Seb Bouin makes first ascent of hardest climb in China

Seb Bouin is currently on tour in China where he has made short work of El Gran Cabrón in the Shegen cave in Fengshan County, Guangxi, for which the Frenchman has suggested 9b. The former project bolted by David Gambús now stands at the hardest route in the country, as Edu Marin's The Clinic at Shangfang and his amazing 450m multipitch Valhalla at the Getu Grand Arch are both graded 9a+. All are currently unrepeated and the grades are therefore awaiting confirmation. 

The Shegeng cave was discovered only recently by local climbers and they, with the likes of Toni Arbones, David Gambus, Dani Andrada and Jonatan Flor, have quickly established a flurry of medium to hard-grade climbs and projects.

After his success, Bouin explained "I couldn’t make sense of all the moves at first. The climbing here is incredibly complex, with so many methods to figure out. I was surprised by the quality of the rock and the movement style of the route. It’s absolutely beautiful and super fun to climb! The crux sequences involve pinches and really physical moves—I love it! The route starts with a 7c+/8a, followed by a 7b+ boulder, then a good kneebar rest. After that comes the crux: a 8a/+ boulder with amazing moves on vertical holds and pinches — exactly my style! Then there’s a decent rest leading into a tricky 7b+/c boulder, where I fell around 5 times due to mistakes on small details. Finally, you have to finish into a 7a+ boulder, where I fell once before grabbing the final jug."

This is Bouin's first trip to China. He stated "It’s an incredible experience to find such a project and challenge myself in a setting like this. China leaves no one indifferent—I feel like this trip is opening my mind in so many ways. The distance, the unfamiliar culture, and this new way of life disorient me as much as they fascinate me. "

 

 

 

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