French climber Sébastien Bouin has made the first ascent of Wolf Kingdom (9b+) at Pic St Loup in Languedoc-Roussillon, southern France and proposed 9b+. The route is his sixth of the grade and - in his opinion - his second-hardest redpoint to date after DNA 9c. Wolf Kingdom combines sections of two existing hard lines first climbed by Bouin, Beyond Integral 9b/+ and Les Rois du Lithium 9b.

Bouin bolted the project at his local crag eighteen months ago.

Earlier this year, Bouin made the first ascent of Les Rois du Lithium 9b at Pic Saint Loup. Wolf Kingdom involves an initial 9a section which is the hardest part of his 2020 line Beyond Integral 9b/+, leading into a 9a+ section which incorporates the crux of Les Rois du Lithium (9b). 

Six days before he climbed Wolf Kingdom, Bouin showed his current form in flashing Le Dernier Têtard 8c and redpointing Amicalement Blues 9a at Têtard Park near Grenoble. 

Bouin commented:

'What a wave of emotions to complete this project. It's one of the routes that has inspired me the most in my climbing career. I am proud and happy to add such a route to the global climbing scene and to place Pic Saint-Loup on the worldwide map of climbing.

That day, the wind was howling through the cliff at Pic Saint-Loup. It was cold, but I knew that very low temperatures were necessary to send the final section.

When opening a route, you never really know what you're going to encounter. It takes a lot of luck for difficulty to align with beauty and fun in a single route. It's quite rare to have the chance to bring a route like this to life.

Wolf Kingdom is undoubtedly one of my best additions, one of the most fun, and one of the prettiest. I think it will be one of the most tried 9b+ routes in the future, considering its style of climbing. I'm almost a little sad that I no longer have this beautiful project right next to home. The process was fun and positive. It was a real pleasure.'

Bouin's hardest route to date remains DNA 9c, of which he made the first ascent in 2022 (UKC News). Commenting on the difficulty of his new line, he added:

'I believe this route marks a major turning point in my climbing journey. Successfully completing such a big project while staying happy and positive the entire time—it's an incredible feeling. I think this route is my second-hardest achievement. It feels a bit easier than DNA, so the 9b+ grade seems appropriate.'