Pierre Shankland ticks his first two 9a’s

Pierre Shankland has repeated Matteo Soulé’s Trois pattes dans la chouffe (9a) and Chouffe qui plâtre (9a) in Gorges Du Tarn, after having projected them during four trips. (c) Pierre Coutn

Can you tell us more about the ascents?
This summer was my first time in Les Gorges du Tarn, where I sent “3 pattes dans le plâtre” (8c), which is the first part of Trois pattes dans la chouffe (9a) and shares its finish with Chouffe qui plâtre (9a) —two beautiful new routes that Matteo Soulé had recently opened. They both climb an amazing roof in the “Amphithéâtre” sector and cross each other in a really cool way.

I came back in October and started working on Chouffe qui plâtre. It begins with a long, physical 8b+ traversing the entire roof, then hits a tricky crux (around 7B+ boulder) before linking into the end of the 8c. I had three more short trips in February, April, and May. And on Wednesday this week, after 17 sessions and countless tries, I finally sent it!

With that ticked off, I decided to try “3 pattes dans la Chouffe” the next day. Since I already knew the first part (the 8c) perfectly and all the holds in the crux (which is the same as the other 9a, but reversed), I managed to send it quickly. To me, it felt a little easier than Chouffe qui plâtre. My friend Antoine Maire, who also climbed it, and I used a slightly different beta than Matteo for the crux. That’s why I suggested 9a for Chouffe qui plâtre and maybe 8c+/9a or solid 8c+ for 3 pattes dans la Chouffe. Anyway, I’m really psyched about the trip. Huge shoutout to Matteo for the first ascents and the vision.

What is your climbing background?
I started climbing when I was a kid with my dad, who did a lot of mountaineering. During my youth, I mostly focused on competitions, but over time I grew more into outdoor climbing. These days, I’m still training for some comps but I also climb a lot in Fontainebleau and head south of France whenever I can.