Crack Glove Goes On Mid-Route for New 5.15
Sébastien Bouin finds a kneebar and hand jam that opens the way to a hard new route in France
Photo by: Clarisse Bompard
French climber Sébastien Bouin has established a new route at Saint Auban, France, naming it Jamming Destruction and proposing a grade of 5.15a/b. The route, which features a hand-jam crux, is the direct start to an existing project that was bolted by local climber Adrian Boulon.
“After making my hardest flash ever in Saint Auban [read about it here], I checked out some other projects,” said Bouin. “There was a cool one on the left side bolted by Adrien Boulon called Destruction. I climbed it in three goes, and it should be around 8c+ [5.14c]. I saw a direct start from the lower part of the cave, so I bolted it. It looks a bit like The Big Island boulder in Fontainebleau. I was thinking it might be too hard at the beginning. But after a few goes I found some crazy beta.”
Bouin’s hardest climbs to date include the first ascent of DNA 5.15d, Bibliographie 5.15c, Supreme Jumbo Love 5.15c, Change 5.15c, Nordic Marathon 5.15b/c, Beyond Ingegral 5.15b/c, La Rage d’Adam 5.15b/c and Move 5.15b/c.
“There is a crux with a full hand jam where you need to wear a crack glove,” said Bouing about Jamming Destruction. Bouin couldn’t wear the glove on the first slopers, but luckily found a hands-free kneebar that allowed him to put the glove on mid-route. “I also found a kneebar right after the hand jam crux, where I was able to remove the crack glove,” he said. “It’s a bit of logistics, but it doesn’t work otherwise. So, the first part should be around 8c+/9a [5.14c/d], and then you still have to do the second 8c+ [5.14c] part. By my estimation, the full route adds up to be around 9a+/b [5.15a/b].
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