Natalia Grossman Sends Two 5.14c’s in U.S.A.
The future Team U.S.A. Olympian had a successful trip to the Red River Gorge in Kentucky, sending both Southern Smoke and Lucifer
On a recent trip to the Red River Gorge in Kentucky, Natalia Grossman sent two 5.14c (8c+) sport routes, Southern Smoke and Lucifer. Not well-known for her outdoor sport climbing, Grossman is one of the world’s best competitive climbers in both boulder and lead disciplines. She’s also had lots of success with outdoor bouldering in recent years.
“This little two week trip left me feeling more inspired and grateful than I could have imagined,” said Grossman about her Red trip on Instagram. “Spending my days in nature and connecting with old and new friends left my heart feeling full. Although the weather was not ideal, we made the most of it, and by the end, I had learned how to climb with numb fingers and was able to send both Southern Smoke and Lucifer (2 classic RRG 8c+)!”
Opened by Joe Kinder back in 2008, Southern Smoke is a Red River Gorge ultra-classic. Located at the Bob Marley crag, the wildly overhanging, power endurance line is a fight up sandstone pockets for nearly 90 feet to the chains. The route has been sent by a who’s who of climbing including Jonathan Siegrist, Magnus Mitbø, Stefano Ghisolfi, Ashima Shiraishi, Daniel Woods, Sean Bailey, Drew Ruana, Colin Duffy, Brooke Raboutou, Kai Lightner, Sasha DiGuilian, and the Hörst brothers. The line has also been sent by Bayes Wilder and Kwon Gaeun, both at the age of 10 years old.
While not as classic as Southern Smoke, Lucifer is well-known as a stout test piece. Located at the Purgatory, it was opened by Mike Doyle in 2006. Not nearly as steep as Southern Smoke, Lucifer works its way up a tall face through technical moves on crimps and small pockets. It’s seen repeats by big names like Jonathan Siegrist, Adam Ondra, Ashima Shiraishi, Daniel Woods, Sean Bailey, Drew Ruana, Stefano Ghisolfi, Angie Scarth-Johnson, Cameron Hörst, and Yannick Flohé.
Grossman is one of the best competitive climbers in the world. She had her breakout year on the World Cup scene in 2021, earning two Boulder World Cup gold medals, the overall Boulder World Cup season, and the Boulder World Championship. In 2022, she again won the overall season for Boulder, picking up five World Cup golds along the way.
This year, she struggled at the beginning of the season due to illness but she still ended up winning two Boulder gold medals and the overall season for the third year in a row. At the women’s Boulder & Lead Combined final at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile in October, Grossman won both a gold medal and an Olympic qualifying spot for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Jonathan Hörst sends Southern Smoke 5.14c
Jonathan Siegrist on Lucifer 5.14c
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