Interview: Erwan Legrand on first ascent of Le Bombé Bleu at Buoux

In mid-February, Erwan Legrand made the long-awaited first ascent of Le Bombé Bleu, the legendary project bolted by Marc Le Menestrel in 1991 at Buoux in southern France. At the time, this huge outcrop was considered pretty much the best crag in the universe and all the world's best flocked here to test their skills and push the standards ever upwards. Le Menestrel bolted his line straight through the proudest bulge above the sector "La Plage", straight up a beautiful blue streak of perfect limestone, and the project — clearly visible from the car park down below — was left "open" to everyone, provided no one chipped it.

In the ensuing decades many of the world's best attempted the futuristic line. Ben Moon, on a roll after the first ascent of nearby Agincourt — France's first 8c — famously made moulds of the holds and trained on a replica at home, but was unable to do all the moves. In 1993 Slovak climber Juraj Rečka claimed to have made the first ascent, but this was promptly dismissed as highly improbable: he didn't have the track record to climb such a hard route and, more importantly, the difficulties were simply far too extreme for that era.

A major breakthrough came when Fred Rouhling discovered an alternative sequence for the crux at the start, dynoing in from the left instead of making the huge morpho reach from the right, but despite attempts by many of the world's best no one managed to unlock this ferocious sequence of pockets. These include the likes of Stefan Glowacz, Chris Sharma, Fred Rouhling, Iker Pou, Nicolas Januel, Loïc Zehani, Charles Albert, Nicolas Pelorson & Lucien Martinez, Alexander Megos and many more. While everyone agreed that the route was theoretically feasible, in practice it proved otherwise and Marc Le Menestrel's vision continued to grow into a beautiful, unattainable dream for the vertical non plus ultra…

Until Erwan Legrand, son of champion François Legrand, stepped in. The 17-year-old made astoundingly fast progress and after a mere 15 sessions, when the conditions were finally right, he finally freed what for 35 years was considered the "Holy Grail" of sport climbing. Here's how.

Erwan, congratulations. Amazing. Incroyable!
Merci!

Tell us, when did you start trying the route?
I first tried the route back in September 2024. It was just a little morning session, because when the sun hits the crag it gets way too hot. I tried the route because I was curious to check out the holds and see the level of difficulty, with the idea of trying it seriously maybe a year later, and train in between.

What was that first session like?
I tried it twice that day. The goes were far better than I expected! On the first go I wasn't perfectly warmed up, I just did all the easiest moves, touched the pockets to see the beta. And then the second go was actually very good. I almost did all the moves, except the first one and last.

Seriously?
Yes, that was a good feeling. And importantly, I instantly fell in love with the route. I'd heard so much about it, for so many years, and as soon as I finally touched the holds, I was completely obsessed. I also knew right from the beginning that I would be able to climb it one day, perhaps even the next winter if I trained properly.

That's amazing
I was motivated and I started trying seriously that winter, from early December 2024 to late February 2025. I made a total of seven sessions and I think I progressed pretty quickly.

What do you mean?
The crux is without a doubt the first move, the dyno to the right. That winter I got very, very close to controlling that first move. I almost stuck it once, but just when I was controlling the end of the swing, my right hand flipped out of the pocket. If it hadn't, I'm pretty certain I would have done it.

It's the first hard move, but of course there are more to come
Yes, but from there I could always do the entire hard section without hanging on the rope. On my second session I discovered some better beta for the hard move at the top, and so actually on the redpoint some of the moves lower down were harder.

How hard?
It's difficult to grade, you know, because there are only about 10 hard moves. I think this upper section - after the dyno to the top - could be either hard 8c+, or perhaps even solid 9a. And it also depends on if you climb barefoot or with climbing shoes...

Ah, barefoot. That was one of the main questions!
That section barefoot is closer to 8c+, actually maybe with shoes I'd even suggest solid 9a. For those 10 moves from the first big jump. After those moves there are 10 or 15 meters to the top, but they are much easier and that section doesn't add anything to the overall grade.

So tell us more about climbing barefoot. Presumably you have done a lot without climbing shoes in the past?
Yeah, actually at home, my father made a huge home wall, years before my birth, with something like 5000 old-school holds. Ever since I started climbing, I always trained on this wall barefoot. Even today I always climb barefoot on it. Maybe I use shoes if there's a particular toehook or heelhook, but very rarely. So yeah, I've got plenty of experience barefoot.

Do you think this helped you on Le Bombé Bleu?
Yes, definitely. A world of difference. With shoes it's much harder to keep the tension as you can't get your toes deep in the two finger pockets, while barefoot you can with the big toe. It definitly is easier to use the pockets barefoot.

Seriously?
Also, how you place your body is completely different, because some of the footholds you use are maybe different, because mine are too small to work well with climbing shoes. So with shoes you are obliged to use other footholds which then force you into some very strange positions, instead of the most optimal body position. The climbing technique, the overall feeling, is very different without shoes.

Thinking about it, you're not the only one to climb barefoot
Charles Albert tried it barefoot, but that's normal because he always climbs like this. Also Nicolas Pelorson tried it barefoot when he realised it might work better. Lucien Martinez actually tried it without one shoe, which made one of the hard moves a bit easier.

Could you have done it with shoes?
I think with shoes I wouldn't have done it for maybe another year, at least!

You said that when you first tried the route, you had good sensations. Did you then train specifically for it?
No, not really, because I'm really used to this kind of pocket climbing. Buoux is my home crag, and this is the style I'm the strongest at. Of course I trained, but not specifically for Le Bombé Bleu. I think what also helped me was knowning how to find the right flow, climbing relaxed, being able to rest, then suddenly become fast and efficient when I need to. That's really important and not easy to train, it comes with experience.

What surprised me was how quickly you sent it. Just 15 sessions. That is not very much
Yes, that's very short. That really surprised me, too. I don't think that 15 sessions is long, but of course, it was hard mentally. Especially since I'd dreamt about this moment for so long. I'd known about the route since I was kid, perhaps since I was six years old, and I always dreamt about this route because it's just an amazing line. I'd heard so many things about this crazy project bolted by Marc Le Menestrel years before I was born, and there I was, finally trying it! It was like a dream coming true!

Out of interest, have you ever tried anything for this long?
Maybe this is one of the longest projects I've had. I've never invested much time in one particular route, like 50 or 100 sessions on one line. I think that's something I will do in the future, when I have less margin to improve.

What do you mean?
I feel like at the moment I shouldn't invest my time too much on routes that I realise are out of my league, because I know I'm going to get stronger and can come back in a few years and send them more quickly. Only if something feels possible do I start trying seriously.

Like on Le Bombé Bleu. Was there a breakthrough moment when you realised you were close?
Honestly? When I got down from my second go on that first day. I knew I had the level to do it. Perhaps not now, but almost now. And in the end I sent it one and a half years after first trying it.

You mentioned conditions
Yes, one of the problems with this route is that you don't get many sessions on it, because it's in the sun all day. It's quite hard to find good conditions, and even in winter, as soon as the sun comes out, it can get too hot very quickly.

What were conditions like on the send?
I think on the actual send the conditions were good. But the problem is that this winter it has rained all the time. Sun, rain, rain, sun, for months. Actually, the day when I arrived at the car park I could see that the route was soaking. Not a single dry hold, and I almost gave up. But I knew it was my last chance for a while, because I'd planned a trip to Margalef a few days later. I was a bit disappointed, but I was in good company, with my climbing partner and also Antoine Le Menestrel, Marc's brother who wanted to join me.

So you gave it a go?
It was sunny and very windy and I decided to wait as long as possibile to see if things improved. On my first go I brushed and dried the holds as best I could, and that worked well. Then after belaying Antoine on his route I got ready for my first try of the day, maybe at around 4pm. Night comes early in winter, so I didn't have a lot of time.

How did it go?
I fell on the first big jump. So, as usual, I brushed the holds, lowered to the ground and immediately did the first 10 meters of 7b climbing to the ledge. Here I can rest, have some water, put on some more tape, chalk up. It's more efficient like this. And on the second try of the day I struck the first move!

And?
And even passed my previous highpoint. The moves that Lucien did without one shoe. I'd fallen there a few times before, this time it didn't feel easy, but I did it perfectly. Only a few more moves to the top!

And?!?
Remember that move near the top that felt hard the first time I tried the route? I fell off there!

Nooo!
Yeah, I was a bit of crazy moment.

Perhaps you thought you'd never fall there?
I knew I might fall there, but secretly I was hoping I wouldn't. I wasn't happy, but at the same time I was, because I knew I'd just made my best try. I'd climbed well, put up a good fight. So I rested a bit longer. Then I made two attempts, and fell each time on the jump. But then the next go was the one!

What were the sensations like?
Compared to the first time I stuck the dyno that day, I felt a bit weaker. You don't really feel it on the first jump, because it really depends on how you stick the two-finger pocket - if you hit it perfectly, it's not a question of strength. You can be more tired and feel better on the move, than maybe when you're completely fresh. So on this move you can't really get a good idea of how you're feeling. On the next move though I realised I was feeling weaker.

But you continued
I knew it was possible. I just gave everything I had. And yes, it was a big fight. Also mentally.

On Instagram in December you posted a video of yourself climbing to the top, from after the jump. Did posting the video put any additional pressure on you? Perhaps expectations were even higher?
It's possible. I don't think I felt any pressure to perform because I shared the video, but of course it's a possibility. What I do know is that after I'd posted the video, the next two sessions were bad. On the first session I only did three attempts then cut my skin and had to stop. It was probably my worst session of all. And on the next session I did 15 attempts at the first jump, but never stuck it The tries were good, sometimes I got really close, but at the end of the day I couldn't do it even once. That wasn't good psychologically.

On the video you look in absolute control
Thanks. That was actually the first time I managed the jump! It was a crazy session because I'd never done the jump before, then I did it twice that same day. And on that second time, I came from the ground and fell maybe four moves from the end of the difficulties. I'd never stuck the first jump before that day, and then I almost sent the whole route. That was an important day.

After making the first ascent, you initially didn't provide a grade. Now after much consideration you've suggested 9b. Can you tell us a bit more?
Well I have found it hard to grade because it's so my style. After my 9th session on the route, in which I managed the crux twice and got really close to sending, I was convinced the route would “only” be a solid 9a+. But it was before realising how much the crux makes the following section harder in the link. I also didn’t realising how much the few moves before the crux add to its difficulty. In the end, I fell four times on the final 8c+ coming from the ground. The first time in mid-December, and the last on the day of the send. Considering that, and comparing it with the other 9th-grade routes I’ve tried more or less recently, I’m pretty sure Le Bombé Bleu is much closer to 9b than to 9a+, and with shoes it would get even harder for me. That’s why I’m proposing 9b for this legendary route.

Time will tell! Despite its beauty and prestige, something makes me think this will be one of the least repeated 9b's! Last question Erwan: this climb as you know has a hugely important history. Many of the world's best have attempted it over the last 35 years, It's been there, ever since 1991, as a guiding light for the future of sport climbing...
Marc's vision was incredibile. He saw the line and wanted to bolt it because it's so beautiful, and when he tried the moves he imagined they would be possible one day. Not by him, but by someone much stronger, far in the future. At that time, chipping was more frequent, so it would have been easy to chip some holds and make it easier, but Marc didn't want this. And it became something like a "protected" project. His vision, his ethics made him leave the route exactly as mother nature created it, and I need to thank him for this. He was right. And so was everyone else who tried and left it as it is. It's the most perfect climb on the most beautiful holds with amazing moves in an incredible position. At my home crag Buoux, which even today still has many other hard projects for the future. I'm in paradise.