Lots of crags are on UKC such as
Le Diplodocus which we visited last year. The Bouldering grades are generally in font format.
Wikipedia has a nice comparison table to translate from the V-grades we use in the London climbing gyms.
Suggested Guidebook(s): Last year we found
Fontainebleau Fun Bloc and
Fontainebleau Top Secret (both by
David Atchinson-Jones) to be the very useful guides for the area, however there are literally hundreds of guides each covering different aspects of the forest so any guidebook will be helpful!
Generally the climbing is broken down in to colour coordinated circuits of 20-40 climbs in an area.
1. Yellow/ Orange. Stress free circuits that are perfect for an introduction to the unique feeling of climbing on sandstone – these can also be a little tricky as many will be polished from popularity. VB to V0.
2. Blue/ Red. Completing one of these circuits is a worthy challenge and seen as a rite of passage for visiting climbers – these shouldn’t be underestimated! V0 to V4.
3. Black/ White. These circuits require nothing less than some serious projecting over the course of a few sessions that will require giving blood, sweat and fingertips to complete. V1 to V10 (yes…V1. Think of these as comp routes).