The first 7B in the forest in 1977, holds were manufactured by Jérôme Jean-Charles, who believed that possibilities for hard climbing had been exhausted and the only way to progress was to add holds to 'unclimbable' rock.
Topo Bleau:
But Cuvier is also the massif of all the wrong turns, given how much the rock has been altered. Nowhere else are there so many manufactured holds, so many holds patched with cement. In a way, that was the price of progress.
But let’s not throw our hammers at the heads of those who came before. In the spirit of the time, they weren’t violating any ethical principle, because it hadn’t yet been recognised that chipping actually limits the standard. In other words, it unconsciously avoided engaging with the rock itself. It took 17 years to go from 7a to 7b, and only 7 years from 7b to 8a. (1)
In 2001 the problem was vandalised by a disgruntled local climber, who attempted to chip off the starting hold, making the problem harder. (2)
[2] On The Edge issue 110, page 10
Fontainebleau
| 7B | No vote |
|---|---|
| 1 | 4 |
5 successful ascents recorded.
| Climber | Style | Ascent Date | Suggested Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jérôme Jean-Charles | Boulder | worked | 1977 | 7B | |
| First ascent. | ||||
|
First 7B in the Forest. Chipped. Upgraded to 7B+ in 2001 after further chipping. |
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| Bertrand Couzy | Boulder | worked | 1979 | ||
| Second ascent. | ||||
References[1] Godoffe, J. 'Blocs en stock: Le Cuvier', 1993 |
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| Ben Moon | Boulder | worked | 1983 | ||
References |
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| Dany Riche | Boulder | worked | 1988 | ||
| First female ascent. | ||||
| Spike Fullwood | Boulder | worked | 10th Apr 2024 | ||