Written in Stone: Climbing History

By Plug Tone AudioSociety & Culture Documentary Sports History Wilderness

Written in Stone: Climbing History episodes

September 21 Bart Van Raaij | 400 Trips to Fontainebleau, Writing Climbing Guidebooks, Bleau.info and More
Bart Van Raaij is the owner of Bleau.info, the author of the popular 5+6 and 7+8 guides, and is obsessed with Fontainebleau. Since the 1980s he's visited Fontainebleau more than 400 times, despite living 6 hours away. In this episode, we hear the stories of his first time doing legendary boulders like Carnage, Berezina, Amok, and more. We discuss why he would choose to write a guide to a seemingly endless area so far from home, and why the history matters to him. Check out Bleau.info at https://bleau.info/
Find Bart's guides at https://www.7plus8.com/
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1 hr 8 min
September 14 Jacky Godoffe | Making Climbing History in Fontainebleau, Big Boss, Fatman, C'Était Demain and More
Jacky Godoffe joins me to chat about legends of Fontainebleau: Jerome Jean-Charles, Robert Paragot, Pierre Allain, Fred Nicole, and more. We hear the stories of his boulders Big Boss, Fatman, and C'Était Demain, as well as stories about Carnage, La Pierre Philosophale, La Merveille and more.
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1 hr 14 min
August 19 You're Wrong About The Limits of Climbing
A few thoughts that combine all of the things I spend time thinking about while I get together the Bleau interviews.
The future of climbing difficulty isn't only about the size of holds or the distance between them. In fact, that's rarely what changes things. It's more about the climbers and their skills.
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DISCLAIMER: Climbing and training for climbing is inherently dangerous. Anything you do is at your own risk and Power Company Climbing and our coaches takes no responsibility.
13 min
August 03 The History of Fontainebleau Bouldering Circuits
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Bouldering began as a way to train for the mountains, but by the mid 1940s in Fontainebleau, it had started to form it's own identity. A Bleausard named Fred Bernick had an idea that would continue the tradition of preparing for those mountain routes: Circuits. He laid out the first two, and inspired by a piece of Fontainebleau history from the late 1800s, he marked them with painted arrows.
They were instantly popular. 80 years later, there are over 370 of Bernick's circuits.
Resources can be found at https://www.plugtoneaudio.com/written-in-stone
Support the restoration of Fontainebleau: https://www.fondation-patrimoine.org/les-projets/sauvons-la-foret-de-fontainebleau-/105641
Music:
"Sneaky Snitch" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
"Cello Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Hob. VIIb:1" Aspen Symphony Orchestra
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
"écoutez ça" Alix Combelle
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
"Fariboles" Alix Combelle
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
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"Rue Deperre" Alix Combelle
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
"L'horloge du grand-père" Alix Combelle
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
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34 min
July 09 The First V6 (7A) Boulder | Robert Paragot and The Joker
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Perhaps the most powerful force in the early years of Fontainebleau bouldering history was the consistent changing of the guard. Every few years a new group would supplant the old, bringing new ideas, updated ethics, and stronger fingers. But when a brash group of climbers, formed from the best of several groups, the difficulty standards of the previous leaders, Pierre Allain's Convicts of Cuvier, were left in the dust.
Led by Robert Paragot, a young climber who often wore only his PA's and his underwear and climbed while smoking a cigarette, this new group would do battle for several major projects, resulting in the world's first V6 (7A) boulder, The Joker.
And just as suddenly as they'd shown up, they'd disappear from Cuvier.
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Watch Paragot par Paragot: https://vimeo.com/465783740

Music:
"Blue Eyed Baby" Alix Combelle
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
"Elle et Li" Alix Combelle
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
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"Rue Deperré" Alix Combelle
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
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"Ma Chanson Triste (Melancholie)" Alix Combelle
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
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"Ambiance (In The Mood)" Alix Combelle
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
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Willie Dixon
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"Divertissement dans une Fonderie" Alix Combelle
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
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"Fou (Mad)" Alix Combelle
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
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"Nerves and Fever" Alix Combelle
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
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"La-Da-Da-La-La" Alix Combelle
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
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47 min
June 22 World's First 6A (V3) Boulder and The Convicts of Cuvier
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Shortly after WWII, a new group formed in Fontainebleau. They called themselves the Cuvier Academic Club, but were quickly known as The Convicts of Cuvier. Led by Pierre Allain, René Ferlet, Guy Poullet and Jacques Poincenot, this group would raise standards in the forest with the first ascent of La Marie Rose, the first V3 (6A) in the world.
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The Fontainebleau Boulder post mentioned in the video: https://www.instagram.com/p/DZ1sYqwDE6a/?img_index=1

Music:
"Tel Quel (En Plein Sur le Nez)" Alix Combelle
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Willie Dixon
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
"Panassie Stomp" Alix Combelle
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
"Midi à Jalopi (12 O'Clock in Jalopi)" Alix Combelle
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
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"Strictement pour les Persans (Strictly for the Persians)" Alix Combelle
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
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"That Blue-Eyed Baby From Memphis" Don Redman
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"Mush Mouth" Claude Hopkins
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"Joyeuse Fumée (Holy Smoke)" Alix Combelle
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38 min
June 08 Pierre Allain: The First Superstar of Modern Bouldering
After World War 1, bouldering began to shapeshift into something that very closely resembles the modern day game. At the forefront of that movement was Pierre Allain, a climber who was openly competitive and aimed to be the best. Also a talented and accomplished alpinist, Allain invented much of the gear we take for granted today, including the first shoes specifically for climbing -- and they were shaped by bouldering in Fontainebleau.
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45 min
May 25 Fontainebleau and the Birth of Bouldering as We Know It
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By 1908, people had been practicing on boulders for over 25 years, but it lacked something essential to bouldering: community. In Fontainebleau, groups of climbers with a shared passion would unite around the sandstone blocs and forever shape the game of bouldering.
Resources can be found at https://www.plugtoneaudio.com/written-in-stone

40 min
May 18 Was Oscar Eckenstein Really the First Boulderer? Featuring Efix Roy
Was Oscar Eckenstein the first boulderer? What does that even mean? This season, we are asking and trying to answer some big questions. In this episode, I talk with our research assistant, Efix Roy, about the big question raised by the first episode of the season.
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Bouldering & The Vertical Path by John Gill
20 min
May 11 The First Boulderer and His Occultist Protégé: Oscar Eckenstein and Aleister Crowley
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People have likely climbed on boulders for all of human history, but in the late 1800's, one man began advocating for climbing on boulders as a way to become a better climber. His name was Oscar Eckenstein, and he fundamentally changed the way we climb. Was he the first boulderer?
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Resources can be found at https://www.plugtoneaudio.com/written-in-stone

Music:
"Concerto No. 4 in F minor, Op. 8, RV 297, 'L'inverno' (Winter)" The Modena Chamber Orchestra (https://musopen.org)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
"String Quartet no. 2 in B minor - IV. Allegro furioso" Steve's Bedroom Band (https://musopen.org)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
"Nocturne in B flat minor, Op. 9 no. 1" Eduardo Vinuela (https://musopen.org)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
"String Quartet, Op.25 - II. Intermezzo. Andante con moto, quasi allegretto" Steve's Bedroom Band (https://musopen.org)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
"The Wand of Youth, Suite no. 1, Op. 1a - II. Serenade ( For String Quartet - Jones)" Steve's Bedroom Band (https://musopen.org)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

36 min

About Written in Stone: Climbing History

From the publisher's feed

Written in Stone tells the (mostly) true stories of the most groundbreaking ascents in rock climbing history, one climb at a time. Hosted by Kris Hampton, you’ll hear the narrated, sound designed stories about what led to new levels, shifted the culture, and changed the game. You'll also get conversations with the climbers who were there and those who were inspired by what went down way back then.

Season One: The 1990s and the explosion of sport climbing.