Ashima Shiraishi, 13, Becomes Second Female to Climb V14
Ashima Shiraishi, just 13-years-old, has crushed her first V14 by sending Fred Nicole’s Golden Shadow in Rocklands, South Africa, becoming the second woman ever to climb such a grade.
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She is now the second female to climb the grade, the first being Tomoko Ogawa who repeated Dai Koyamada’s Catharsis in Shiobara, Japan, in October 2012.
In the same week, Shiraishi also repeated Betta Move, her sixth V13 so far. Other V13s by Shiraishi include One Summer in Paradise and The Automator, both in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado; Crown of Aragorn in Hueco Tanks; Fragile Steps in Rocklands, and Steady Plums Direct in Cape Town, South Africa.
Shiraishi now ties Mirko Caballero, also 13, for the honor of being the youngest person to climb V14. Caballero cinched that title when he sent Meadowlark Lemon Sit (V14) in Red Rocks, Nevada, this March.
According to her 8a.nu scorecard, Shiraishi has also been the best female sport climber for the past two years, climbing several 5.14c routes.
On the Road from Evolv Climbing on Vimeo.