Vertical-Life
Seb Bouin FA’s Les Rois du Lithium (9b)
”This part of the wall was attracting me since a long time. From the ground, “Les Rois du Lithium” looked like the perfect line. Straight in the wall with a 20m hardcore ending. When I bolted it, I couldn’t imagine there will be so much perfect holds. And when I firstly tried it, I was amazed by the moves and the line.
“Les Rois du Litthium” is basically split in two parts. There is an easy approach around 8b / 5.13d tiering you for the main part. And then, there is this beautiful power endurance part counting 22 hard moves in a row. The line and the moves are so fun. Every try was a pleasure. It’s like surfing a wave.
“Les Rois du Lithium” is possibly my favorite 5.15b climbed. The difficulty meets the beauty here. And there is something more: it’s fun. The fun fact is quite important on a hard project. When you like the effort, when riding the rock is inspiring yourself, you know you got the right project.
I tried this route during the fall season 2023. I was so psyched to finish the job this spring. I needed time to learn properly the 22 hard moves. There is no room for a mistake. The last hard move is so stunning. From two bad gastons, you have to reach left hand a sloppy crimp and take a swing with it. I fell few times upthere.
There is another hard and inspiring project in Pic Saint Loup : The “Wolf kingdom”project. It will be harder than “Les Rois du Lithium”. Let’s continue the fight !”
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