Gripped Magazine
Michaela Kiersch Makes Hardest Female First Ascent in America Ever
Michaela Kiersch, 30, has made the first ascent of Mad Lib 5.14d in Lone Rock Point, Vermont. She also recently repeated Livin’ AstroGlide 5.14c in Waimea, Hawaii.
“The 9a [5.14d] climbs a new start (5 bolts) and links into the very top arete of the wall (8a+ finish which I fell on the last move once),” Kiersh said on 8a.nu. “There are existing 5.14s at the wall and this line is an obvious link through some of the hardest sections of the cliff. I was able to establish the first ascent of Mad Lib (9a) last week — making it the hardest female FA in North America! The name comes from the various routes it links through, and rather than connect them all in alphabet soup (Buffalo Sized King Terror Wolf etc), calling it Mad Lib, after the word game, felt appropriate. Plus several route names on the cliff have a hip hop theme, so it doubly fit.”
Kiersch, a doctor in hand therapy, has climbed 20 routes at 5.14c or harder, including 18 boulders at V11 or harder. In 2024, she became the first woman to climb V15 and 5.15a – read more about it here. Among some of Kiersch’s most difficult sends are La Rambla 5.15a (3rd woman to climb it, and the 7th woman to climb 5.15), and Dreamcatcher 5.14d in Squamish (2nd woman to climb it). Watch her send of La Rambla below.
Lone Rock Point is one of the east coast’s steepest and most dramatic crags. In 2022, Canadian Félicien Roy made the first ascents of Tubby Wolf 5.14b, and A Tribord, Toute 5.14b , read more about them here. Other 5.14s at Lone Rock Point, include Supersize 5.14c, King Tubby 5.14a, and now Mad Lib 5.14d.
La Rambla 5.15a
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