[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|desktop” custom_padding=”1px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.22.1″ _module_preset=”default” max_width=”800px” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.22.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/alpinemag.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/alpine.quotes-02.png” title_text=”alpine.quotes-02″ align=”center” show_bottom_space_tablet=”” show_bottom_space_phone=”” show_bottom_space_last_edited=”on|phone” align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”4.22.1″ max_width=”50%” max_width_tablet=”” max_width_phone=”100%” max_width_last_edited=”on|desktop” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”||-40px||false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”0px||-40px||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_padding=”0px||||false|false” border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.22.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ max_width=”800px” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” use_custom_width=”on” custom_width_px=”800px” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ text_font_size=”18px” z_index_tablet=”500″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
N<\/span>o, they’re not window cleaners or lost rope access technicians. On Saturday, however, two dots quickly caught the eye of passers-by on one of Paris’ tallest towers, culminating 187 meters (600 feet !) above the concrete. The two men started off in parallel, before one climbed above the other. No rope, no gear, no harness. Free solo. One is a regular: Alain Robert, the man who has climbed over a hundred skyscrapers worldwide.<\/p>\n The other, much less so: Seb Bouin is undoubtedly one of the world’s best climbers, author of the second potential 9c in climbing history (DNA<\/em> at Le Verdon, France), but is not known for solo climbing. According to Alain, it was Seb Bouin who contacted him \u201csix months ago, to climb solo a building not too difficult or of medium difficulty.\u201d And our national Spiderman responded favorably, inviting him to Paris for this two-man solo of the Total Tower.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/alpinemag.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/tour_bouin_solo-13.jpg” title_text=”tour_bouin_solo-13″ align=”center” _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.22.1″ text_font=”Merriweather|900|||||||” text_font_size=”16″ custom_margin=”||||false|false” border_style=”solid” saved_tabs=”all” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ text_font_size=”18px” z_index_tablet=”500″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Alain Robert is a double mystery. Severely injured, he has nevertheless become one of the best climbers of his generation, with the Nuit du L\u00e9zard<\/em> solo climb in Buoux (8a\/b, France) or the very slabby Polpot<\/em> solo climb (7c+) in Le Verdon gorges, France. As he recounts, it was for lack of recognition, and to earn a living, that he turned to building in the 90s. And that’s the second Alain Robert mystery: not only has he survived a hundred solo buildings (and a bunch of arrests), but he’s still at it, like this Saturday, to celebrate, he says, his …62nd birthday.<\/p>\n But he’s no longer the vertical soloist: he’s made young adepts of his own, like Alexis Landot. But what about Seb Bouin? No doubt the serial climber (with a staggering number of routes in 9a and beyond to his credit) has nothing left to prove, except to himself. Perhaps he simply doesn’t have a smooth enough rock, or an overhanging one, to sink his teeth into?<\/p>\n Yesterday, Seb Bouin gave some explanation on his networks. \u201cWe demand life and freedom! The ability to live life to the full, to pursue our dreams, to feel our hearts beating and to be free to act and think. We’re trying to awaken minds with a bold gesture (…). Because it makes us dream, because we feel alive and because life is precious.\u201d<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_testimonial quote_icon_color=”#000000″ quote_icon_background_color=”#ffffff” _builder_version=”4.24.2″ body_font=”Oswald|700||on|||||” body_text_align=”center” body_text_color=”#000000″ body_font_size=”30″ use_background_color=”off” custom_margin=”50px||||false|false” saved_tabs=”all” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n One hundred and ninety metres of solo climbing. Proof that climbers always have something to (prove to) themselves<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_testimonial][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ max_width=”800px” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” use_custom_width=”on” custom_width_px=”800px” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ text_font_size=”18px” hover_enabled=”0″ z_index_tablet=”500″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n One hundred and ninety metres of solo climbing. Six hundred feet. Absolutely vertical. Smooth holds, and feet resting on a mix of aluminum and glass. Proof that (the best) climbers always have something to (prove to) themselves. Alain Robert is the third climber who, at retirement age, is still capable of impressing everyone else, and who is making the headlines this week (after the Karakorum FA of veterans Mick Fowler, 68, and Vic Saunders, 74!<\/a>).<\/p>\n As for Seb Bouin, he proves that France’s best climber wanted a taste of the (big) thrill, but didn’t tremble, like youtube star Magnus Midtb\u00f8 when he climbed solo with Alex Honnold (and swore he’d never do it again).<\/p>\n Fortunately, soloing one above the other can be more risky than soloing alone. Far from the walls and the competition, Saturday’s performance was a fine demonstration of climbing’s latest punks. A middle finger to cellophane-gym-climbing.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" No, they’re not window cleaners or lost rope access technicians. On…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":294999,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19,16],"tags":[781,39,471,782],"class_list":["post-294998","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-climbing","category-editorial","tag-alain-robert","tag-climbing","tag-seb-bouin","tag-urban-climbing"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alpinemag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294998","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alpinemag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alpinemag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alpinemag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alpinemag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=294998"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/alpinemag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294998\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":295005,"href":"https:\/\/alpinemag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294998\/revisions\/295005"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alpinemag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294999"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alpinemag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=294998"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alpinemag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=294998"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alpinemag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=294998"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}