Throwback to 1946 Film on Fontainebleau Bouldering

In 1946, Alain Pol released his documentary on post-war mountaineering and the film included bouldering at Fontainebleau. The film includes footage of Pierre Allain, a French climber who developed the sport of bouldering in the 1930s.

With his group of “Bleausards,” he established a number of bouldering problems while training for bigger, more difficult climbs in the Alps. The famous Allain Angle V2/3 was climbed in 1934. In Allain’s 1949 book, Alpinisme et Competition, he expressed his appreciation of the then understated form of climbing.

In the 1930s, he also developed the first rubber-soled climbing shoes, which he wore on boulders and granite walls. These shoes were known as “PAs” and they became a model for future generations of climbing shoes. His brand name then became “EB” out of his associate’s name Edmond Bourdonneau who purchased Allain’s climbing store in 1950.

Bouldering in 1946