Fourth V14 for Alex Puccio: Penrose Step in Leavenworth, WA

National bouldering champion Alex Puccio has claimed her fourth V14 boulder, Carlo Traversi’s Penrose Step in Leavenworth, Washington. The line, which trends diagonally up a steeply overhanging granite face and stands as the hardest boulder problem in Washington, was a longstanding project—known as the Ladder Project—until Traversi made the first ascent in 2013.

Puccio spent a few days last year on the problem and was “robbed” of the send when she fell at the top, but said on her Instagram that “it went down quickly on the second day” of her current trip.

Puccio, who has a impressive climbing resume including World Cup medals, National Championship titles and 18 V13 boulders, climbed her first V14, Jade in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP), back in August 2014. The following month she climbed her second: Wheel of Chaos, also in RMNP. In September of last year, in Magic Woods, Switzerland, she climbed New Base Line, bringing her V14 tick list total to three.

YES!!! I got revenge on “Penrose Step” V14/ 8B+ yesterday!!! ?? I fell off the very end a year ago and yesterday I got to stand on top of this AMAZING line! I tried it 2 days, maybe 3, last year and it went down quickly on my second day this trip. This was my 4th of the grade. I ❤️ Leavenworth! Thank you @joelzerr for the awesome picture, spots and for filming!!! ??❤️ @e9clothing_official @us_e9 @scarpana @petzl_official @musclepharm @frictionlabs

A post shared by Alex Puccio (@alex_puccio89) on Apr 4, 2018 at 12:18pm PDT