Charles Albert, barefoot climber also known as Barefoot Charles and Mowgli, is a French boulderer best known for climbing difficult Fontainebleau problems without climbing shoes. He began experimenting with barefoot climbing as a teenager and gradually made it his normal way of climbing.
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His unusual style has not stopped him from climbing at the highest levels of bouldering. He has made first ascents including La Révolutionnaire 8C+, Hypothèse Assis 8C+, No Kpote Only, L’Ombre du Voyageur and, most recently, Charlatan, for which he proposed 9A.
His climbing is particularly interesting because the difficulty of his ascents cannot always be separated from the way he climbs them. Several of his hardest problems have subsequently received different grades or different methods from repeaters.
Key Facts about Charles Albert
| Name | Charles Albert |
| Date of birth | 10 September 1997 |
| Nationality | Nationality French |
| Known for | Barefoot bouldering and difficult first ascents |
| Main climbing area | Fontainebleau, France |
| Nicknames | Barefoot Charles, Mowgli |
| Climbing discipline | Bouldering |
| Notable first ascents | La Révolutionnaire, No Kpote Only, L’Ombre du Voyageur, Charlatan |
| Notable ascents | Valse aux adieux prolongée, Le pied a Coulisse 8c |
| Highest proposed grade | 9A |
| Climbing style | Usually barefoot; often avoids equipment such as knee pads |
| Known for | Developing his own projects as well as climbing established problems |
Who is Charles Albert?
Charles Albert is a French boulderer climbing mainly in Fontainebleau. From 2010 he climbed multiple hardest boulders barefoot. As this is most unusual to climb without shoes he stood out from the crowd. Along with his ethics to climb without shoes he also avoids using other equipment as knee pads and or crashpads.
The name Mowgli was given to him, not only because of his appearance, but he actually lived in the caves of Fontainebleau for about five years. Through this experience he knows the forest like no other. Describing it as the place where he can be alone and free from expectations.
Climbing barefoot
When Charles Albert was a teenager he began experimenting with this form of climbing. At the age of 15 seeing his father climbing barefoot he removed his climbing shoes that were too small and tried it too. Where he struggled earlier with shoes he now could climb. A big encouragement to continue trying this form.
He also mentioned the example of Patrick Edlinger who climbed some of his climbs barefeet. In his opinion climbing barefoot makes you more conscious of your foot placement, you can’t just place it simply where it would touch the wall.
His progress in climbing barefoot was remarkable. At age 18 he could climb 8a with shoes, but could climb 8c without shoes.
Differences between climbing barefoot and with shoes
If you climb with shoes, the shoes allow you to stand on edges and smaller surface. This is made possible thanks to the stiffness of the shoes. Charles places his feet and toes on the same spots but uses the surface of his feet not on the edge to smear the rock. This way he gains more surface and thus friction to stand on. Yet this does not compensate for the loss in power climbing with shoes. Charles mentions he compensates with arms and finger strength. Additionally he has adapted his climbing style around climbing shoeless.
He likes the simplicity and style of movement. Free from shoes and other aids as kneepads.
Repeating and creating
After repeating hard boulders he began to find his own projects. Climbing La Révolutionnaire 8c, and later finding a sit start making it harder 8c+. Délire Onirique Assis and Bélial both 8c followed.
The boulder problem No Kpote Only was a topic on its own. In 2018 he climbed it and proposed 9a. But Ryohei Kameyama repeated it and proposed a lower grade, later Nico Pelorson repeated it too and proposed an even lower grade
Something similar occurred with Lómbre du Yoyageur in Mont Saleve near Geneva. He proposed 9a but the repeater Pietro Vidi proposed 8b+.
Charles did mention specially for the second boulder that the experience and difficulty is totally different with or without aids as shoes and kneepads.
In 2026 he sends Charlatan in Fontainebleau. It was his 8 year old project. Spending over 100 sessions in 4 seasons on it. For this problem he has proposed 9a. Lets see if the ones repeating agrees with him.
Charles Albert’s first ascents
| Problem | Location | Proposed grade | Notes |
| La Révolutionnaire | Fontainebleau | 8C | First ascent in 2016 |
| La Révolutionnaire, extension | Fontainebleau | 8C+ | Added lower-start moves in 2017 |
| Délire Onirique Assis | Fontainebleau | 8C | First ascent |
| Bélial | Fontainebleau | 8C | First ascent |
| No Kpote Only | Fontainebleau | 9A | Later received lower assessments |
| L’Ombre du Voyageur | Mont Salève | 9A | Long roof crack; later repeated using a very different method |
| Charlatan | Fontainebleau | 9A | First ascent in March 2026 after an eight-year project |
grades in this table are the proposed grades by Charles
Sources
- PlanetMountain — Charles Albert bouldering barefoot in Fontainebleau — First-hand interview material about Charles Albert’s relationship with Fontainebleau and his reasons for climbing barefoot.
- Fanatic Climbing — Interview: Charles Albert — 2017 interview covering Albert’s early experiments with barefoot climbing, progression and first ascents.
- 8a.nu — Q&A with Charles Albert — Interview discussing barefoot climbing, grading, equipment and Albert’s approach to bouldering.
- PlanetMountain — No Kpote Only — Information about Albert’s first ascent of No Kpote Only and the subsequent discussion about its grade.
- La Crux — L’Ombre du Voyageur — Covers Albert’s first ascent of L’Ombre du Voyageur, his proposed 9A grade and his comparison with No Kpote Only.
- Fanatic Climbing — Second ascent of L’Ombre du Voyageur — Documents Pietro Vidi’s second ascent and the substantially different method he used.
- 8a.nu — Charles Albert FA’s Charlatan 9A barefoot — Covers Albert’s 2026 first ascent of Charlatan, including the history of the project and his proposed grade.
- Climbing History — Charles Albert — Chronological overview of Albert’s recorded ascents. Useful as a cross-check for dates, problems and grades rather than as the sole source for individual historical claims.
- Bleau.info — Charles Albert problem record, Gréau — Problem and ascent information from Fontainebleau.
- Bleau.info — Charles Albert problem record, Gros Sablons — Problem and ascent information.
- Bleau.info — Charles Albert problem record, Rocher Brûlé — Problem and ascent information.
- Climbing History — L’Ombre du Voyageur — Dedicated record for L’Ombre du Voyageur, including its first ascent and subsequent ascents.
- Bleau.info — Charles Albert problem record, Isatis — Problem and ascent information from the Isatis sector.