Mellow Expeditions - @bengreenie15

For this month’s Mellow Expeditions feature, we caught up with good friend of the brand, @bengreenie15. Back in September, Ben and a couple other guys from the @cmn.ground community took it upon themselves to spend a week out in the Fontainebleau climbing big rocks and drinking good wine. The ultimate combination for many, just maybe not at the same time..

Hello hello, in September me and 10 other mates went to Fontainebleau or Font as it’s referred to by most climbers. It’s a place about an hour south of Paris with an unbelievable amount of bouldering routes. A few people I’ve met have called it the ‘Mecca of Bouldering’. 

We spent 6 days bouldering, after a short stop in Paris on the way down. Two of the lads had a nightmare with their van breaking down about an hour from their house, ended up getting a flight out and meeting us in Paris before heading down to Font as a team. 

Once we arrived in Font, it was class. There were so many options both in terms of style of route and difficulty. It was great spending the whole day out in the sun, climbing as much as we wanted and just being surrounded by good people. 

It probably wasn’t the best I’ve ever climbed or the hardest grades I’ve ever achieved but it was the most fun I’ve ever had. 

By the 3rd or 4th day I had no skin left on my fingers, I’m not used to climbing so much or outdoors. Even those days where I climbed a lot less, just being engulfed by the boulders, forrest and sun was lovely. I could have sat and watched people climb all day. 

The way the bouldering community has grown and the fact opportunities like this arise is something I never saw happening when I started going down to my local climbing gym for a bit of fun and fitness. 

 Hoping the same group can get away again 2024 for more bouldering!