Seb Bouin is Le Champ des Muses (9b) at Romeyer, France

French climber Sébastien Bouin has made the first ascent of Le Champ des Muses (9b) at the Romeyer cliff in the Drôme region of southeastern France, near the town of Die.

The prow was first brought to Bouin’s attention by Quentin Chastaigner, an active local route setter, who pointed him toward a super physical and endurance-based project that was still unclimbed. After scoping the line, Bouin recognised it as a perfect match for his strengths - and a potential mega line.

The 33-year-old tried the route several times before departing for his trip to China, falling a few times on the final crux. Upon his return, it was immediately on his mind. After a couple more tries - including a fall on the very last move - a strong north wind arrived and helped him fight through the fatigue to clip the chains.

About the grade, Bouin notes the route could be a hard 9a+ or a soft 9b. Given that the climbing fits his style perfectly, he leans toward the latter. He explained "Really happy to finish such a beautiful project. At the same time, a bit sad to lose that excuse to come back to this little paradise. I tried the route several times, and every moment spent there was amazing. The vibe of the village, the setting, the people, and of course the climbing — it was always a pleasure to come back again and again."

Le Champ des Muses is the latest in a prolific run of hard first ascents for Bouin, following the first ascent of El Gran Cabrón (9b) in China, Vidra La Vida (9b/+) in Croatia, Wolf Kingdom (9b+) in France, and his landmark 9c route proposition DNA, in the Verdon Gorge.