Jenya Kazbekova Sends Necessary Evil 5.14c
The Team Ukraine Olympian sent the historic route in Arizona less than five months after giving birth
Ukrainian climber Jenya Kazbekova recently sent Necessary Evil 5.14c in Virgin River Gorge, Arizona. The line was established by Chris Sharma back in 1997 when the climbing icon was only 15 years old. Tommy Caldwell, who was 20 years old at the time, made the second ascent the following year. Other top climbers to ascend Necessary Evil include Dave Graham, Daniel Woods, and Adam Ondra. Michaela Kiersch made the first female ascent in February 2018, and less than 24 hours later, Paige Claassen also clipped the chains.
Kazbekova sent Necessary Evil on only her fifth session projecting the line. Making her ascent even more impressive was the fact that she gave birth less than five months ago.
“When I first told [Joy Black, coach for pregnant and postpartum climbers] I wanted to try this route in December, I expected to hear, ‘Are you mad, woman?'” said Kazbekova on Instagram. “I had a baby in August, so it didn’t sound entirely reasonable. Instead, I heard, ‘Okay, let’s do this.’ I had two months to train, and time flew by. Time is a different concept when you have a baby. We headed to Virgin River Gorge, and on the first day at the crag, I freaked out. The pressure to try hard was suddenly real, plus it was cold, windy, and we had a 4.5 month old and a doggo with us.
“I spent three days on the route, skipping the first 7C+/V10 crux and dialling the rest. Once I unlocked the second crux, I thought I might have a chance. Then I tried the first crux again, and it felt impossible. Every attempt was a rollercoaster. One try gave hope, the next shut me down. On the fourth day, I passed the first crux but fell at the second. I was exhausted, my skin was wrecked, and I was ready to give up. Still, there was one more day. No rest day, just one last chance. I let go of the expectation of sending on this trip and accepted I might need to come back. Jeremy never lost faith, though. I questioned my fitness, and he reminded me I had it in me.
“On the last day, last try, I passed the first crux after a few failed starts. The holds were brutal, and my skin hurt so much that my brain didn’t want to squeeze them. When I finally stuck the good hold after the 7C+ / V10 boulder, I passed the second crux with ease, and suddenly it was real. The route still had 20 meters of techy climbing left, and before I knew it I found myself clipping the chains. I did it. [5.14c], 4.5 months after giving birth to Taya. One of the hardest routes I’ve climbed, done in five days. As Joy would say, something is better than nothing. All the work counts, before pregnancy, during it, and after giving birth. I was incredibly fortunate to have a smooth recovery. The curiosity to see how far I can push myself has never been bigger. It certainly takes a village with a baby, but it is possible, and I’m here to find out.”
Kazbekova is a third-generation climber. Her grandmother even won a Soviet Union championship in Crimea. Her mother and father—Nataliia Perlova and Serik Kazebekov—hold several national titles. Jenya has won gold at the Ukrainian National Championships several times. She placed fourth at the Bouldering World Championships in 2019 and won silver in bouldering and lead combined at the 2024 European Championships. On rock, Jenya’s first 5.13b was at age 11 and her first 5.14a was at 13 years old with Parallel’niy mir in Red Stone, Crimea. She has climbed several 5.14+ routes, including Gullich and Mountain Rock Trip, both in Crimea. She’s also an accomplished boulderer with sends like Partage V12 in Fontainebleau to her name.
