"My proudest climbing moment so far" | Yannick Flohé ticks Ratstaman Vibrations (9b/+)

With Ratstaman Vibrations (9b/+) in Céüse, German professional climber Yannick Flohé completes his hardest route to date.

few weeks ago Yannick Flohe with his flash of Foundation's Edge (V15/8C) has written a piece of bouldering history. Now the 26-year-old has joined the club of 9b climbers. He achieved the second ascent of Chris Sharma's Rattaman Vibrations (9b/+) in the French climbing area Céüse.

Old Sharma project gets first repetition

A total of 30 days over five trips and two seasons: Flohé has never dedicated this much time to any other route in his career. The Essen native calls the 30-move test piece "the hardest route I've ever attempted—and by far the best route in Céüse."

Rattaman Vibrations – named after the Face de Rat sector – was founded in 2012 by Chris Sharma In the years that followed, some of the world's strongest climbers, such as Seb Bouin, Charles Albert, and Sharma himself, tried their luck on the route, which had long been considered a potential 9c. It would take a whole decade before it was finally Alex Megos in 2022. "One of the best lines somewhere in the 9b range," was the verdict of the then 28-year-old Franken, who, after the devaluation of his Bibliography was rather reserved in terms of difficulty.

Alex Megos' first ascent of Ratstaman Vibrations (2022)

Flohé awards Slash upgrade

Nevertheless, even at the time of the first ascent, it gave the impression of a rather tough 9b. After all, the route had fended off several top climbers over the past ten years. Megos had climbed the line in about ten sessions, but no one else had since—until now.

As the first repeater of Rattaman Vibrations Yannick Flohé is a bit more generous with the difficulty level, awarding it a grade upgrade to 9b/+. "I really hope that even more strong climbers will attempt the route in the future," the 26-year-old concludes, taking a friendly swipe at his teammate from Franconia.

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Credits cover photo: Rainer Eder