Much like Paige Claassen, Sasha DiGiulian is down in South Africa where she too has completed the first ascent of an amazing looking project1, this one coming at the crag at Waterval Boven. The route, which had a working name of The Overlord, climbs across a huge blank face of stone to join an existing 5.12d. DiGiulian freed the route on Sunday, suggesting a grade of mid-5.14 and a new name of Rolihlahla2. Here’s what she said about the send on Instagram (photo above right):
I SENT!!! I have been working on an open project, bolted by Andrew Pedley, here in Waterfall Boven, South Africa. Now I just did the FIRST ASCENT =] @keithladzinski and@andymann have full film footage and photos @3StringsMedia! Stay tuned! I am thinking that the grade is around 8c/+ and the name in my mind now is Rolihlahla, Nelson Mandela’s middle name and also colloquially, “trouble maker!”
Sasha DiGiulian working what would become Rolihlahla from her Instagram account
[instagram url=’http://instagr.am/p/bdNuBUmLAB/’ size=’large’ addlink=’yes’]
I’d also be remiss if I didn’t circle back and mention a trip that DiGiulian took to Europe at the end of June. While there she completed two 5.14a’s in Rodellar and one in the Frankenjura according to her 8a scorecard.
- Like Claassen’s FA at the Wow Prow, this route was also bolted by local Andrew Pedley and graciously shared with visiting climbers ↩
- A name which Pedley is apparently not that psyched about ↩
Rumour has it local beast Arjan de Kock has got the second ascent… says 33/8b+/5.14a.
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Sources say I’m glad I didn’t spend any time writing about how this might have been the hardest FA ever done by a woman
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Aaaaand, now 32/8b/5.13d. :p
http://paigeaclaassen.wordpress.com/2013/07/18/rolihlahla-waterval-boven/
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There are some offended people about: http://www.climbing.co.za/forum/viewtopic.php?f=53134&t=10520
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Great achievement by Sasha her next great achievement will hopefully be marrying me. 😛
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