Climb	Type	Suggested Grade	Date of Ascent	Notes
Megatron	Boulder	V17/9A	2022	FA. Video
Alphane	Boulder	V17/9A	6th April 2022	FA. Video
Off the Wagon Low	Boulder	V16/8C+	27th Oct 2018	Video
Big Z	Boulder	V16/8C+	29th Dec 2020	FA. Instagram Post
Fuck the System	Boulder	V16/8C+	July 2021	Video
The Story of Three Worlds	Boulder	V16/8C+	2022	Shawn climbed the line twice in a row as he dabbed the tree on his first time around. Video
Creature from the Black Lagoon	Boulder	V16/8C+	30th Sep 2018	Video
Insomniac	Boulder	V16/8C+	Sep 2022	Instagram Post
Box Therapy	Boulder	V15/V16 – 8C/8C+	13th Oct 2023	Shawn and his sister Brooke sent this route back to back.
Child of Hell	Boulder	V15/8C	2022	FA. Instagram Post
Roadkill	Boulder	V15/8C	Jan 2020	FA. Video
Monkey Wedding	Boulder	V15/8C	July 2016	8a Article
Spray of Light	Boulder	V15/8C	July 2016	https://www.8a.nu/news/two-8cs-by-shawn-raboutou-18-in-rocklands
The Finnish Line	Boulder	V15/8C	22nd June 2018	Instagram Post
Foundations Edge	Boulder	V15/8C	19th Nov 2018	Instagram Post
Livin’ Large	Boulder	V15/8C	Oct 2019	Video
Blade Runner	Boulder	V15/8C	Jul 2021	Instagram Post
Mystic River	Boulder	V15/8C	Dec 2021	The same day as Giuliano Cameroni made the first ascent.
Fallen Angel	Boulder	V15/8C		Second ascent. Video
The Book Club	Boulder	V14/8B+	2017	FA. Instagram Post
Fight Club	Boulder	V14/8B+	2022	FA. Instagram Post
Spectre	Boulder	V14/8B+	2022	Flash. Video
Welcome to Tijuana	Sport Route	8c	2010	One of Shawn’s few sport climbs.

Learning the Ropes

Shawn Raboutou was born and raised in the heart of Boulder, Colorado, with an undeniable legacy of climbing greatness running through his veins. His mother, the legendary Robyn Erbesfield-Raboutou, is a four-time Overall World Cup champion and one of the few women to conquer 5.14a. And if one climbing superstar parent wasn’t enough, Shawn’s father – Didier Raboutou – also has a place in the climbing history books. He was a pioneer in early international climbing competitions, participating in the first SportRoccia, as well as winning distinguished competitions like Arco Rock Master, Vaulx-en-Velin, and Bercy in France. With such a prestigious family history, it’s no surprise that Shawn quickly honed his climbing skills from a very young age.

Today, Robyn and Didier own ABC Climbing, a facility that trains young kids into professional climbers. Having spent his whole childhood in the climbing gym, Shawn learned from some of the best climbers in the world and had a huge advantage over all the other kids. His younger sister, Brooke Raboutou, is also a top climber, making the whole family a true powerhouse in the sport of climbing. Brooke is an Olympian and has stepped on almost 20 podiums in her competitive career.

Competition Climbing

While Shawn Raboutou’s climbing abilities are undeniable, his competitive career was relatively short-lived. He participated in the IFSC between 2015 and 2017 but did not win any medals. 

For a while, Shawn avoided entering the elite level of competition for the sport as he focused his time traveling around the world and trying some of the hardest boulders. In 2022 though, he entered the North American Cup Series and took a silver medal behind Brian Squire.

Notable Ascents

Where Shawn has really made a name for himself is in the outdoor bouldering scene. He has spent the last few years traveling around with other elite boulderers, like Daniel Woods, Jimmy Webb, and Guiliano Cameroni, in search of the most physically and mentally demanding boulders in the world. 

He has climbed eight 8C’s and seven 8C+’s with apparently very little effort, including iconic boulders such as The Finnish Line, Monkey Wedding, Livin’ Large, Off the Wagon, and The Story of Three Worlds. 

His most noteworthy ascents, however, have to be Megatron and Alphane, both of which are V17 boulders. In true Shawn Raboutou fashion, he didn’t announce either of his ascents until a few months later.

Alphane

Shawn sent Alphane in April 2022 (but didn’t announce it until August 2022) after 25 sessions spanning over a few months. Why did he take so long to tell the world about his biggest achievement? In an interview with Climbing.com, he said “I just find it annoying that you have to post on Instagram when you do a climb. Trying to change it up. Just climb for fun.”  A true testament to the kind of guy he is.

According to Raboutou, unlocking the Alphane boulder problem was a process that involved a great deal of experimentation and perseverance. Initially, he attempted the right variation of the problem, and although he was able to complete all the moves, it felt more like a V18. 

He then decided to focus on the left variation for the time being. The process was not without its challenges, however, as Raboutou found himself frequently breaking his shoes while attempting the heel hook move. To combat this issue, he resorted to nightly shoe repairs with super glue and eventually switched to a more durable pair of La Sportiva Miuras for his left foot and a pair of La Sportiva Solutions on his right. Despite these obstacles, Raboutou remained undaunted in his pursuit of the problem. 

When asked about the most difficult part of the climb, he cited the challenge of stringing together all the moves into a cohesive whole. Despite falling on the last move twice a day during his ten-day project, Raboutou remained committed and focused, approaching the climb with a sense of enjoyment and a love for the process of projecting. 

Megatron

Megatron is a long-standing projector for Daniel Woods and links seven V15 moves into the ten V14 moves of Tron, which is the stand-start version established by Woods. The climb features a series of tiny holds and demanding moves, requiring an unparalleled level of strength, skill, and mental fortitude to complete. According to Raboutou, the day he sent his project was not the day he was expecting it to happen. ‘I didn’t think I was going to do it, and then this one try I just kept going…and then I was at the top.’’ (Shawn Raboutou – Mellow)

Shawn was the only person to have ever climbed two V17s until Will Bosi’s recent ascent of Burden of Dreams (although Simon Lorenzi would argue otherwise).

Mellow YouTube Channel

Shawn Raboutou is not only a talented climber but also a well-known member of the Mellow crew, a group of elite climbers who travel the world in search of the most challenging routes and boulder problems. 

As part of the Mellow team, Shawn has had the opportunity to climb with some of the world’s best climbers, including Daniel Woods and Jimmy Webb, where they film their experiences bouldering around the world on their YouTube channel. The Mellow crew’s videos showcase their adventures in some of the most beautiful and remote climbing areas on the planet, from Africa to Europe and America. With a focus on pushing their limits and exploring new terrain, Shawn and the Mellow team continue to inspire and motivate climbers around the world.