Simon Lorenzi Climbs Font Classic with Complex Past

Today, Mellow released some sweet uncut footage of Belgian climber Simon Lorenzi sending Satan I Helvete Bas V14 (8B+), a lower start to Dave Graham’s Satan I Helvete V13, which was established way back in 2003. After a crimpy start, the striking Fontainebleau problem works its way up a steep, thin crack before forcing climbers to bust out left to a sharp arete.

A bunch of top climbers repeated the problem after Graham’s first ascent, including Adam Ondra, Paul Robinson, and Squamish’s Tim Clifford. Then, a key hold broke and the problem went unclimbed for years. Alban Levier was the first to send the problem post-break and initially suggested a grade of V15, which then settled back to V14.

In 2020, French climber Oriane Bertone, well-known for her IFSC World Cup successes, repeated the post-break problem and then established a lower, harder start for the first time since the breakage, Satan I Helvete Bas. She initially proposed V15 for this low variation but subsequent ascensionists moved the grade down to V14, which Bertone agreed with.

Simon Lorenzi is one of the best boulderers in the world. He established Soudain Seul V17 in Fontainebleau in 2021 and then repeated Shawn Raboutou’s Alphane V17 in 2022. You can watch his and Bertone’s sends of Satan I Helvete Bas V14 below:

Simon Lorenzi on Satan I Helvete Bas

Oriane Bertone on Satan I Helvete Bas