Michaela Kiersch Climbs V14 and Downgrades V15

Michaela Kiersch recently wrapped up a trip to Gottardo in Ticino, Switzerland. She climbed Power of Zero V15 (8C), Hazel Grace V14 (8B+), two V12s, and six V11s over the course of her two-week trip.

“It was my first time in Gottardo, and my mind is blown,” said Kiersch on Instagram. “I would have climbed every day if not for my skin and baby muscles. In the end, I had to do 1:1 day on/day off, but it was so fun. It can be intimidating going on a trip solo, but this time, the community was honestly my trip highlight. Huge thanks to my personal tour guide, beta encyclopedia, pad porter, and videographer Giuliano Cameroni.”

Diego Cameroni established Power of Zero in September 2025. He described it on his 8a.nu page as, “Amazing, short, but dense, sequence on Gottardo gastons first and two bad slopers.” Diego proposed a grade of V15 after his FA, and the problem has not seen many repeats. About the grade, Kiersch said on Instagram, “for me more [V14] with a different pebble, maybe even [V13], let’s see.”

Hazel Grace is a Giuliano Cameroni line. He made the FA in 2017. Many top climbers, including Sam Weir, Will Bosi, Aidan Roberts, and Jorge Díaz-Rullo, have repeated the boulder. Shauna Coxsey made the first female ascent in 2024. There is a sit-start version called Hazel Grace Sit, which goes at V15/16.

Kiersch is an incredibly well-rounded boulderer and sport climber. She became the first woman to climb V15 and 5.15a when she made her ascent of Fred Nicole’s Dreamtime V15 in November 2024. Before climbing Dreamtime, she already held the record as the first woman to climb V14 and 5.15a. Kiersch has topped many hard boulders, including Tigris SDS V14 and New Base Line V14 in Magic Wood. Earlier this year, she went to Oukaïmedon, Morocco where she established several climbs, including Tardine V13 and some highballs: Atlas V11, Aphrodite V6, Artemis V8, and Athena V9.

Just last month, Kiersch made the first female ascent of Dolby Surround 5.15a in Austria’s Zillertal Valley. Other 5.15a sends of hers include La Rambla in 2023 and Víctima Perfecta in 2024. In September 2025, she made history with her first ascent of Mad Lib 5.14d in Lone Rock Point, Vermont – this was the hardest sport route to ever be established by a woman in North America. Two days later, she made the FFA of Livin’ Astroglide 5.14c in Rumney, New Hampshire.

Kiersch’s  Gottardo trip ticklist:

  • Power of Zero V15 (Kiersch logged it as V13/14)
  • Hazel Grace V14
  • L’apprehension V12
  • Dulcifer sit V12
  • Silence V11
  • Eckzimmer V11 (Kiersch said it felt like V12 for her)
  • Scarry Christmas V11
  • Rosa Maialino V11
  • El Toro V11
  • Dark Seduto / Dark side sit V11

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Giuliano Cameroni’s first ascent of Hazel Grace V14

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