Alex Megos makes first ascent of 'Le Grand Saccage' (9a+/b) at Buoux

Buoux is firmly back in the climbing spotlight. After being the crag that climbers flocked to in the early days of sport climbing in the 1980's and '90's, the huge limestone crag in southern France unjustly fell off the radar as climbers looked for steeper, longer, less old-school projects elsewhere. Until only recently the hardest established route wasn't that extreme compared to other crags elsewhere, but Germany's Alex Megos has now made amends with the first ascent of Le Grand Saccage.

Located in the sector Brillant Sonné and bolted by Adrien Boulon - who happened to have bolted Tuareg Blanco which Megos freed at the start of the year in Margalef - this is the last obvious line in the cave. Now, after just six sessions, it has gone free at 9a+/b.

This is Megos' second trip to Buoux. On his first, in February, he flashed Agincourt (8c) and La Chiquette du Graal (8b+), and made fast redpoints of classics such as Miss Catastrophe (8c), Le Spectre du Sur-Mutant (8b+), End of Weakness (8b/+), La Mission (8b), La Rose et le Vampire (8b), CTN (8b) and Tabou (8a+).

Megos is sponsored by: Patagonia, Petzl