Chaehyun Seo has made the second female ascent of La Rambla (9a+), in Siurana.
The route, first established by Alexander Huber, and then extended by Ramón Julián Puigblanque, was the first consensus 9a+ to receive a female repeat when Margo Hayes climbed it back in 2017. In climbing the La Rambla, Seo becomes just the ninth woman to climb 9a+ or harder.
Seo spent five days working the route, and climbed it on her seventh attempt. She described the final section of it as the part she found the most challenging.
Taking to instagram to share the news, Seo said:
'[To] send it on my 7th try was just amazing! It's been one of my biggest dream in my climbing life and I still can't believe that what happened today. Second female ascent for this route! Thank you for giving me huge cheering, was just awesome'.
Seo is best known for her success on the competition circuit, having won the IFSC Lead World Cup in her debut senior year, at just 15 years old. More recently, Seo won gold in the 2021 IFSC World Championships in lead climbing, and finished in second place behind Janja Garnbret in this year's Climbing World Cup.
When asked about future plans, Seo expressed interest in trying Chris Sharma's iconic Biographie (9a+) in Céüse, another 9a+ test piece with only one female repeat.
20 women became Sport Climbing's first female Olympians tonight in Tokyo. Team GB's Shauna Coxsey placed 10th - a fantastic result given her injury struggles since qualifying two years ago.
Comments
Wait, what?
https://www.meteoblue.com/en/weather/week/les-sci%c3%a9s_france_2999615
First winter ascent, init. Be a piece of p!ss with tools and crampons.
Good point! Edited for clarity.