BURSTFrench climber Sébastien Bouin has made the first ascent of Le Champ des Muses (9b / 5.15b) at Romeyer in the Drôme region of southeastern France, near the town of Die.
The extremely physical endurance-style project was introduced to Bouin by local climber Quentin Chastaigner. Bouin attempted it multiple times before having to leave, repeatedly falling at the final crux. Upon his return, he said he got lucky when a strong north wind picked up, helping him push through to the anchor after the final crux.
“Really happy to finish such a beautiful project,” Bouin said. “At the same time, it’s a bit sad to lose that excuse to come back to this little paradise. I tried the route several times, and every moment spent there was amazing. The vibe of the village, the setting, the people, and of course the climbing, it was always a pleasure to come back.”
About the grade, Bouin notes the route could be a hard 5.15a or a soft 5.15b, but given that the climbing fits his style perfectly, he stamped it with a solid 5.15b. Over the years, he’s made several hard first ascents, including El Gran Cabrón (5.15b) in China, Vidra La Vida (5.15b/c) in Croatia, Suprême Jumbo Love (5.15c) in America, Wolf Kingdom (5.15c) in France, and DNA (5.15d) in Verdon Gorge.
Wolf Kingdom 5.15c
“Wolf Kingdom is probably one of the hardest lines I’ve ever climbed,” said Bouin after his first ascent of Wolf Kingdom in Pic Saint-Loup, France, in May 2025.
“The grading decision was important to me. It feels harder than all the [5.15c] routes I’ve done so far, but a bit easier than DNA [5.15d]. Since Wolf Kingdom aligns 100% with my climbing style, it was tough to compare it and assign an accurate grade.
“This line is closer to what I’m good at compared to DNA. It could be a hard [5.15c] or a soft [5.15d]. In terms of time, feeling, and comparison with other routes, I’m giving it the [5.15d] grade. We’ll see what other climbers think in the future. Either [5.15c] or [5.15d], it has all the qualities to become a classic (in terms of beauty and style).”
Suprême Jumbo Love 5.15c
In 2022, Bouin made the first ascent of Suprême Jumbo Love in California at 5.15c, making it the hardest rock climb in North and South America at the time. It’s a direct start to Jumbo Love, first climbed by Chris Sharma in 2008, and repeated by Ethan Pringle in 2015 and Jonathan Siegrist in 2016.
“Some special moments up there, in the cold and the wind,” said Bouin. “There was whole lotta love for climbing, the people and the desert. This route and this place have been on my mind since I started I climbing. Finishing this trip by sending the direct start couldn’t be more perfect.”
Bouin said that he nearly fell off the final slab of the 70-metre climb, which he said is tricky and requires careful climbing after such a long and pumpy route. “The first 5.14d is quite tricky, and it’s easy to fall, even if you have the power,” he said. “Then you have this Jumbo Love crux, where it’s definitely possible to fall, even if you have the power, if you miss the one finger pocket.” Bouin said that you need to move efficiently because you need “energy to link all the pumpy parts to reach the lip of the overhang.”
The first time that he made it through the direct start was on his third try of the day. “I was definitely too spent to have any chance on the main Jumbo Love section,” he said. “I knew I had to do the direct and the Jumbo Love crux on the first try of the day.” On his next visit, things came together. “Sometimes, everything just comes together – shape, conditions, vibes, friends, cameraman, luck,” he said. “I know it doesn’t happen often, so I’m very grateful to live such big moments when it does.”
DNA 5.15d
Found in France’s Verdon Gorge, DNA was bolted by Bouin who tried it more than 250 times over 150 days before getting the first ascent in 2022. The 50-metre overhanging route starts with 5.14c, climbs through a V11 and V12 problem and heads into another 5.14c sequence.
“There would be two possible scenarios, 9b+ [5.15c] or 9c [5.15d],” said Bouin. “Choosing 9b+ [5.15c] would be playing it safe. Choosing 9c would be taking a risk. I have been playing it safe since 2014 on this cliff by proposing very tight grades. And in the end, nobody has repeated one of these routes.” Adam Ondra and Jakob Schubert have both tried DNA with no success.
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