Kai Lightner Climbs New 5.15a with Death of Villains in Utah

The steep route is found in the Hurricave and starts up Life of Villains

Gripped March 1, 2024

American climber Kai Lightner has made the first ascent of Death of Villains 5.15a in the Hurricave, Utah. In November, he repeated Life of Villains 5.14d at the same crag. Lightner’s first 5.14c was Southern Smoke at age 13 and he climbed his first 5.14d with Era Vella a decade ago.

“Figured I’d end Black History Month with a little Black History of my own,” Lightner said on Instagram, noting that he’d never trained for any route as hard as he did for this project. Death of Villains climbs the first half of Life of Villains before right through a bouldery crux. Lightner thanked Joe Kinder, who bolted the line and who’s become a supportive mentor.

Lightner discovered climbing in 2006 with a trip to The Climbing Place in Fayetteville, North Carolina. In 2010, he won his first sport climbing national championship. In September 2014, he earned the gold medal for his age category at the Youth World Championships, becoming the first American lead world champion since 1995. In 2015, at the age of 15, he became the national lead champion in his first year of eligibility. He’s earned 12 national championship titles and is a five-time Youth World Championship medallist.

Lightner is also the founder of Climbing for Change, for which the mission statement is, “Making connections and uplifting under-served minorities within the outdoor industry. From athletes to industry leaders or film makers, we aim to make our industry a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment.” Learn more about Climbing for Change here.