US climber Michaela Kiersch has redpointed Víctima Perfecta 9a+ at Margalef, Catalunya. Kiersch also onsighted Crimptonite (8b+) at Oliana, her hardest onsight to date, planetmountain.com reports.
Víctima Perfecta was first climbed by Ramón Juliàn Puigblanqué in 2008, and is a 27-metre link-up of Victimes del Passat (8c) and Gancho Perfecto (9a+).
The line is the 29-year-old's second of the grade after her repeat of La Rambla (9a+) 9a+ at Siurana in 2023 (UKC News). Kiersch also redpointed two 9as last year, Victimes del Futur (9a) and Era Vella (9a), both in Margalef.
On Instagram, she wrote:
'Hardest route to date, especially with a last move crux. Lots of blood and tears and self doubt on this one. Longest project so far.'
Michaela was the first—and remains the only—woman in the world to climb both 9a+ and 8B+. She is a former USA Climbing Team member.
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Michaela Kiersch was the first—and remains the only—woman in the world to climb both 9a+ and 8B+. She is a former USA Climbing Team member.
Athlete:
In this week's Friday Night Video, we jump back to November 2016 when Michaela Kiersch became the first woman to climb The Golden Ticket, a testpiece 5.14c/8c+ in the Red River Gorge, Kentucky. Michaela's success revolved around stickin...
Comments
Anak Verhoeven has redpointed 9a+ and onsighted 8c
Either UKC have already updated the article or I think you misunderstood the claim they were making. The article currently says...
Note the capital letter in that second grade. It's a Font bouldering grade.
They could perhaps have made it slightly clearer, given that the article prominently refers to a recent 8b+ sport onsight, but it doesn't seem incorrect.
Cool stuff.
Was it ever resolved whether Open your mind direct was 9a+ when Ashima did it? I remember it was widely reported at 9a+, but then there was some noise that actually it was 9a (not that I could tell the difference!). Just thinking that she's also climbed >= 8B+ boulder.
Ashima has climbed 8c boulder Horizon in Mount Hiei when she was 15 and done both Open Your Mind Direct 9a/9a+ was the grade when she did it and Ciudad de Dios 9a/9a+ in 2014/15 when she was 14.