French climber establishes China's toughest route in Guangxi

French rock climber Sébastien Bouin recently climbed what he described as the most challenging climbing route in China in the Leye-Fengshan Geopark in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. The route can be found in the park's Shugeng Cave.

Bouin, a renowned climber known for scaling immensely difficult areas, completed the route's exploration and ascent and assigned it a 5.15b grade in the Yosemite Decimal System. The score confirms its status as the most challenging route in China and one of the hardest in Asia.

Bouin highlighted the route's unique rock texture and style, challenging stretches between holds and stances and demanding choices along the way. The challenge comes with superb rewards, as climbers will glimpse breathtaking views along their trek.

The Leye-Fengshan Geopark is a prime example of southwestern China's karst topography. It is dense with cave halls, skylights and sinkholes, and it is home to distinctive cave sediment deposits, the most complete early panda skull fossils and a unique diversity of karst lifeforms.