Zhenja Kazbekova sends 8a+/8b aged 12

Young champions in the making: www.mountain.ru reports that this morning Zhenja Kazbekova sent her first 8a+/8b, New Kenigsberg at the Red Stone in Crimea, southern Ukraine. Zhenja is no newcomer to the international climbing scene as she is the daughter of none other than climbing aces Serik Kazbekov (8b+ on-sights and 2nd in the 1999 Bouldering World Cup) and Natalia Perlova (winner of the Bouldering World Cup 2002).

Last year she redpointed her first 8a and every June she travels to the Rock Junior in Italy's Arco to test herself against the other youngsters. While we don't like talking about new female world records, it's clear that this is a magnificent result for the entire family. Published below is a brief introduction to climbing in Crimea, sent to us by Natalia.

Crimea
The Crimean peninsula is situated in the southern part of Ukraine. The southern coast of Crimea is a narrow strip of rocky land comprised of vineyards and limestone cliffs squeezed in between the mountains and the Black Sea. The most famous climbing areas in the Ukraine are located here and new sport routes and boulder problems are established every year.

The most popular sport crags are Krasny Kamen (literally Red Stone), Nikita, Simeiz (pronounced Simeyiz), Foros, Laspi, Batiliman and Ohrch-Kaya. Forossky Kant, Shahn-Kaya, Batiliman offer multi-pitches, 200-350 meters long, 5-10 pitches in total, usually trad, but some rock faces are bolted as well.

The sea adds a charming attraction to climbing in the Crimea and the special combination cliffs close to the sea render the holiday unique. The sea is less salty than the Mediterranean and both food and accommodation are less expensive than in Europe. The best time of year to visit the area is either spring or fall it is the best to climb, but climbing is also possible in summer by getting up early (from 7 to 11 a.m.) or climbing late (from 5 to 9 p.m.)