Jules Marchaland climbs new 9b with mega-dyno in Claret

It is his hardest tour so far: Jules Marchaland suggests a difficulty level of 9b for his new route Le Bruit de l'Acid in the French climbing area Claret.

When we last talked about Jules Marchaland As reported, the Frenchman attempted to tick 100 8A boulders on Kilterboard in one day. A glance at his tick list shows that the 23-year-old is also up for more serious news – it now includes two dozen 9a and 9a+ routes, as well as six 8B or 8B+ boulders.

With his first ascent of Le Bruit de l'Acid in the French climbing area Claret Marchaland now reaches difficulty level 9b for the first time.

Le Bruit de l'Acid is not only Marchaland's first 9b, but also the first route of this grade in Claret. Image: Yulen Calleja Ordiz

Claret is one of the more southern climbing areas France and is located about 30 kilometers north of Montpellier. Known for its predominantly vertical and technical limestone routes, Claret, despite its prime location, is not yet a hotspot for the climbing elite – there is only one grade 9 route there, bolted in 2022 and first ascended by Seb Bouin.

No blah blah, just hard moves and no leftovers.
Jules Marchaland

With Le Bruit de l'Acid (9b), Jules Marchaland pushes the grade of the hardest Claretroute significantly higher for the time being. The man from Nice needed around ten days to complete his strength endurance test piece, taking more than 20 falls on the dynamic crux alone, which involved a good pinch.

25 difficult moves without chalk

Overall, the route consists of an initial section of approximately 7C+ difficulty, followed by a poor remaining position and two boulder problems of grades 8B and 7C+. "You can't chalk anything for 25 moves," says Marchaland, who initially estimated the route at 9a+.

The dynamic cruiser cost Marchaland around 20 crashes. Image: Yulen Calleja Ordiz

This route is very much my style and certainly harder than any 9a+ I've ever done.
Jules Marchaland

The fact that the Dyno-Crux cost him so many attempts made the Kilterboard enthusiasts then doubt the difficulty level. Now Marchaland is certain of something others will have to confirm in the future: Le Bruit de l'Acid is his first 9b.