American Connie Shang Climbs Her First 5.14c
She went from 5.14a to 5.14c with a repeat of Spyfiction in Nevada
Connie Shang has climbed her first 5.14c with a repeat of Spyfiction at Mount Charleston in Nevada. She had previously climbed three 5.14a sport routes but skipped the grade of 5.14b. Shang worked on Spyfiction for two years and had put in around 20 sessions before her recent redpoing.
On 8a.nu, Shang said, “I believe this was the first female ascent and certainly my first at the grade. It climbs like a comp route, where each successive move is harder than the last, with few opportunities to rest until the last bolt. My strategy was to climb it quickly before my arms went lactic, but on the send go I caught the final dyno badly and had to improvise a swapped hand sequence. Instead of my rehearsed sprint to the finish I had to shake out a full two minutes before tackling the redpoint crux.”
The first ascent of Spyfiction was by Andy Raether in 2012 and it’s since been repeated several times including by Jonathan Siegrist. Other hard routes that Shang has climbed include God’s Own Stone 5.14a, Omaha 5.14a Beach and Dante’s Extension 5.14a.
“In some ways the steep blocky limestone plays to my strengths – underclings are my strongest grip – but also the route is short and strenuous, which forced me to level up my power endurance,” said Shang. “I’m grateful for the time I spent projecting this route because it unlocks many variations, including the extension Manphibian 5.14d, and an alternate start Dad Bod 5.14c/d.
