Boulder, Eat, Wander, Repeat: How to Live Like Oriane Bertone Between Paris and Fontainebleau
From week to week and morning to night, French pro climber Oriane Bertone keeps a foot in two worlds. The first is Fontainebleau, where thousands of acres of protected forest cradle thousands of internationally iconic sandstone boulders—and where Bertone now lives. The second is Paris, just an hour and a half north of Font by car and less than an hour by train.
When we spoke, Bertone shared her schedule for a recent week of going back and forth between the City of Light and the Magic Forest. It’s heavy on bouldering: Bertone holds the 2025 IFSC Boulder World Cup title and hopes to compete solely in bouldering at the 2028 Olympic Games, now that the disciplines will be split up. “I’m a boulderer, and I always knew it,” Bertone says.
Bertone spent Monday in Fontainebleau, working out and climbing hard boulders at Karma, a local gym staple and one of the training centers for the French national climbing team. On Wednesday, she went up to Paris and climbed at one of the 11 Arkose bouldering gyms scattered about the city (Arkose is a sponsor of Bertone’s). She can’t exactly remember which one, but it was probably Arkose Issy-les-Moulineaux, where she likes to train slabs and dial in her breathing. Thursday was a rest day in Fontainebleau, followed by another two days of climbing in Paris. “It’s always kind of like this,” Bertone says of her weekly routine.
It’s safe to say that the 20-year-old climber has insight on making the most of the indoor and outdoor bouldering in Paris and Fontainebleau. Bertone sat down with Climbing to share her tips, along with her favorite spots for rest day recreation, food, and culture in each area.
Where to climb, eat, and revel in the arts in Paris
Bertone started climbing indoors and outdoors as a kid in her hometown of Réunion Island, a French territory east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean—more than 5,000 miles away from Paris. Her father didn’t have a climbing background himself, but he was fascinated by movement and fastidious in giving Bertone and her sister chances to climb the island’s abrasive, volcanic rock. “This is probably why I have thick skin now,” Bertone says, laughing.
She also credits her father with imparting to her the notion that “if you start something, you have to finish it.” When she moved across an ocean to Paris to train with the French national team in 2021—leaving her tight-knit family behind at only 16 years old—she leaned into that mindset. “I knew what I wanted,” Bertone says. “Everything fell into place.”
During Bertone’s first two years in mainland France, she lived in Massy, a southern suburb of Paris. As she settled in, Paris became one of her favorite cities in the world. “People can say whatever they want; I like Parisians,” Bertone says. “It’s always cool to walk around, see the little shops, drink good coffee. You’re able to get on the internet and go, ‘I want to eat Korean food,’ and walk two minutes and there is a Korean restaurant. There is everything in Paris.”
So how would Bertone enjoy the city as a climber? Let’s start with the indoor climbing in Paris. There are dozens of gyms in the city, but Bertone recommends Arkose bouldering gyms. She acknowledges her bias, but says she initially partnered with them because they’re her favorite. She goes to Arkose Nation and Arkose Issy-les-Moulineaux for slab climbing and finds the best hard boulders at Arkose Massy. “Everybody goes [to Massy], even the strongest people,” Bertone says.
Between training sessions in Paris, Bertone likes to refuel with Korean food at Sweettea’s, which serves classic dishes like bibimbap, barbecued beef, dumplings, and kimchi pancakes. The Asian fusion restaurant also serves honey mustard fried chicken and a mozzarella-infused take on tteokbokki, a Korean rice cake snack. Bertone’s rest day recommendations also include taking a walk through the Jardin du Luxembourg (just don’t go on weekends) and going to the opera at the world-renowned Palais Garnier. Heavy hitters like the Louvre are also worth seeing.
“I can cry in front of a painting or because somebody’s singing in a high-pitched note,” Bertone says. “I’m deeply touched by art, so I like going to operas and museums. And in Paris, we have so many.”
Bertone remembers the influx of visitors coursing through Paris when she competed in climbing at the 2024 Olympic Games. Looking back, she says she felt more energized than overwhelmed by being in that position. It helped that the French people kept their Olympic patriotism lowkey, Bertone says. “The people were proud of us and happy it was in France, but I think they were more upset about the expensive prices of the tickets,” she says. “I didn’t feel pressured at all.”
Though Bertone liked life in Paris and the Massy suburbs, when she turned 18, she thought about making a change. She had first traveled to Fontainebleau with her family when she was eight years old; ever since, she had dreamed of being closer to the sandy forest. They kept coming back throughout her youth, during which she managed sends of Satan I Helvete Low Start (suggested to be 8C/V15 at the time) and Super Tanker (8B+/V14). “I fell in love with climbing because of this, for sure,” Bertone says of her trips. “It was a dream place. Every time I left, I was sad and I was crying. I wanted to stay.”
Two years ago, Bertone finally moved to Fontainebleau. “This is where I’m happiest,” she says. When asked how she’d go about traveling to La Forêt for the first time, Bertone positively lights up.
Boulders, pastries, and leaving no trace in Fontainebleau
La Forêt, the Magic Forest, ‘Bleau, Font — Fontainebleau is known by many names. Bertone found a house there in 2023, where she now lives with her boyfriend and dog. But what exactly drew her there? “Just imagine,” Bertone says. “You’re like, ‘I want to climb outside.’ You take your car, your crash pads, you drive, you park, you walk five minutes, you climb. You put your crash pad in your car, you go home. Then, you’re like, ‘I want to go again tomorrow.’ The same thing. You walk in the sand and you climb whenever you want, wherever you want, every day. You don’t have to walk 10 miles just to get to the point where you want to go. It’s easy, practical, and beautiful. It smells like dirt and roots and rock. For me, Font is just the place to be.”
Bertone’s guide to Fontainebleau starts with getting there from Paris. She prefers taking the R train from Gare de Lyon, one of the capital city’s major train stations. Get on the R line, color-coded pink, in the direction of Montargis. You’ll make stops at Melun and Bois-le-Roi before arriving at Fontainebleau-Avon. If you’re not in a rush to get to Fontainebleau and it’s warm out, get off one stop early at Bois-le-Roi and go swimming at the base de loisirs, or outdoor activity center. Spring and autumn are popular climbing seasons in Fontainebleau, though Bertone’s season often depends on the demanding IFSC competition schedule.
Once you arrive in Fontainebleau, Bertone recommends renting bikes. There are plenty of ride sharing services like Ubers around as well. If you want to visit each of the charming, little nearby towns like Milly-la-Forêt or Arbonne-la-Forêt, you may also want to rent a car. Those towns are also chock full of comfortable gîtes (countryside home rentals) and Airbnbs.
You can find just about any kind of boulder you want in Fontainebleau—crimpy, slopey, physical—laid out neatly on Bleau.info. The selection is so dazzling, it’s almost indescribable (but Chris Schulte does a good job of it here). For first-timers, go-to sectors include Bas Cuvier, Isatis, Cuisinière, and Trois Pignon’s sandy Cul de Chien. “They have very easy access, and the boulders there are awesome,” Bertone says.
But tourists, be warned: the code of environmentally-responsible climbing ethics runs deep in Fontainebleau. Bertone breaks down some of the rules, which are in line with the Access Fund’s Climber’s Pact: Don’t climb too early or late and shine lights on the rock in the dark, disrupting the wildlife. Don’t blast music for the same reason. Leave no trace with trash—or poop. “Don’t wipe your ass with wipes and throw them in the forest,” Bertone says. Clean tick marks. And do not climb the sandstone after it rains or in high humidity. “You have to think: Would you like to be there after yourself?” she asks. “There are so many people coming. You have to be attentive to the wildlife and the forest. Don’t stop it from growing because you’ve been careless.”
If it rains, head over to Karma instead, where you can often spot Bertone and her teammates training. The gym also rents out crash pads for when you do get to climb outside. Another rainy day or rest day activity Bertone recommends is a visit to the Château de Fontainebleau in the region’s city center. And while you’re in town, pay a visit to Bertone’s three favorite restaurants: Démé for pizza and pasta (it’s always packed, so make a reservation); MA.SU for Japanese food (try the foie gras sushi); and L’A pâtisserie (get a big box and try one of each pastry).
Commuting between Fontainebleau and Paris and toggling between indoor and outdoor bouldering offers Bertone distinct challenges and opportunities—to which climbers young and old and new and experienced can relate. When Bertone trains in Paris, working to get better each day makes her feel alive. When she climbs in Fontainebleau, she’s struck by the passage of time. “I go back to a boulder I did 10 years ago and I’m like, ‘I can’t do it anymore,’” Bertone says. “Sometimes, it’s surprising. It feels like every year is full of lessons and full of new things.”
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