See the Send: U.S.A. Climbing Champ Flashing 5.14c Days Before Gold Medal
Jesse Grupper recently flashed Livin' Astro in Rumney before winning gold at the national lead championships
Jesse Grupper is one of America’s top young climbers, with several podiums and hard sends to his name. Last weekend, he became the U.S.A. national lead climbing champion, read about his big win here.
A few days before his impressive top-of-the-podium finish, Grupper lashed Livin’ Astro, a Dave Graham 1999 route graded 5.14c at Rumney, New Hampshire. It climbs a nice crack to a black arete and the start of the cruxes, which climb onto a steep headwall with a few big reaches between good rests. Watch the send below.
Grupper started climbing at six and joined the youth circuit at nine. He won silver in the youth world championships in Italy in 2015, and received The North Face young gun award for not just overall performance but for good sportsmanship.
Grupper is no stranger to hard flashes, as he’d previously done  Living in Fear 5.13d and Simply Redlined 5.14a in Rifle, and Prince Fatty 5.14b at Lone Rock Point. “For me, competitions are a good motivator to train and get better for real rock which is what I love,” said Grupper.
Watch the flash send of Livin’ Astro
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