8/31/11 - French climber Sébastien Bouin has climbed what he thinks is his hardest route—and first ascent—thus far: a yet-unnamed 5.14d/5.15a in the La Ramirole Cave in the Verdon Gorge, France.
The 160-foot route follows a line up the center of the cave. A 5.14a/b section leads to a tricky boulder sequence, then finishes with sustained 5.14a climbing. He needed about 10 attempts to work out the easier sections, then another 20 to figure out the crux, which he could only climb twice before his redpoint. Bouin feels this new route is harder than the other 5.14d he climbed (Les 3P, also in the Verdon Gorge) and suggested 5.14d/5.15a.
To the right of this line, he made the FA of a line he thinks is 5.14b/c.
Les 3P was his first of the grade; after Adam Ondra pulled out the first ascent in 2010, Bouin followed up with the second ascent in April 2011. Charlotte Durif recently made the third ascent.
