Seb Bouin makes first ascent of hardest route in Croatia, 'Vidra La Vida' (9b/+)

French climber Sébastien Bouin has completed the first ascent of Vidra La Vida (9b/+), establishing the hardest sport climb in Croatia to date. The line is located on the island of Hvar and represents the culmination of a project that began in early May with Bouin’s repeat of the first pitch, Vidra (9a). Less than a month later, the full line — Bouin's main goal — was completed.

Both pitches were initially bolted in part by Klemen Bečan and made possible with additional bolting by Bouin. The climbing on Vidra La Vida is long, powerful, with a 360° spin crux sequence estimated around 8A boulder.

Vidra La Vida sets a new benchmark for difficulty in Croatia; the country's first 9b, B je to at Vranjača close to Paklenica, was established by Adam Ondra in October 2023.

After his successful ascent Bouin commented "When difficulty meets beauty. I am So happy to bring this dream line to life. I started the trip with no expectations—no idea what I’d find. Step by step, I uncovered a stunning, inspiring line. It ended up demanding more from me than I first thought. But what an amazing time, surrounded by the incredible vibe of the island.

This is one of my proudest additions—without a doubt, in my personal top 5 9b/5.15b routes worldwide.
The first section climbs around 8c+, leading into a crux that bumps it to 9a. Then comes a wild 360 crux, roughly 8A/V11 boulder. And to top it all off, there’s a final 8b+/c section—I even fell there during a send attempt.

Mentally, it got tough. The heat was brutal at times, and I started to feel drained. I even thought about giving up after falling on the final jug. But then a cool north wind rolled in and gave me just enough fire to push through and finish the job. I would like to thank everyone who made it possible, from the local climbers and community, to the friends who shared the days."