Quentin Guillen goes straight to 9a with Condé de choc

Quentin Guillen has done Condé de choc (9a) in Entraygues, after trying it for three weekends.

Can you tell us more about your send and skipping 8c+?
So this year I trained with the goal to take my ticket for the lead world cup with the French team. It was a long time I didn't compete due to some injuries (2 pulley rupture the last two years). As I totally missed my selective competition, because I was too stressed, I took a 3 weeks break from climbing after this.

When I started climbing again I choose to go outdoors to try a hard route and challenge myself. First I wanted to try La moustache qui fâche (9a+) because it is my climbing style (short endurance on crimps with a lot of overhang). But, when I came to Entraygues it was wet. My friends Justin Dechamps et Adrian Houbron had just sent Condé de choc (9a). This motivated me to try this route.

The two first weekends trying Condé were pretty hard because it was raining all the time so conditions were not good. On the last day of the second climbing trip I fall in last move of the first crux. I knew I should not fall in the second part of the route so it was pretty frustrating. During the third weekend the conditions were really good.

I fell 4 times at the last move of the first crux the first day, in the second day I pass the first crux at my first try of the day but my hand slipped at the end of the route. I was pretty tired and I knew I just had one last good try before coming home, I managed to climb the first crux but It was so hard I almost fall at every move of the first crux but finally I could sent it.

What is your climbing background?
I started climbing at 10-years-old in my little climbing club. I started compete pretty quickly. With some good results I could join the Pôle Espoir Voiron at age 16. I have always been a plastic climber training every time for the competition. Sometimes i go outdoor to do some routes pretty quickly (8b/8b+) but I never try real projects.

The last 3 years were really complicated for me with the covid (no training structure ) and 2 broken pulley in 2021 ans 2022 (3 months off and 6 months of reeducation each time). But now my pulleys are feeling good and I want to try hard at the crags too! I'm so happy with the sent of "Condé" but I know it was just the beginning and I'm sure I can do harder !