Seb Bouin frees Les Rois du Lithiumm, new 9b at Pic Saint Loup

On Thursday the 11th of April 2024, French climber Sébastien Bouin made the first ascent of Les Rois du Lithium (9b/5.15b) at Pic Saint Loup, France. He bolted this project in spring 2023 after the first ascent of ACL (9b). The route goes straight up the middle of the crag.

Here’s the full story from Seb: "This part of the wall was attracting me since a long time. From the ground, "Les Rois du Lithium" looked like the perfect line. Straight in the wall with a 20m hardcore ending. When I bolted it, I couldn’t imagine there will be so much perfect holds. And when I firstly tried it, I was amazed by the moves and the line.

"Les Rois du Litthium" is basically split in two parts. There is an easy approach around 8b / 5.13d tiering you for the main part. And then, there is this beautiful power endurance part counting 22 hard moves in a row. The line and the moves are so fun. Every try was a pleasure. It’s like surfing a wave.

"Les Rois du Lithium" is possibly my favorite 5.15b climbed. The difficulty meets the beauty here. And there is something more: it’s fun. The fun fact is quite important on a hard project. When you like the effort, when riding the rock is inspiring yourself, you know you got the right project.

I tried this route during the fall season 2023. I was so psyched to finish the job this spring. I needed time to learn properly the 22 hard moves. There is no room for a mistake. The last hard move is so stunning. From two bad gastons, you have to reach left hand a sloppy crimp and take a swing with it. I fell few times up there. There is another hard and inspiring project in Pic Saint Loup : The "Wolf kingdom" project. It will be harder than "Les Rois du Lithium". Let’s continue the fight!"