Ashima Shiraishi

Ashima Shiraishi (born April 3, 2001 in New York, NY) is an American rock climber. She is known for being one of the strongest female climbers of all time. She started climbing at age six at Rat Rock in Central Park. Even though she is a professional climber, her only "acclaim to fame" with her friends is that Ansel Elgort climbs at one of her home gyms: The Cliffs of LIC. When she started climbing competitively, she was coached by professional climber Obe Carrion, but he no longer coaches her because he moved away from New York.^[2]

The New York Times has called her a "bouldering phenom".^[3] Outside Magazine has described her as a "young crusher".^[4] At age 13 she became the second^[5][6] female, and youngest person, to climb a sport route with a difficulty grade of 5.14d/5.15a (9a/9a+) .^[7] In 2016, she got the first female ascent of the Dai Koyamada V15 "Horizon" in Mount Hiei, Japan and became the first female climber to climb the grade.^[8]

Biography

Ashima was born in New York, NY on April 3 of 2001. Her parents, Tsuya and Hisatoshi Shiraishi, immigrated from Japan in 1978 to New York, NY. Her father, Hisatoshi Shiraishi was trained as a dancer in Butoh.^[9] When Ashima was 6, her parents took her to Central Park and she discovered Rat Rock where she first started to rock climb and later started climbing at Brooklyn Boulders in Gowanus, Brooklyn.^[2]

Ashima first made a name for herself by bouldering at a very high level at a very young age. At age 8, Ashima climbed the classic Hueco Tanks boulder problem Power of Silence (V10). At age 9, she also climbed Chablanke (V11/12) and Roger in the Shower (V11) in Hueco Tanks, Texas, and several other difficult boulders. At age 10, Ashima climbed Ethan Pringle's notorious Crown of Aragorn (V13) also in Hueco Tanks. She is the youngest person ever to climb this grade, and one of very few female climbers to climb a confirmed V13.^[10]

Ashima has also excelled in lead climbing. At age 11 in October 2012, she climbed Southern Smoke at the Red River Gorge, a grade 5.14c (8c+) sport climb. Ashima is the youngest person to climb a route of this difficulty.^[11]

In 2013, Ashima continued to excel at both bouldering and lead climbing, adding 5.14a at Céüse in France,^[12] then two more V13s with One Summer in Paradise^[13] and Automator,^[14] and finally two 5.14c's (24 Karats and 50 Words for Pump)^[15] to her already impressive ticklist. In July 2014, she climbed what might be her first V14, Golden Shadow; however, there is a suggestion Golden Shadow is V13 or V13/V14.^[16] She was the second officially recorded female climber (after Tomoko Ogawa) to successfully climb a V14 problem.^[17] On the first day of 2015, Ashima climbed her second V14 (V13/V14), The Swarm, claiming the first female top-out of the problem.^[18][19][20]

At age 13, Ashima climbed her first 5.14d/9a, 'Open Your Mind Direct R1' in Santa Linya. The route was thought to be harder while Ashima was attempting it, for she had broken hold near the top.^[21] Although, on Christmas Day of 2015, Edu Márin Garcia climbed the route past Ashima's end point to the second top and confirmed Ashima's route as a 5.14d/9a.^[22] In the same climbing trip Ashima climbed 'Ciudad de Dios', making her the youngest athlete to climb a 5.14d/5.15a (9a/9a+) and the second female climber to climb at this level.^[7][21][23] The route has been climbed by 6 other athletes, but there is still no definite consensus on whether the grade is 5.14d or 5.15a.

In 2015 Ashima won the IFSC World Youth Championships for both lead and bouldering in the Female Youth B category.

In 2016, she did it again.^[24] In the same year, she also became the first female climber to climb an 8C/V15 boulder problem, which she did at Mount Hiei in Japan.^[8]

In 2017, she was the winner in the female sport category at the USA Climbing Sport & Speed Open National Championships (SCS nationals) held in Denver, Colorado, and placed second at the USA Climbing Bouldering Nationals (ABS nationals) to 10-time champion Alex Puccio.^[25]

She is sponsored by Evolv, The North Face, Clif Bar, Petzl, Coca Cola Japan, All Nippon Airways and Nikon.

Alongside fellow American climber Kai Lightner, she is featured in the short film "Young Guns" in Reel Rock 11 (by Sender Films). The film covers her successful attempt of the 8C (V15) climb in Japan in 2016.

Rock climbing

Boulders

8C (V15):

• Horizon - Hiei (JPN) - 2015^[26]

8B+ (V14):

• Sleepy Rave - The Grampians (AUT)) - 2016 - This climb was initially graded V15 but was later adjusted to V14.^[26][27]
• Phenomena - Hinokage (JPN) - 2015^[26]
• Nuclear War - New York City (USA) - 2015^[26]
• Golden Shadow - Rocklands (Cederberg mountains, ZAF) - 2014^[26]

8B (V13):

• Mana - The Grampians (AUT) - 2016^[26]
• Terre de Sienne - Hueco Tanks (USA) - 2015^[26]
• The Swarm - Bishop (USA) - 2015 - Some say this may be 8B/+(V13/14).^[26]
• Blood Meridian - Bishop (USA) - 2014^[26]
• Beta Move - Rocklands (Cederberg mountains, ZAF) - 2014^[26]
• The Automator - Rocky Mountain National Park (USA) - 2013^[26]
• One Summer in Paradise - Magic Wood (CHE) - 2013^[26]
• Fragile Steps - Rocklands (Cederberg mountains, ZAF) - 2012^[26]
• Steady Plums Direct - Topside (ZAF) - 2012^[26]
• Crown of Aragorn - Hueco Tanks (USA) - 2012 - Youngest person to climb the 8B (V13) difficulty.^[28]

Other Bouldering Achievements:

• Chblanke - V11/V12 (8a/8a+)
• Ashimandala - V11 (8A)
• Roger in the Shower - V11 (8A)
• Power of Silence - V10 (7C+)

Redpointed routes

9a or 9a+ (5.14d or 5.15a) - (grade that has not reached consensus):^[7][21][23]

• Ciudad de Dios - Santa Linya (ESP) - March 23, 2015 - First female ascent^[7]

9a (5.14d):

• Open Your Mind Direct R1 - Santa Linya (ESP) - March 17, 2015 - First female ascent^[21][22][23]

8c+ (5.14c):

• Southern Smoke - Red River Gorge (USA) - September 2012^[29]
• Lucifer - Red River Gorge (USA) - September 2012^[29]
• 24 Karats - Red River Gorge (USA) - October 2013^[30]
• 50 Words for Pump - Red River Gorge (USA) - October 2013^[30]
• La Fabela - Santa Linya (ESP) - March 2014 - First female ascent^[31]

8c (5.14b):

• Digital system - Santa Linya (ESP) - March 2014^[31]
• Rollito Sharma extension - Santa Linya (ESP) - March 2014^[31]

References

External links