Jerry Moffatt recently returned for the second year on the trot to the French bouldering Mecca of Ailefroide. Scottish 'powerhouse' and pinch master Malcolm Smith tagged along for the ride and didn't fail to perform; here's the low down of what two of Britains strongest boulderer's got up to:

'Malc, Ben Pritchard and me just got back from one of the best chilled weeks bouldering ever, the venue was Ailefroide in the French Alps. Malc rated it as one of the best places he has visited, which is not surprising on account of how he pissed up everything.'

'We arrived feeling shattered, although this didn't stop Malc getting straight out of the car and warming up on one of the areas classic hard problems. 'Surprise Du Chef' is a sit down start Font. 8a (V11), which he flashed in front of a large audience who not surprisingly were stunned.'

'A few days later he also did the Font. 8a+ (V12) 'Virata' on his fourth go and made short work of another Font. 8a (V11) cruising it on only his second try all very impressive stuff. Ben spent most of his time asleep, as he had just finished editing 'Stick It' and hadn't slept for about four days, although he still managed to do some climbing every day. I was there to get lots of mileage in, which I did and also managed to grab the second or third ascent of 'Wassup' Font. 8a (V11). This felt like it was a maximum effort for me.'

'The locals in the area are still working at getting a grant from the local council so that they can produce a guide for the area, which all been well may be released next year. Mind you I believe that once a guide comes out for the area it could well spoil the whole feel of this beautiful setting.'