Baptiste Dherbilly has repeated Fred Rouhling's Salamandre, 9a+, at the Double Cache crag, Haute-Savoie, France. Very few of Fred's hard routes have been repeated and this is only the second of of his 9a's or harder to get a second ascent.
© Etienne Seppecher
Fred Rouhling is the man behind routes like Akira, 9b (1995), Empreintes, 9a+, De l'autre côté du ciel, 9a, Mandallaz drive, 9a, and Hugh, 9a, where only Hugh have seen a few repeats.
Salamandre can be descibed as an 8a section into an ~8A+/B crux followed by an 8b+ section. The hardest single move is a dyno from a shallow mono to a two finger gaston pocket where you have to get the pocket exactly right to be able to stay on.
Fanatic Climbing managed to get hold of Baptiste for a comment:
I have been there 17 times in the last two months which represents around 50 tries. For the grade I don't want to talk about it because I haven't the experience to give my opinion on it. Fred had announced 9a/b, and after talking with him he thought 9a+.
Until now, I had repeated as hard routes 'Ordalie' a route from Fred 8c+ and I did two first ascent which need to be confirmed. Both are around 8c/8c+ , one is 'XV station' in Jourdy and the other one is 'Entre rêve et réalité' in La Forclaz. So I have not really references in this level. That's why I do not pronounce myself. All I know is the most difficult route I climbed.
He also says that the route, which was bolted by François Ducastel, is completely natural.
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