Gripped Magazine
Shauna Coxsey Sends V14 in Switzerland
Shauna Coxsey has just announced her ascent of Quiet Storm V14 (8B+) in Gotthard Pass in Ticino, Switzerland. It was a quick send for her. The main objective of her trip has been Hazel Grace Sit V15/16, but a muscle tear in her forearm and an unprecedented heat wave have contributed to a delay of her send.
“It sure felt nice to try hard and get to the top of a boulder after lots of time spent mostly slipping and sliding around on my project,” said Coxsey on Instagram. “This boulder has some of the most impressively terrible holds I’ve ever pulled on! I was pleased to get it done fast and not split a tip!”
Quiet Storm was recently established by Francesco Berardino this year. It has already seen repeats from top climbers, including Stefano Ghisolfi and Jorge Díaz-Rullo. Coxsey’s was the first female ascent.
Díaz-Rullo described Quiet Storm on Instagram as, “Powerful and tension moves on really cool but sharp crystal holds that demanded maximum efficiency on every attempt because of the skin. This is just one section of our bigger project (Project Pig), a [V11] into this [V14] and finishing with another [V11].”
Coxsey has had a very active year. She made a return to comp climbing, earning gold at the last-ever Climbing Works International Festival (CWIF) in Sheffield, UK, in March. It was her first time competing since announcing her retirement from competition after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The event held in Sheffield was one of the largest comps in the UK, and Coxsey couldn’t pass up the chance to compete in the international festival for its final iteration. Shortly after, she kicked off her season on rock by sending À Lay’s Blaise Assis V13 and Assis Gauche V12 in Fontainebleau, France.
Coxsey started competing at the age of seven. She podiumed at 30 World Cups and took home 11 eleven gold medals. In 2014, she became the third woman ever to top V14 with her ascent of New Base Line in Magic Wood, Switzerland. She has since sent many more of the grade, including Hazel Grace in Ticino, Switzerland, Fotofobia SDS in La Pedriza, Spain, and Mito SDS in Sintra, Portugal, which she sent in only two sessions.
Stefano Ghisolfi on Quiet Storm V14
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