The 25-year-old American Katie Lamb is making climbing history: she repeats the Daniel Woods Boulder Box Therapy (8C+) in Rocky Mountain National Park and is the first woman in the world to solve a bouldering problem of this difficulty level.
With her ascents of 8B+ boulders like Specter, Book Club, The Penrose Stop, Jade or New Base Line counts Katie Lamb already to a very limited circle of female climbers who are capable of this level of difficulty. With the repetition of Box Therapy (8C+) in Rocky Mountain National Park, the strong American writes climbing history: she is the first woman to conquer the 8C+ level of difficulty in bouldering.
Box Therapy: 8C+ Testpiece by Daniel Woods
The line Katie Lambs wrote in the history books was created in 2018 by Daniel Woods first ascent. Since then, Box Therapy has only seen two reruns: Drew Ruana in July 2020 and Sean Bailey in October 2020.
The fact that Katie Lamb is only the fourth person to master the 18 moves in this 50-degree overhang is awesome. The fact that the 25-year-old skipped grade 8C and was the first woman to do an 8C+ boulder is simply sensational.
Video: Katie Lamb pulls the Magic Wood classic New Base Line (8B+)
Only four women in grade 8C
So far, only four athletes have managed to break bouldering grade 8C: Ashima Shiraishi with Horizon (2016), Kathrin Lehmann with Kryptos (2018), Mishka Ishi with Byaku-dou (2019) and Oriane Bertone with Satan I Helvete sit (2020)
One that is also keen to break the 8C barrier is the Melissa Le Nevé. The French is known for the first women's ascent of Action Directe (9a) in the Franconian Jura or for the first female ascend of an 8B+ boulder in Fontainebleau. In Ticino, the 34-year-old has been projecting the legendary Boulder Dreamtime (8C) for a long time.
Video: Kathrin Lehmann climbs Kryptos (8C)
Next Step 8C+
The Czech Jana Švecová wants to go even higher. The 26-year-old took on the Ondra test piece Terranova (8C+) and was able to make all the movements of the traverse within two sessions. This summer she achieved a first milestone with Nova (8B+): the first ascent of a shortened version of the line, which starts with the Boulder Sedni si na kost (8B+) and then transitions into the second part of Terranova.
That might interest you
- Laura Rogora is the first woman to climb grade 9b / + with Erebor
- Video: Anak Verhoeven is the first woman to walk the Joe Mama route (9a +)
- First women's ascent: Janja Garnbret climbs the Boulder Iron
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Credits: Cover picture @keenantakahashi
