Nicolas Pelorson, Lucien Martinez vs Bombé Bleu at Buoux

There can be few sport climbing projects as old, exciting, magical and mystical as Bombé Bleu at Buoux in France. Bolted by child prodigy Marc Le Menestrel in 1991 and dubbed Chantier, this striking line of pockets powers its way through the huge bulge above the sector La Plage and has remained unclimbed for over three decades despite receiving attention by many of the world's best, including Ben Moon, Stefan Glowacz, Chris Sharma, Fred Rouhling, Iker Pou, Nicolas Januel, Loic Zehani, Anatole Bosio and Charles Albert.

The hardest moves are getting off the deck, but as this fascinating breakdown analysis by Nicolas Pelorson and Lucien Martinez reveals, the remaining sequences are almost just as hard. Linking the line will require a level of power and precision hitherto unseen, and while some like Pelorson have done all the moves individually, at present the "Holy Grail" of sport climbing remains as elusive as it was over 30 years ago.



TOPO: the crag Buoux