STA, 9 November 2021 - Slovenian climber Janja Garnbret, who won a gold medal in sport climbing at the Tokyo Olympics, has set a new milestone by becoming the first woman to climb an 8c-rated route onsight, according to the Slovenian Mountaineering Association.
After the end of competition this season, she took a rock-climbing holiday in Oliana in Spain, where she achieved her latest feat. In the beginning of November, she managed to climb two different 8c-rated climbing routes in the span of two days.
Both of her ascents were achieved onsight, which means that she made them on her first attempt on an unknown route, without prior information.
The 8c is currently the highest route difficulty rating ever successfully climbed onsight by a female climber.
"I had never actually thought of trying to climb an 8c, but later I decided to give it a go anyway. No pressure, just climbing, it just happened." the 22-year-old Slovenian climber told planetmountain.com.
"This was my first trip to Oliana. On the first day, I tried some different, slightly easier routes, before trying the harder ones," she added.
"I didn't panic, I was very calm. I think I was climbing quite fast and resting where it felt appropriate. I felt super good, very relaxed and focused," concluded Garnbret.
