Also known as the clan of Rochassiers. In the sandy forests of Fontainebleau, just south of Paris, the history of modern rock climbing found its most humble and influential beginning. Long before bouldering became a global sport with indoor gyms and Olympic medals, a group of restless young Parisians known as the Groupe des Rochassiers (the Group of Rock-Climbers) laid the groundwork for an entire discipline.
The rochassier did not have a president, treasurer or any formal organisation. To become a member you had to be a member of the Alpin Club and just as Wehrlin a “Fanatic of mountains”.
Founded around 1908, this informal brotherhood was founded or lead by Jacques Wehrlin, shifting the focus from the summit to the sheer technical challenge of the movement itself. Most of them were students. The best between them at the time was Jean Maunoury. Werhlin was the soul of the group until the first big war. He invented Sundays spent in hobnailed boots, with bulging packs and coils of rope slung over the shoulder, setting out from the Gare de Lyon.
Traveling in a group numbered 10 to 20. They would sing this song (translated from french)
Have you met that strange band
Roaming the Fontainebleau forest in every direction?
With packs on their backs and climbing boots on their feet,
From the *Dame Jeanne* to the *Cuvier*—they are the *Rochassiers*.
A proud gait,
A haughty air,
Dirty hands and a cheerful heart;
Climbers,
Never sad—
Such is the true *Rochassier*.
There was one woman who joined the Rochassier on those Sundays, Alice Agussol, who later married and became Alice Damesne, short, chubby woman who was one of the best female alpinists between the two wars.
Dedicated to this training they would spend much time here. Even Christmas was celebrated together in Cuvier Chatillon in Fontainebleau.
The Rochassier played the game to find the most difficult way to climb at la Damme Jouanne, formerly known as Damme Jeanne.
The Birth of the “Bleausards“
At the turn of the 20th century, rock climbing in France was largely viewed as a secondary skill—a necessary evil practiced only to reach the high Alpine peaks of Chamonix or the Ecrins. However, for a group of students and young professionals in Paris, the 60-kilometer trip to the Alps was too long and expensive for a weekend.
Instead, they took the train to the Forest of Fontainebleau. There, among the massive, weathered sandstone boulders, they discovered a “chaos” of rock that offered technical puzzles as difficult as anything found in the high mountains. The members of the Groupe des Rochassiers became the first true “Bleausards” (Fontainebleau climbers), treating the forest not just as a training ground, but as a destination in its own right.+2
Key Figures and the Culture of “Sans Guide”
The group was notable for its lack of formal hierarchy. As contemporary accounts note, it had no statutes, no secretary, and no dues. Membership required only two things: belonging to the Club Alpin Français (CAF) and being “fanatical” about mountain routes.
Among its most influential leaders were:
- Jacques Wehrlin: A visionary who established the “Fissure Wehrlin” in 1908, a route that remains a classic benchmark today.
- Pierre Le Bec and André Jacquemart: Who, alongside Wehrlin, formed the core trio of the group.
- Jacques de Lépiney: A later member who helped bridge the gap between bouldering and high-altitude mountaineering.
These men pioneered “alpinisme sans guide” (mountaineering without guides), an empowering movement that encouraged climbers to take full responsibility for their own safety and route-finding—a radical departure from the tradition of wealthy tourists being led up peaks by local professionals.
A Laboratory for Innovation
The Groupe des Rochassiers transformed Fontainebleau into a laboratory. Because the boulders were low to the ground (seldom exceeding 10–12 meters), the risk of a fatal fall was lower, allowing the climbers to push the limits of what was physically possible.
Technical Milestones
- The Fissure de la Prestat / La Prestat (1914): Jacques de Lépiney shocked the climbing world by ascending this crack, which pushed the standards of difficulty to what we would now consider the 5.8 or 5.9 range.
- Specialized Gear: The group’s obsession with friction and precision eventually led to the development of the first specialized climbing shoes. Later members like Pierre Allain (who joined the successor group, the Groupe de Haute Montagne) would invent the smooth-soled rubber climbing shoe, a direct evolution of the techniques started by the Rochassiers.
The Legacy: From Fontainebleau to the World
The influence of the Groupe des Rochassiers cannot be overstated. By the 1920s and 30s, the informal spirit of the Rochassiers evolved into the more structured Groupe de Bleau. The ethics they established—valuing the “pure” line, the difficulty of the move, and the preservation of the rock—became the cornerstone of modern bouldering.
They were among the first to realize that climbing was a “game of passion,” as member Maurice Damesme later described it. It wasn’t just about reaching the top; it was about the “assiduous and persistent” assault on a route that resisted you until you finally succumbed through technique and effort.
Today, when climbers visit Fontainebleau to tackle its world-famous circuits, they are walking in the footsteps of the Rochassiers. These young Parisians, in their ties and jackets, climbing with hobnailed boots and hemp ropes, proved that you didn’t need a 4,000-meter peak to find adventure—you only needed a boulder and the will to master it.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fontainebleau_rock_climbing
https://www.climbing.com/travel/fontainebleaus-bouldering-circuits/
https://fontainebleaurules.com/history
1st Edition: Modica, G., & Godoffe, J. (2017). Fontainebleau: 100 ans d’escalade. Éditions du Mont-Blanc.