Shawn Raboutou Makes V14/15 First Ascent in Patagonia
Shawn Raboutou, an American climber, has announced the first ascent of a boulder problem in El Chalten, Argentina, graded V14/15 (8B+/C), which he completed in January Gripped. Separately, a Spanish team comprising Mikel Zabalza, Ruben Perez and Mikel Saez de Urabain reached the summit of Jugal II, a 6,518m (21,384ft) peak in Nepal’s Jugal Himal, on 26 October, in what The Himalayan Database records as the mountain’s first ascent ExplorersWeb.
What happened
Raboutou’s new boulder problem, called Chau Putos, involves a difficult throw to a lip before the climber tops out, and he recently announced the send on Instagram, where he thanked the climbing community in El Chalten and described Patagonia as a “one of a kind place” Gripped. He wrote that he had spent an incredible month in January climbing and experiencing life in the region. Patagonia is more widely known for mountaineering and big wall climbing, but Gripped noted that it also holds notable bouldering terrain, of which Chau Putos is an example.
In Nepal, the Spanish team climbed Jugal II via its east-southeast side and reached the summit on 26 October, returning to base camp the following day ExplorersWeb. Their home contact relayed the news to the Spanish outlet Diario de Navarra, and the team said they would share further details once back home. ExplorersWeb reported that an Italian team attempting the same peak, consisting of Nives Meroi and Romano Benet, retreated the day before the Spanish summit. According to Meroi, both teams had attempted the climb, and the two parties were travelling together to Kathmandu after the Spanish ascent.
The people involved
Raboutou, 28, had a breakout year in 2022, when he made first ascents of two V17 boulders: Alphane in Chironico, Switzerland, and Megatron in Eldorado Canyon, Colorado Gripped. Gripped noted that he has been relatively quiet about his climbing in recent years since then, though in April he sent the Japanese testpiece Floatin, a line considered by most climbers to be a solid V16, which Raboutou said felt more like V15 for him personally. He topped Floatin during his first session of a spring visit, having previously worked the moves on an earlier trip, and remarked afterwards that it “doesn’t get much better than this”. Before Floatin, his most recent publicly known major sends, both completed in 2024, were the second ascent of Devilution (V16) in the Buttermilks and a repeat of United (V16) in Mizugaki, Japan.
On the Jugal II expedition, the Spanish climbers Zabalza and Urabain had previously explored the area in spring 2024, though bad weather prevented an attempt at that time ExplorersWeb. The Italian team originally intended to climb Tilicho Peak in the Annapurna region before switching objectives, and originally included a third member, Tine Cuder of Slovenia, who fell ill and left the expedition two weeks before the report, with no further news of the Italian team emerging until this report. ExplorersWeb’s reporting was carried out by Angela Benavides, who holds a journalism degree and specialises in high-altitude mountaineering and expedition coverage.
The response
Raboutou’s response to his own ascent came through social media, where his comments centred on gratitude toward the climbing community in El Chalten and appreciation for the trip overall, rather than technical detail about the line itself Gripped. Gripped’s account draws on these Instagram statements as the primary record of the ascent.
For Jugal II, ExplorersWeb spoke directly with Meroi while she and Benet were sheltering from heavy rain at a lodge, during which she confirmed that the Spanish team had reached the summit while the Italians had retreated the day before ExplorersWeb. The Spanish team’s own account, relayed through their home contact to Diario de Navarra, confirmed the summit date and the descent to base camp, though the team indicated that fuller details would follow once they returned home.
Background and context
Raboutou’s Patagonia trip fits into a broader picture of a climber returning to prominence after a quieter period, following the attention generated by his 2022 V17 first ascents and his continued activity on V16-graded testpieces through 2024 and into this spring Gripped. Gripped situated Chau Putos within Patagonia’s lesser-known bouldering scene, distinct from the region’s reputation for mountaineering and big wall routes.
The Jugal Himal lies northeast of Kathmandu on the Tibetan border and is reachable by bus followed by a few days of trekking ExplorersWeb. Jugal I and Jugal II were opened to foreign expeditions only in 2023, and in spring 2024 a Korean-Nepalese expedition led by South Korean climber Um Hong-gil, which included Sherpa climbers Dawa Yangzum and Lakpa Dendi, summited Jugal I but did not reach the top of Jugal II. The Italian team’s shift to Jugal II followed storms and flooding in the Annapurna region that had cut trails and swept away bridges, forcing a change from their original plan to climb Tilicho Peak.
What is not yet confirmed
The Spanish team has not yet released the fuller account of their climb that they indicated would follow once home, so details such as the specific route conditions, duration of the summit push, and any technical grading of Jugal II’s east-southeast side remain outstanding ExplorersWeb. It is also not confirmed what became of Tine Cuder after leaving the Italian expedition two weeks before the report, beyond the fact that no further news had surfaced until this report. On the climbing side, Gripped’s account does not specify the exact date in January when Raboutou completed Chau Putos, nor does it include confirmation from any other climber of the grade assigned to the problem Gripped.
Sources referenced
- Shawn Raboutou Makes V14/15 First Ascent in Patagonia — Gripped
- Spanish Team Bags First Ascent of Jugal II — ExplorersWeb
Written by Andoram by combining 2 independently published reports, each linked above. We synthesise facts and reproduce no source text.
5 reports from 3 outlets are covering this story. Andoram groups coverage of a single event so you can compare what each outlet is reporting, and read the original in full at the source.
5 reports from 3 outlets are covering this story. Andoram groups coverage of a single event so you can compare what each outlet is reporting, and read the original in full at the source.
5 reports from 3 outlets are covering this story. Andoram groups coverage of a single event so you can compare what each outlet is reporting, and read the original in full at the source.
5 reports from 3 outlets are covering this story. Andoram groups coverage of a single event so you can compare what each outlet is reporting, and read the original in full at the source.
5 reports from 3 outlets are covering this story. Andoram groups coverage of a single event so you can compare what each outlet is reporting, and read the original in full at the source.
5 reports from 3 outlets are covering this story. Andoram groups coverage of a single event so you can compare what each outlet is reporting, and read the original in full at the source.
5 reports from 3 outlets are covering this story. Andoram groups coverage of a single event so you can compare what each outlet is reporting, and read the original in full at the source.
5 reports from 3 outlets are covering this story. Andoram groups coverage of a single event so you can compare what each outlet is reporting, and read the original in full at the source.
5 reports from 3 outlets are covering this story. Andoram groups coverage of a single event so you can compare what each outlet is reporting, and read the original in full at the source.
5 reports from 3 outlets are covering this story. Andoram groups coverage of a single event so you can compare what each outlet is reporting, and read the original in full at the source.
5 reports from 3 outlets are covering this story. Andoram groups coverage of a single event so you can compare what each outlet is reporting, and read the original in full at the source.
5 reports from 3 outlets are covering this story. Andoram groups coverage of a single event so you can compare what each outlet is reporting, and read the original in full at the source.
5 reports from 3 outlets are covering this story. Andoram groups coverage of a single event so you can compare what each outlet is reporting, and read the original in full at the source.
5 reports from 3 outlets are covering this story. Andoram groups coverage of a single event so you can compare what each outlet is reporting, and read the original in full at the source.
5 reports from 3 outlets are covering this story. Andoram groups coverage of a single event so you can compare what each outlet is reporting, and read the original in full at the source.
Coverage timeline
- Oriane Bertone Makes First Female Ascent of The Big Island V15 — Gripped, 1 Nov 2026, 03:14 UTC
- Spanish Team Snatches First Ascent of Jugal II — ExplorersWeb, 30 Oct 2026, 15:18 UTC
- Spanish Team Bags First Ascent of Jugal II — ExplorersWeb, 30 Oct 2026, 15:18 UTC
- Shawn Raboutou Makes V14/15 First Ascent in Patagonia — Gripped Climbing Magazine, 29 Oct 2026, 16:48 UTC
- Shawn Raboutou Makes V14/15 First Ascent in Patagonia — Gripped, 29 Oct 2026, 16:38 UTC
This page is an automatically compiled index of third-party reporting. Headlines and links belong to their publishers; Andoram reproduces no article text. Last compiled 1 Nov 2026 14:15 UTC.
