PhD Student Alizee Dufraisse Sends V13
The top French climber has been ticking hard sport routes and boulders for over 20 years
French climber Alizee Dufraisse has repeated Kingda Ka V13 in Gottardo, Switzerland, after around a dozen sessions over the past few months. Dufraisse, 36, is currently working on her PhD in sociology with a focus on the barriers experienced by women in climbing.
Dufraisse has been climbing since the age of seven, and in 2003 sent her first 5.13b. In 2008, she won gold at the French climbing championship, and in 2009, she won the bouldering competition at Rock Master. The following year, she took bronze at the European Championships in Imst. In January 2012, she made the fourth ascent of La Reina Mora 5.14d after Ramón Julián Puigblanque, Daniel Andrada, and Nicolas Favresse.
Some of her other impressive sends include Estado Critico 5.14d, La Proa fin de Ali 5.14d, Ali Hulk Extension Total 5.14c/d, Ray of Light V13 and Meadowlark Lemon Stand V13. She was also once the national champion in pole vaulting.
“It is a very beautiful and inspiring boulder which is pretty scary,” Dufraisse told 8a.nu. “It has been very tricky for me to find out the beta. Some very balancy moves took like two months to solve. I prefer to invest my time in a boulder I would be proud to do. After like two months of trying it I suddenly found a way with the feet transition and then pretty fast could send it. As the snow was coming it was stressful and I am very happy to be able to do it before the pass closes.”
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