BURSTIn April, Alex Megos made the first ascent of Le Grand Saccage 5.15a/b (9a+/b) in Buoux, France. If you’ve never heard of Buoux, it’s an incredible limestone climbing area that was one of the most popular hard climbing destinations in the 1980s. The area is packed full of old classics, often with sandbagged grades compared to more modern areas. Le Grand Saccage is very likely the hardest FA in Buoux to date, although harder projects still remain, such as the famous Le Bombé Bleu. Megos just released an 18-minute video about his FA, which you can watch below.
Megos visited Buoux in February, where he tried the Le Grand Saccage project for the first time. He wasn’t able to finish the route during that short visit so he returned in April to complete the project. During that February visit, Megos flashed Agincourt 5.14b, a Ben Moon line from 1989 that was France’s first of the grade. Due to it’s intensely technical and low-percentage style, many thought a flash of the problem to be near impossible. While in Buoux in February, Megos also climbed several other Buoux classics, including:
- Miss Catastrophe 5.14b
- Le Spectre du Sur-Mutant 5.14a
- End of Weakness 5.13d/14a
- La Mission 5.13d
- La Rose et le Vampire 5.13d
- CTN 5.13d
- Tabou 5.13c
Le Grand Saccage was originally bolted by Adrian Boulon. Interestingly, Boulon also bolted Tuareg Blanco, a recent 5.15b/c first ascent from Megos in Margalef, Spain.
Alex Megos’ FA of Le Grand Saccage 5.15a/b
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