The Trailblazer of Modern Bouldering (First 6b and 6c Climbs in 1950)
Introduction: A Milestone in Bouldering History
Bouldering — climbing short, difficult sequences without ropes — has evolved dramatically since its informal beginnings. Within this evolution, certain climbers stand out for pushing the boundaries of what was possible. One such figure is Paul Jouy, a French climber credited with performing the first documented ascents of 6b La Stalingrad and 6c le Carre D’as boulder problems in 1950 at Fontainebleau, France — a milestone that marked a significant progression in the sport’s difficulty standards.
Who Was Paul Jouy?
Paul Jouy emerged as an influential climber in the post-World War II period, at a time when bouldering was transitioning from a casual training practice for alpinists into a sport with its own culture, techniques, and grading systems. While less widely recognized today than later generational figures, Jouy’s contributions in the early years of modern bouldering are foundational.
Fontainebleau: The Birthplace of Hard Bouldering
Fontainebleau, a sprawling forest south of Paris, is widely considered one of the most important historic and contemporary bouldering areas in the world. Climbers there developed graded problems that served as benchmarks for difficulty progression throughout the 20th century.
In the early 1900s, bouldering at Fontainebleau was mostly terrain practice for alpine climbs. By the 1930s and 1940s, local climbers — known as bleausards — began to push difficulty, establish graded problems, and experiment with new techniques and equipment.
The 1950 Breakthrough: First 6b and 6c Ascents
In 1950, Paul Jouy recorded two historic ascents at Cuvier Est, a sector of the Fontainebleau bouldering area:
- La Stalingrad (6b) — Often cited as the first ever boulder problem at the 6b grade completed by Jouy.
- Le Carré d’As (6c) — Completed in the same year by Jouy, this problem stands among the earliest documented at the 6c difficulty level.
These ascents were more than individual achievements; they represented a significant advancement in graded difficulty for bouldering. Climbers of the era were beginning to chart levels of physical and technical challenge that resemble the modern grading system.
Why These Ascents Matter
Prior to 1950, notable bouldering milestones included:
- Early graded problems such as 5+ by Pierre Allain in the 1930s.
- The first 6a La Marie Rose by René Ferlet in 1946.
But with Jouy’s ascents of 6b and 6c, the upper range of bouldering difficulty gained its first true benchmarks. This achievement helped redefine standards of difficulty and influence subsequent generations of climbers and setters worldwide.
The Legacy of Early Boulder Grading
Paul Jouy’s accomplishments occurred at a pivotal time when modern climbing shoes were emerging — notably the caoutchouc soled PA shoes developed by Pierre Allain — and graded systems were becoming better defined.
Although later climbers such as Robert Paragot expanded the upper end of the scale (e.g., 6c+/7a in 1953) and international developments diversified grading standards, Jouy’s role in pushing grades beyond 6a remains historically significant.
Sources
https://bleau.info/cuvier/2005.html
https://bleau.info/cuvierest/4142.html
https://www.outdoor-magazin.com/klettern/bouldern-und-wie-es-dazu-kam/
https://centrefederaldedocumentation.ffcam.fr/escalade.html
https://ukbouldering.fandom.com/wiki/World_Bouldering_First_At_Each_Grade
https://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/climbing/the-evolution-of-free-climbing.html