Brooke Raboutou Does Spectre V13
The Team USA Olympic silver medalist just added another hard classic to her ticklist
Brooke Raboutou recently topped Spectre V13 (8B) in Bishop, California. First climbed by Dave Graham way back in 2001, the problem has turned into an absolute classic over the years with many of bouldering’s best having their turn on the boulder, including Paul Robinson, Kevin Jorgeson, Carlo Traversi, Daniel Woods, and Jimmy Webb.
Spectre’s grade is nuanced. Most climbers agree with Graham’s original assessment of V13. However, the typical crux beta is impossible for shorter climbers. Instead of keeping a toe cam on during this crux move, shorter climbers have to cut feet and hold a very difficult swing. A few climbers have suggested V14 for the problem because of this, including Carlo Traversi and Katie Lamb, who made the first female ascent of the problem in February 2023. Being only 5 feet 2 inches tall, Raboutou had to cut feet in her ascent, but she appears to have called the problem V13.
Raboutou is one of the best boulderers in the world. In October 2023, she made the second female ascent of Box Therapy, downgrading the problem to V15. She has multiple V14s to her name, including Iur in Ticino, The Traphouse in Cuvier Rempart, Trieste in Red Rock, Jade in Rocky Mountain National Park, and Muscle Car near Boulder. She’s also no slouch at comp climbing, with many Word Cup podium finishes and a Paris Olympic silver medal to prove it.
