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Sébastien Bouin (born 7 April 1993) is a French rock climber born in Draguignan. By 2022, Bouin is regarded as one of the strongest sport climbing in the world, being only the second-ever climber to establish a route graded , with in 2022, and one of only a handful of climbers to create a new route at the grade of . Bouin is also regarded for his documentary series on the history of extreme sport climbing in France.
Bouin climbed his first confirmed in 2019 with the first repeat of Adam Ondra's Mamichula, and in that same year climbed his first 9b/9b+ with the first repeat of Ondra's Move (which Bouin felt was 9b+); Ondra called Bouin "one of my favorite climbing partners". Bouin would continue in 2019 to – as UK Climbing noted – "tick more 9th Dimension climbs than any other climber on earth", including the first ascent of Albania's hardest sport climb, The Dream (9b), and the first ascent of France's hardest sport climb, La Rage d'Adam (9b/9b+) at La Ramirole cave in the Verdon Gorge.
2022 would be another strong year for Bouin putting up three major new routes, starting off with in the Verdon Gorge (France), which Bouin proposed at , only the world's second-ever route at that grade after Ondra's Silence. Bouin followed with two other first ascents, the enormous 430-foot (130 m) single-pitch Nordic Marathon in Flatanger Municipality ( Climbing called it "the biggest single pitch of hard climbing ever done"), and the first in North America, Suprême Jumbo Love (a direct start to Chris Sharma's historic 9b route). Bouin also repeated some of the world's other hardest climbs including (9b+ in Norway, third ascent), and Jumbo Love (9b in the USA, fourth ascent).
In the same interview, Bouin said he completed his studies and become a fully qualified French state physical education teacher to have a fall-back saying: "There is less pressure knowing I have a career to fall back on in time which means I can enjoy my climbing 100%".
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Documentary series
Bouin is also regarded for his love of French extreme sport climbing history, and his The Vintage Rock Tour documentary series revisits some of the most important – and controversial – moments in French extreme sport climbing. French 1980s climbing legend features in the series, and said of Bouin: "Seb doesn't consume climbing, he is a part of its evolution. He respects history and is adding his signature as a climber." The series came to international prominence in episode 4, when Bouin repeated Fred Rouhling's controversial 1990s routes of Hugh, and L'autre côté du Ciel. In a follow-up series, Hidden Gems, Bouin travels to smaller French crags to meet with local climbers and put up new test-pieces.
Personal life
Bouin climbs regularly with his mother Claire Cerisier (who in 2019 was climbing at 8b), including going on sponsored expeditions to Turkey, and belaying him during his development of DNA. In a 2020 interview with UK Climbing, Bouin said that his mother was a major influence on his climbing development and his overall approach to life and facing adversity and challenge.
Notable ascents
Redpointed routes
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See also
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