Amity Warme Climbs Squamish 5.13dR Trad
The big wall free-climbing specialist has been spending some time on Canada's west coast this summer
Veteran trad climber Amity Warme has been spending some time in Squaimsh, where she’s repeated one of The Chief’s most difficult pitches: Tainted Love 5.13dR trad. Tainted Love was first climbed by Hazel Findlay, and has been repeated by climbers like Connor Herson, Sonnie Trotter, Katha Saurwein, Jorg Verhoeven, Sean Villanueva O’Driscoll and others.
About the route, Findlay said, “Crazy hard but uniquely technical movements of which most normal climbing cannot prepare you for. There are just a handful of holds on the whole pitch; a hand jam and a few finger locks. Upward progress is achieved by pushing alone. Extreme pushing with the legs and extreme palming with the hands. Moving between such precarious positions would be difficult enough if the gear was easy to place. Unfortunately, the route is mostly protected by micro wires (which gives you some indication of how small the crack is).”
Warme is one of the world’s top trad climbers, with an impressive list of repeats and first ascents. In Yosemite, she’s climbed Father Time 5.13b 20 pitches, Golden Gate 5.13a 36 pitches ground-up, Freerider 5.13a 31 pitches (twice), NIAD at 11:45, The Niels Tietze Memorial Route AKA The Nexus 5.13a/b 9 pitches, The Final Frontier 5.13a/b 9 pitches, The Dream Team 5.13a 10 pitches, Scarface Free 5.12 9 pitches, Wayward Son 5.12 14 pitches and The Crucifix 5.12 5 pitches.
Warme is one of a handful of top American climbers in Squamish this summer. Recently, Connor Herson climbed several test-piece routes, including Cobra Crack 5.14, Crack of Destiny 5.14 and Spirit Quest 5.14d.
