Katherine Choong Sends Steep 5.14c
Previous to this, Choong has sent two 5.14d sport routes
Katherine Choong, 31, has climbed Les Nerfs à Vifs 5.14c in La Verrière, France. Shortly after, she flashed Les Ailes du Désir 5.13b.
Choong has said that she’s about to turn her attention back on hard multi-pitch routes but wanted to find a spring project, which is how she found Les Nerfs à Vifs. The route took her several attempts, during which she battled wet holds and a split tip.
In 2019, Choong climbed Jungfraumarathon 5.14d at Gimmelwald, Switzerland. It was her second 5.14d after sending Cabane au Canada in 2018. In 2021, Choong worked on and sent 6.4 Sekunden, a 180-metre 5.13d/14a at Fürenwand. Choong’s redpoint is only the third for the steep line in her home country. It took her over 15 days, and she was supported by Andy Winterleitner. Choong then turned her attention to Une Jolie Fleur dans une Peau de Vache, a 300-metre 5.13d with pitches that break down to 5.10, 5.13d, 5.12, 5.13b, 5.10, 5.10. It climbs the massive Paroi du Duc in the Verdon Gorge. Choong and Jim Zimmermann both redpointed the huge route after a week of projecting.
Choong has always focused on the mental side of climbing, saying, “I enjoy the success, but what is more interesting is the process, the approach, and the path to get there. Finding unimaginable resources, solutions to complex problems dictated by the rock, and continuing to believe when nothing else seems possible is what motivates me. When the game flirts so closely with the limits of our performance, it is above all a work of perfectionism.”
Check out the latest buyer's guide:
