Just south of Paris lies the Forest of Fontainebleau, a mecca for climbers from around the world. Here, Yasuhiro Shiota—a master shoemaker—supports the feet of countless climbers tackling its massive boulders every day. He runs a climbing shoe resoling workshop called
Duel Fontainebleau. We caught up with Shiota, a passionate climber himself, to hear the story of how he ended up here.
A Visit to a Bespoke Craftsman’s New Workshop
An hour's ride on a suburban train from Paris takes you to Fontainebleau. Once home to the Château de Fontainebleau, a favorite of French kings, the area now functions much like a commuter town for the capital. The train itself is a melting pot of tourists aiming for the château, climbers loaded with gear, and daily commuters.I first heard of Yasuhiro Shiota not as a climbing shoe resoler, but as a sur mesure (bespoke) shoemaker in Paris. I would later discover, however, that he had already moved on from the bespoke scene.
Why did someone creating sophisticated items in the heart of Paris move to the suburbs and into the world of the outdoors? My curiosity about Shiota grew as I walked from the station to his workshop in Fontainebleau, under the bright, dazzling August sun in temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius.