Michaela Kiersch Broke Her Finger – She Climbed V14 a Month Later
Two weeks after dislocating and fracturing her pinky, she went on a very sendy one-month trip to Rocklands
If you follow climbing news, you’ve likely heard about Michaela Kiersch’s recent bouldering trip to Rocklands, South Africa. Over the course of her one-month trip, she racked up an incredible ticklist: one V14, three V13s, nine V11s (with two flashes), and three V10s (with two flashes).
During the first week of her trip, she topped Quintessential V13. In late July, she sent both The Arch V13 and Master Key V13. The day she sent Master Key she also topped Green Mamba V12. At the beginning of August she completed Amandla, a V14 established by Fred Nicole.
If her Rocklands visit wasn’t already impressive enough, she just let the world know that two weeks before her trip, she snapped her pinky finger – a dislocation and fracture to be exact. The injury occurred while trail running and needed immediate surgery. Three screws were inserted into her pinky, leaving the finger completely out of commission for her Rocklands trip.
“Exactly 2 weeks before I left for [South Africa] I dislocated, fractured, and had 3 screws surgically fixed into my finger,” shed explained on Instagram. “My world turned completely upside down as I navigated my first major injury/broken bone, deciding whether or not I should cancel my trip, and ultimately trying to come to terms with adjusting my goals after feeling in the best shape of my life and working so hard. It was a total rollercoaster as I truly cycled through the stages of emotions and being so scared of surgery.
“As many of you know, I am a hand therapist so this was the ultimate intersection of my life. As an OT, I knew that I needed to prioritize healing. As a climber, I was already in the gym moving my remaining digits and big muscles the next day. My surgeon cleared me to weight-bear at 6 weeks, which means climbing the whole trip in a 3 finger drag — we compromised on testing at 3 weeks because I promised to use my best clinical judgement based on the symptoms.
“When I arrived in [South Africa] my stitches had just come out so I had an open incision, a lot of pain and swelling, and I couldn’t even use my hand to wash my hair. I was scared to move pads, chalk up, and spot. I was scared to climb. For better and for worse, we experienced nearly 2 weeks of rain over the month, climbing 13 days out of 30. For my finger, it was probably ideal to have forced rest. I made some conscious and crucial mindset shifts over the last 6 weeks that enabled me to come away with one of my most successful and fun climbing experiences ever. Most of all, I’m extremely proud of myself and my little pinky.”
Pinky or no pinky, Kiersch is no stranger to successful trips abroad. In April this year, she returned from a sport climbing trip to Margalef where redpointed a 5.14b, 5.14b/c, and 5.14c, climbed her second-ever 5.15a, and also made her first 5.14a onsight. While on a Switzerland bouldering trip in 2023, she climbed 10 problems V10 and above in under two weeks.
In terms of bouldering and sport climbing success, Kiersch is one of the most well-rounded climbers on the planet. She was the first woman ever to tick both 5.15a and V14. In addition to her two 5.15a’s, she’s climbed climbed three 5.14d’s over the years, including Dreamcatcher in Squamish and Victimes del Futur and Era Vella in Margalef. She’s climbed many V13s and several V14s, including Hailstorm in Utah and New Base Line and Tigris Sit in Magic Wood.
Kiersch’s Rocklands Ticklist
- Amandla V14
- Quintessential V13
- The Arch V13
- Master Key V13
- Green Mamba V12
- Fragile Steps V12
- Light Saber V11 (Flash)
- The Hatchling V11 (Flash)
- Barracuda V11
- Dirty Epic V11
- Nutsa V11
- Out of Balance V11
- Pendragon V11
- Tea with Elmarie V11
- Purple Nipple Clan V11
- Caroline V10 (Flash)
- Black Mango Chutney V10 (Flash)
- Paula Abdul V10
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