Clément Lechaptois gelingt die Erstbegehung von „Malédiction assis“ Fb8c in Rioupéroux unweit von Grenoble. Es war, nach seiner Aussage, sein bisher härtestes Projekt, welches er schon 2015 begann. Es ist sein erster Boulder in diesem Schwierigkeitsgrad. Bereits 2016 gelang ihm der „Stehstart“ von Julien Nadiras (Fb8b).

Er meint dazu bei Instagram: „Wow. Finally..!!! Malédiction assis – FA
After having failed countless times, I eventually managed to finish what was my biggest project!
That big boulder caused me a lot of troubles. But last Friday, on a cloudy dry day, in good compagny of Mathieu Ternant, Arthur Ternant & Nico Pelorson I finally found myself at the top! What a great feeling!!! ??
I found that thing a step harder than anything I’ve done, or at least really tried, so if the future repetitors confirm it, that could be my first 8C.
But no matter the grade, I really enjoyed the whole process of trying again and again even if it was sometimes frustrating to come home empty-handed…

The first time I’ve been to this boulder was on Feb2015, but I did not had the time to really try this year.
The next season it took me 3 days to do the stand start (opened by Julien Nadiras) which is a ~5moves 8B. I was happy but I kept in mind that a completely logical sit-start could exist.
Last year I really started to try the sit-start project. I quickly did all the moves, but it was insanely hard to connect correctly the bottom to the first move of the stand. In fact that move requires a lot of power and precision to do it. If I don’t do it perfectly I fail, no place for fighting.
Session after session I tried to improve my betas. At the end of the season17, even if I was able to do the crux section of the stand and all the moves several times in a session, I was finally far from a send.
This year I started early to try the problem, and after a couple of days of work I found a new sequence for the bottom that allowed me to reach the stand start a way better than before. From that moment I knew I could have a chance to climb the boulder. It took me 6 more sessions to eventually hold that gaston from the start and top out. (I still managed to fall once after the crux move, by stupidly slipping on a foot hold ahah).
What a long story it’s been! ?“

Foto:Damien Largeron