Remy Bergasse Climbs the FA of Stepping Stones (5.14d)

The line waited almost 20 years to see a first ascent, but do sport lines age like fine wine?

Stepping Stones (5.14d)  Photo: Nicolas, Remy's Blog

Steppe de Pierres or Stepping Stones was bolted back in 1992 by Laurent Simoni.  Located in the Calanques of Southern France, the route sat idle at the epicenter of world sport climbing waiting for an ascent.  It looks like bolts back then are stronger than ever as they sustained Remy on numerous whippers during the 15-20 sessions he needed to refine his beta and grab the first ascent of the line. 

After coming down from the route and considering the work he put into it, Remy gave a breakdown of the difficulty on his blog stating, “the route can be divided into a resistance 8c (5.14b) followed by a section with very small holds. These 10 moves would also weigh in around 8c.  Last, but not least comes a very hard boulder crux which is around 7C (V9) in itself.”

Remy after the rockfall.  Photo: Remy's Blog

At the end of the day Remy went back to the crag to shoot some photos of the line and was given a “proper” send off from the route.  While on route shooting photos, a large block broke free and smashed into Remy’s face leaving him with several deep cuts, but no breaks.  So, to answer the original question, a 20-year-old aged route does not go down as a smooth as fine wine, but congratulations to Remy on the send!

To follow Remy’s escapades visit www.remybergasse.over-blog.com

-Anthony Lapomardo