Antoine Le Menestrel

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First ascent.

First ascent.

This wonderful line is a vampire. Her holds cut through my fingers, they skin them raw and I lose my fingerprints, my identity! Her holds, I grab them like a stem covered in thorns in order to climb up to the calyx of the flower, my sweat waters it. This line has taken me over and it’s all I can think of, all I want is her. I have been vampirised. This line is thirsty for my blood to feed her own beauty, I live solely for her.

This cross-through opens my face to the world. Thanks to it, I offer you a rose. With you who are watching me, I create an emotional team, I become an artist. [1]

References

[1] https://fanatic-climbing.com/il-etait-une-voie-once-upon-a-line-la-rose-et-le-vampire/

[2] https://www.facebook.com/climbing.in.the.80s/photos/a.270388289694020/1661583483907820

An astonishing ascent of one of the hardest routes in the UK at the time. The ascent was recreated by Ned Feehally in Statement of Youth.

Around 4 o'clock, an impulse tells me that now's the time, everything is there, near. I am at the foot of the route, my head is empty, my body filled with concentration. JB [Jibe Tribout] leaves me for the first boulder and will take pictures. The moves are linked in perfection; no hesitation, no unnecessary movement, no tension, just total concentration all the way to the top. I climbed into a state of grace as I had never before climbed. A small sling around the waist allows me to descend into the arms of JB. Once again, our friendship is deepened. I'm not aware of anything except that I am happy. [1]

References

[1] https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/features/antoine_le_menestrels_diary_soloing_revelations-12001

First ascent.

First ascent.

References

[1] The 8th Grade - Ten Years of Free Climbing in France

The first ever 8a to be onsighted.

Second ascent?