Climbing News From Around the World

Gripped Magazine December 19, 2013

Lonnie Kauk has done second ascent of Too Big to Flail, Alex Honnold’s impressive V10 highball in Bishop. Honnold’s ascent was documented in Reel Rock 7.

Lonnie Kauk on Too Big To Flail Photo Lonnie Kauk

Adam Ondra has made the first ascent of Nove G, 9a, at Gemona in the Friuli region of Northern Italy.

Adam Ondra on the first ascent of Nove, 5.14d at Gemona Photo by Luciano Regattin — Adam Ondra on the first ascent of Nove, 5.14d at Gemona
Photo by Luciano Regattin

On Tuesday December 17, Will Sim and Greg Boswell made the second winter ascent of Babes in the Wood (VIII,8) in Coire an t-Sneachda. Follow Scottish winter climbing here.

Babes in the Wood (VIII,8) breaks through a roof bottom centre, before following the thin diagonal crack which peters out into a thin technical slab – the meat of the route. Photo Greg Boswell

Daniel Woods has made the first ascent of The Nest in Red Rock, Nevada, calling it V15, after five days of work. Jimmy Webb quickly did the second ascent. “In the end, we stood on top of one of the raddest boulders I have seen,” Woods said on Instaram.

Daniel Woods on The Nest, V15 Source Instagram

Paige Claassen’s world tour, Lead Now, is raising money to empower women and children. Currently in India, Claassen made an ascent of the country’s hardest route, Ganesh, 5.14a.

Sangwon Son from Seoul, South Korea, has climbed La Rambla, 5.15a, in Siurana, Spain. It marks the 11th ascent of the route. It was first climbed by Alexander Huber in 1994 and graded 5.14d, but was later upgraded by the likes of Chris Sharma, Edu Marin and Adam Ondra to 5.15a. It was the first ever 5.15a climbed.