your Quest" is a challenge they started last year to motivate fanatic climbers to overcome their limits. "Describe the process of realization and let us share your experience." Follow your Quest video. The winner will fly to Flatanger and climb with Adam Ondra for one day. He will give advises for your climbing project or you can just chill out with other great climbers in a beautiful Norwegian landscape.

Michael Füchsle had climbed since the late 80s and used to do FAs up to 8a+ in the early 90s. After Intestinal breakthrough 2005 with a full-body paralysis Michael has begun to climb again in 2012. The 49-year-old is 90% severely disabled and has next to a colostomy (stoma ILEO) strong polyneurophathy in legs and arms as well as several anal fistulas. Last year Michael participated in two International Para Climb events where he could occupy the 5th place respectively, and did some Boulders up to 7B in Austria and England. In 2016, he is going to compete in the World Championships in Paris and possibly go for an 8a, training some 10 hours a week.

A petite belayer makes the falls softer but with a 33% weight difference it starts to get dangerous. In the gyms, the smaller climber can often attach some 15 kilograms to their harness but in reality it is not practical and it can be a big problem outdoors. With all the new kids in our sport, the weight difference problem is increasing. At ISPO 2016 Edelrid presented an OHM balancing weight differences, which won the IPSO award. The OHM works like an assisted braking resistor that you place in the first bolt. The friction is increased and helps the lighter climber not to be pulled high from the ground or thrown against the wall. One potential downside is, however, that when your partner is high up with a lot of rope drag it will be harder to give a dynamic fall unless you have a friend removing the OHM.

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