Shawn Raboutou

Shawn Raboutou is an American climber of the younger generation who works across bouldering, sport and competition climbing; his verified record includes climbing at the V17 (9A) level. The three films here track both the performance side of that peak and the quieter, process-oriented moments that accompany cutting-edge bouldering.

If you want an account of on-the-rock projection and the social context around it, The North Face presents: ALPHANE and Mellow’s Alphane are complementary. Both films center on Alphane in Chironico — the problem presented in the edits as V17 — and show how sequence work, skin management and tiny adjustments add up over a season. The North Face edit expands the frame, placing Raboutou alongside Matty Hong, Daniel Woods and other top boulderers as they return to Switzerland to pursue first ascents and extreme problems; Mellow’s feature narrows focus onto Raboutou’s movement and the rhythm of a breakthrough season.

For a different picture of his range, ROCK TRIP | The North Face follows Raboutou on a short expedition in Valle Encantado, Argentina, where the footage mixes polished cinematography with climber-shot phone clips. That film foregrounds route development, bolting and team dynamics as much as onsight performance, so viewers see how elite boulderers operate when exploring new granite spires rather than chasing a single grade milestone. Together, these films teach the practicalities of projecting and the collaborative, place-based side of elite climbing — from the grind of repeated attempts to the conversations and logistics that shape a season.