Jesse Grupper Sends Death of Villains 5.15a
Having previously completed Life of Villains 5.14d and The Activator 5.14d, he made quick work of Life of Villains
Team USA member Jesse Grupper recently announced that he repeated Life of Villains 5.15a (9a+) in the Hurricave in Utah. After sending both Life of Villains 5.14d and The Activator in a single 5.14d session, he returned to the Hurricave a few weeks later to try Death of Villains, and he completed the route in a day.
Death of Villains is a variation of Joe Kinder’s Life of Villains 5.14d. After the first half of Life of Villains – including the crux of that route – Death of Villains heads through a long horizontal roof encountering a series of resistant boulder problems. The final crux of the route is shared with The Activator 5.14d. Kinder bolted Death of Villains but it was Kai Lightner who made the first ascent February 2024. Tyler Thompson and Evan Hau have also repeated the line, Thompson likely before Grupper and Hau likely after.
“[Death of Villains] appealed to me as a power endurance test piece,” said Grupper on Instagram. “My expectations weren’t so high, but I felt fortunate to be back in a position to push myself. I sussed the moves, feared the incoming sun, and ate a bunch of snacks. I got on, settled back into a training mindset. ‘If I didn’t do it, at least I would gain fitness.’ With nerves subdued, each move felt equally challenging, and I felt like I reached into a ‘don’t care I’m on a tear’ attitude. I rested – like a lot – at the top, and genuinely felt surprised to be clipping the chains.”
Grupper is best known for his comp climbing accomplishments, particularly on the lead wall. In 2022, he had a breakout season on the Lead World Cup circuit, winning two golds, one silver, and one bronze. In 2023, he won silver at the Koper World Cup and gold at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, earning his ticket to compete in the Paris Summer Olympics. He placed 18th overall in Paris.
Other than Life of Villains, his hardest outdoor sport climbing redpoint to date is Full Metal Brisket 5.15a, which he completed at the New River Gorge in late 2023. In 2021, he flashed Livin’ Astro 5.14c in Rumney and in 2023, he flashed the classic Pure Imagination 5.14c at the Red River Gorge.
