Mark Brand ticks The Big Island (8C)

Mark Brand, with two 8B+’ under his belt, has completed The Big Island (8C) in Fontainebleau. “Wow, really happy with this one. Such an iconic hard boulder in Font. Couldn't train much over the last little while and felt a bit out of shape before coming, so it was surprising how well this boulder went. No expectations, just joy.”

Can you tell us more about the ascent and the process behind?
So yeah, I decided to take a short trip to Fontainebleau just after setting for the Youth Boulder Nationals. I hadn't really been able to train much in the period prior and hadn't climbed outside since the end of October, so I didn't have any big expectations or goals for the trip. It was quite warm over the weekend, but some overcast weather made me decide to have a session on The Big Island to check where my shape was at. I had tried it before, but always just a singular session with months to a years between them. The session went suprisingly well, quickly doing the boulder in two parts and sticking the crimp twice in a window of 5 minutes.

On Tuesday I had a shorter session in full sun, but felt too tired from Sunday and the 'restday'on Monday. The day after temperatures dropped a bit and it was cloudy. I went back to The Big Island, just to see how much progression I could make before heading home. There was no real pressure to do the boulder, the boulder felt possible to me and I could always come back later. I was already happy with the progression I made on the boulder, which put me in a good headspace to just enjoy the session and see how far I could push it this trip.

Conditions were definitely a bit better than before and I felt good while warming up. After some tries and a small beta change I ended up sticking the foot transistion after getting the crimp (which was the redpoint crux for me) and I climbed the boulder. It felt amazing to finish such an iconic line in Fontainebleau and one that has been living in the back of my mind for quite a while.

How come you think it was possible to send with not so much training or outdoor climbing lately? How was your mental game?
I didn't have a lot of expectations before coming and even after the first session I was content with just seeing how much progession I could make on the boulder. This put me in a good place to just enjoy the sessions. Also knowing could quite easily come back another time, be it in a couple of weeks or at the end of the year when it is a bit colder. This all made me feel no real pressure even when giving it proper goes.