Gripped Magazine
This Is China’s Hardest Rock Climb
Last year, French climber Seb Bouin established the hardest route in China, El Gran Cabrón 5.15b (9b). Located in Shegeng Cave in China’s Guang Xi provence, Bouin has opened an absolute mega line. Shegeng Cave is seriously impressive. At first glance, it almost looks like the features are too large to offer such hard climbing, but when you realize the full scale of the wall, you can easily understand how the cave is now home to the country’s hardest line. To get a better sense of the rock, and Bouin’s first ascent check out Black Diamond’s new video embedded below.
El Gran Cabrón was originally bolted by David Gambús. It begins with a section of 5.13a/b followed by a V8 boulder problem to a decent kneebar rest. The crux immediately follows – a V11/12 boulder problem with vertical holds and pinches. From there, a devious V8/9 boulder problem is encountered. Bouin fell five times in this spot due to small mistakes. The route ends with a V7 boulder. Bouin heartbreakingly fell there once as he grabbed for the final jug.
“It’s an incredible experience to find such a project and challenge myself in a setting like this,” said Bouin after his ascent. “China leaves no one indifferent—I feel like this trip is opening my mind in so many ways. The distance, the unfamiliar culture, and this new way of life disorient me as much as they fascinate me. There are plenty of additional doubts that come with adapting, making the adventure all the more exciting.
“I went straight to check out El Gran Cabrón, bolted by David Gambús. I couldn’t make sense of all the moves at first. The climbing here is incredibly complex, with so many methods to figure out. I was surprised by the quality of the rock and the movement style of the route. It’s absolutely beautiful and super fun to climb! The crux sequences involve pinches and really physical moves—I love it!”
Bouin is one of the world’s most accomplished sport climbers. El Gran Cabrón was his eighteenth climb of the grade when he announced his FA, back in February 2025. In April 2022, he made the first ascent of his hardest route to date, DNA 5.15d, which took him over 150 days of effort to complete. A few months later in August of that year, he also climbed Adam Ondra’s Change 5.15c. In November 2024, he opened Wolf Kingdom 5.15c. He has many other hard repeats to his name, including Alex Megos’ Bibliographie 5.15c and Ondra’s Move 5.15b/c.
Seb Bouin’s First Ascent of El Gran Cabron 5.15b in China
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