When the French professional climber Sébastien Bouin heard about a new sector in Datça, he wanted to go there as soon as possible. His goal: to set up a new mega-line. He was able to win his mother over as a companion. Both set up parts of the heavily overhanging and long route and named the line after Seb's grandmother Lily's Eye. A three-part video series tells the story of the development, starting with the first video episode in today's post.
A post by Seb Bouin
I heard about this area and the cave a few months before we went there. When I saw the pictures, I wanted to visit the area immediately to set up the line in the middle. I was looking for a "Mega Line", something big, something very, very big. And that line was just perfect.
On this trip, I took a good partner - my mother. She is always motivated to accompany me on new expeditions. However, this was the first time she had drilled a route. A real novice! But it was so much fun to show her how it works.
I drilled in the upper and middle part of the route while taking the lower part. It was quite a challenge to start drilling. Together with the French climber Adrien Boulon we spent several hours to reach the exit of the rock. There were a lot of trees and no way. We carried tons of equipment, which of course was very heavy.
The route established by Seb is located near the village of Datça (Turkey)
When we finally reached the top and hung the rope to start drilling, I realized I had forgotten my drill. That's when I wanted to jump down, haha. So I had to run down and fight my way up again. At dusk we finally started our work.
My mother is a very special person. It's just a pleasure to watch her climb. She never has a plan where to climb, so I give her a lot of tips. However, she hardly gets tired and therefore does not fall. It never gets boring with her. The relationship between mother and son when climbing and in general is something unique. Sometimes it is difficult and sometimes just great. This is a special combination for a great trip.
Finally we were able to complete our “Mega Line”. Her name is "Lily's Eye", a tribute to my grandmother Lily. She will always keep an eye on us.
Video of Seb Bouin setting up the route Lily's Eye
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Credits: text and image Seb Bouin / Black Diamond