She’s Only 10, but Kwon Gaeun Just Sent 5.14c

Korean climber Kwon Gaeun has repeated Southern Smoke 5.14c at the Bob Marley Crag in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge. At 10 years and three months old, she is the youngest climber to ever send the grade. In 2012, Ashima Shiraishi climbed 5.14c with Southern Smoke at the age of 11. Last year, Yunxi Chen became the youngest climber to send 5.14a at age eight, read more here.

Gaeun’s father, 5.14 climber Kwon Young Hye, told us that she worked on the classic line last year but couldn’t link all of the moves. This year, Gaeun climbed it on her fourth attempt. This is her second 5.14, with her first being a send of Spain’s Ixeia 5.14a in 2022.

On 8a.nu, Young Hye said, “She trains in my gym four days a week, about five hours a day. Three hours of endurance training (at her spray wall), one-hour bouldering and she does campus board training and cool-down stretching for an hour. She trains in the indoor gym like this on weekdays and goes rock climbing or on outdoor lead walls on weekend.”

During her trip to the Red, Gaeun also onsighted Flour Power 5.13b at the Motherload Crag. Previously, she had onsighted three 5.13a sport routes. In April 2022, Gaeun became the youngest climber ever to send 5.13d with a repeat of People 3000. Watch Gaeun send Southern Smoke and Ixeia below.

Southern Smoke 5.14c

Ixeia 5.14a