UKC

22 year-old US climber Michaela Kiersch recently climbed Golden Ticket (5.14c/8c+) at the Chocolate Factory, Red River Gorge, Kentucky - her third route of the grade. A successful competition climber, coach and full-time student, in this video Michaela talks about finding balance and achieving a career best.

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In reply to UKC News:

Fabulous, really enjoyed that.

In reply to UKC News:

Goes to show that a lot of the excuses we all come up with are just that.

In reply to UKC News:

Brilliant. Great to watch such dedication.

In reply to UKC News:

Really really great to watch! Crazy dedication with an unknown outcome - inspiring stuff!

In reply to Dave Todd:

I found this really inspiring, it's really impressive that she got stuck into a route with one of those lowest of low percentage moves...an all points off dyno to a slot and that wasn't even the crux.
Adam Ondra onsighted this!
https://vimeo.com/groups/113227/videos/53636034
and he does the dyno move almost statically.
Does anyone know the reason that he skipped the clip before the crux making a monster run-out

In reply to Xavierpercy:

Me too - I especially liked that she deliberately chose something she knew she wasn't so good at, knowing she'd likely fail, but she did it anway.

In reply to Xavierpercy:


Motivation?!

In reply to UKC News:

Brilliant

In reply to Xavierpercy:

Is it just me or is the belaying really bad. I feel like he could have grounded the first three draws with that huge amount of slack.

In reply to Spanish Jack:


It does look pretty suspect, like the belayer doesn't actually know how much rope is out and is just watching the climber.

In reply to gethin_allen:

Good video that - I like her style. RRG looks an ace place to climb, really need to there some day.

Great contrasting the two films and styles. Which one makes better watching ? The slack was deadly on the other vid referred to - while AO did very committing long stretch moves onto thin holds - but what you don't know can't hurt you right ?

In reply to simonharpham:

Makes you wonder what grade she could climb if she picked a crispy route with short moves!

In reply to Spanish Jack:

I'd guess, given how he waltzes up that section, it's something along the lines of it's not the crux and therefore a fall isn't expected and he would rather have additional slack meaning he won't be slowed at all through lack of rope for clipping etc (he takes huge amounts at once for clipping).

It may look dodgy but I imagine it's thought through...

In reply to barry donovan:
>The slack was deadly on the other vid referred to - while AO did very committing long stretch moves onto thin holds

It is definetely surprising that even some people that belay the best climber in the world belay awful.

In reply to James Malloch:

Most likely, yes. Still hard to watch that.

In reply to Brendan:

*crimpy

In reply to Xavierpercy:

To a top level climber a 15 meter safe fall is not that different to a 2 meter safe fall. Either way you don't hit the ground.

Falling of a wall like that is pleasant and where's no danger really. Falling off for 1 - 2 meters on a slab on other hand can break your bones.

Agreed, that's one of my excuses to climb mostly overhangs.

In reply to Xavierpercy:

If you look on the video Michaela dynos for the hold with both hands and gets her left hand in the middle hold from which she clips. This middle hold seems to be the best one. Ondra gets his hands wrong (or so it seems) and he gets the right hand part with his left and the sidepull with his right. If you watch he seems to try to switch his hands around so he has the best bit in the middle with his left so he can clip. It looks like he just dismisses that as too pumpy and continues regardless. Wish I could do that when I'm pumped stupid and trying my hardest onsight....

In reply to Dave Cross:

I think it's slightly different from what you say. It looks to me as if he initially his the middle of the hold with his left, crosses through with his right, has a think/tries an adjustment, then comes back to exactly the same position he hit at first, ie. the middle part with his left. Both very impressive displays of climbing however.

In reply to Dave Cross:

Supreme commitment if that is the case. Skipping a clip is ok when it is planned on a redpoint go, a bit harder when unplanned on the redpoint go. I don't think I have ever skipped a clip on an onsight at a grade that is near or at my limit.

In reply to Xavierpercy:

I think for us mortals it's quite committing to skip a clip like this on an O/S. For somebody like Adam having the bolt a 2-3 meters below his leg is nothing out of the ordinary when he is high enough above the ground.

Just a look at him basically not clipping through the headwall of La Rambla and then dropping it with no hesitation. He was 16 at the time.

youtube.com/watch?v=LdbKjPUDJVY&

In reply to UKC News:

Thought this was one of the best short climbing films I've seen in a good while. Great and inspiring story, well told, eloquent narrative and well filmed. Even the music was good and not overused the way it is in many climbing videos.