About

The first versions of this page were far too lengthy so I'm going to use bullets (and yes, I know it is still too long):

• October 2008: I start lead climbing indoors, 3 hours a week
• 2010: PhD in Phonetics (acoustics and auditory cognition)
• ... - 2011: looking for a post-doc, stressing out about getting published
• August 2011: two weeks of canyoneering in Sierra de Guara, Spain
• August 2011 (last days in Spain): I realise that the academia is not for me, that always thinking about my "career" is neither healthy or fun and I decide to start climbing full-time and enjoy nature to its fullest.
• April 2011: after 150 hours of indoor climbing (lead climbing), and my having been stuck at 5c for 2.5 years, my belayers push me hard. Result: five 6a's and three 6b's in three sessions
• October 2011: two friends introduce me to bouldering and Fontainebleau (Font' or Bleau). Love at first sight! A week later, they take me to a bouldering gym.
• December 18, 2011: I join that bouldering gym. For 16 months, I train five times a week, carrying out five-to-seven-hour sessions. I am there so often that people will often ask me:
• Do you sleep here?
• Don't you have a life?
• December 2011: I set a new goal for 2012: to send a 7A or a 7a.
• May 2012: my first 7A indoors
• June 2012: I set my own 17-move indoor bouldering problem, which I grade at 7A+.
• May - September 2012: my climbing partner and I keep setting our own problems, using holds and moves that are above our level. This helps us evolve rapidly. At the same time, I do as much lead climbing at the gym as possible, working on my stamina.
• July 2012: three 7A's in Annot (bouldering spot in Southern France) in ten days.
• mid July 2012 - March 2013: my indoor climbing is getting better and better, yet I do not have the self-confidence to try any 7A's in Font'. I keep doing circuits (which is undoubtedly enriching).
• September 2012: I set a very difficult goal for 2013: climb an 8A (bouldering) or an 8a (lead climbing)! Not only that but I announce my dream to all of my climbing buddies so that I can't chicken out later.
• March 2013: my first 7A in Font'.
• May 2013: my first 7B in Font'.
• June 2013: my 20th 7A in Font'.
• October 2013: my 60th 7x in Font' and my first 7C.
• December 2014: my 150th 7x in Font'.