Apparently the Nicole family was bred for a single purpose, to pull down the big numbers. Francois Nicole, the brother of Fred (the other Nicole) just finished a long standing project in Switzerland.
In 1995, a relatively unknown Frenchman by the name of Fred Rouhling proposed grade of 9b (5.15b) for the "route" he called Akira. His ascent of Akira has long been marred in controversy.