BURSTSeb Bouin recently finished up a sport climbing trip to the island of Hvar in Croatia. The highlight of his trip was making the first ascent of Vidra la Vida 5.15b/c, now the hardest route in the country. After a 5.14d opening, a 360-degree spin is encountered, which clocks in at around V11. After this crux, a 5.14a/b remains to reach the chains.
“It’s a long, sustained route that really fits my style,” said Bouin on Instagram about Vidra la Vida. “As with any endurance challenge, I had to be smart with my tries. Too many burns and my body would be completely wrecked. Staying right on that edge—just above the fatigue—was key. Mentally, it got tough. The heat was brutal at times, and I started to feel drained. I even thought about giving up after falling on the final jug. But then a cool north wind rolled in and gave me just enough fire to push through and finish the job.”
After FAing Vidra la Vida, Bouin bolted a new project in the Stiniva cave. Twenty metres long and 50 degrees overhanging, the route moves through the steepest part of the cave up tufa pinches. After completing the line on the last go of his final day of the trip, Bouin named the route The White Snake and gave it a grade of 5.14d. “What a way to wrap up this amazing trip in Croatia” he said via Instagram. “A truly memorable way to end this beautiful chapter on Hvar Island,” he added.
Bouin is one of the world’s most accomplished sport climbers. In April 2022, he made the first ascent of his hardest route to date, DNA, which took him over 150 days of effort to complete. In November last year, he opened Wolf Kingdom 5.15c. He has several hard repeats to his name, including Alex Megos’ Bibliographie 5.15c and Adam Ondra’s Change 5.15b/c and Move 5.15b/c.
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