Katie McKinstry Stylos makes first female ascent of 'Parallel World' in Dolomites Yaniro style

High in the Italian Dolomites at the iconic Tomorrow’s World drytooling crag, Katie McKinstry Stylos recently made the first female ascent of Parallel World. The route, which crosses a 60-meter horizontal roof, was established in December 2018 by Polish climber Dariusz Sokołowski in DTS (Dry Tooling Style) and was given a groundbreaking D16 grade. Until now, it had only been repeated once in this style, by Bulgarian mountain guide Victor Varoshkin in May 2024.

The route’s first repeat came just a month after its FA, when Kwon Young Hye onsighted it in January 2019 using the somewhat easier Yaniro style (also called Figure Four), hence his D15+ grade suggestion. Subsequent ascents by Matteo Pilon (2021), Chris Snobeck (2023), and Kevin Lindlau (2024)—all in Yaniro style—also suggested D15+. This marks Stylos’ hardest send to date and a major milestone for women in drytooling. We caught up with her to learn more.

Katie congratulations! this route in particular? It’s not exactly in your backyard…
I first visited Tomorrow’s World in 2022 and have returned annually since, totaling four trips. I've been captivated by this crag, steadily progressing through the grades here. It’s difficult not to want to continue climbing these routes—they're stunning and represent benchmark challenges in drytooling. Although home is halfway around the world, we simply don’t have routes of this caliber or quality, making each trip back worthwhile.

What were your thoughts when you first saw it? And first laid your hands on it?
I first saw someone attempt Parallel World during my initial trip in 2022, while projecting Edge of Tomorrow (D13) and Oblivion (D14). At that time, Parallel World seemed wildly out of reach. When I first attempted the route in fall 2024, I was immediately struck by its difficulty, particularly compared to A Line Above the Sky which I had climbed a year prior in 2023. Early on last fall I quickly realized that Darek Sokolowski (the first ascensionist) had recently restored the original crux moves by removing two holds that had been found/added since the first ascent. This restoration reestablished the hardest section of the route—a powerful two-move sequence bigger and more demanding than any other moves on the climb

Tell us how sessions went? Did you have a distinct crux where you kept falling? How was progress?
Last fall, during my first trip to work the route, I had a very difficult time with the cruxes. The first crux involves a large rightward move to a tricky hold at my absolute wingspan, immediately followed by another large rightward gaston move that is both extremely powerful and accuracy-based. These two moves are challenging individually, and even more so when linking them together. My sessions last fall mostly focused on these moves. I consistently reached them and could climb from the move after the gaston move to the finish, but never managed to link through them. After struggling without success, I returned home, set up the entire route in my home gym, and trained specifically for power endurance. When I returned the moves felt a lot more achievable and higher percentage and I was quickly able to link them. This second trip's sessions were very productive, leading to a quick send, but only after two months of projecting last fall, three additional months of training at home, and returning to try again.

What about the actual redpoint? How much of a battle was it?
The redpoint felt like everything finally aligned perfectly. Going into the climb, I felt 100% comfortable on the route. Three days before the send, I had gotten two moves from the finish, so I knew I was capable of completing it, adding a sense of confidence despite some nervousness about falling near the anchor again. Once climbing, I felt calm and recovered well throughout, clearly benefiting from my training since the previous trip. After passing the crux moves, my strong endurance kicked in, helping me stay composed until near the anchor. At the very end, I struggled to stay calm—I missed the finish hold twice before successfully hitting it on my third try. Clipping the chains felt unbelievable. After a year of commitment, two overseas trips, and 30 sessions on the route, it was incredibly satisfying and emotional to finally achieve this goal.

You chose Yaniro Style. Why? Could you envisage coming back and doing it DTS?
I climbed Parallel World in Yaniro style because that’s how I initially learned drytooling and have always climbed. I strongly support climbers using whatever style suits them best. I’d enjoy trying some hard routes in DTS, but since I’ve only trained Yaniro style, I would need to dedicate time specifically to training DTS. For now, it would make sense to start with easier DTS routes before attempting more challenging ones.

Do you reckon you might be able to do more? Would you even be psyched to do more?
Absolutely—I’m excited to keep pushing myself in drytooling after a bit of a mental and physical break. Climbing at your limit can be exhausting and, without proper recovery, risks burnout or injury. I’d love to try Matteo Pilon’s Aletheia (D16) and Kwon Young Hye’s Ascension (D15+) in the future, as well as routes in the U.S. and Canada.

What has Parallel World given you?
It’s hard to put into words exactly what Parallel World has given me. This route has pushed me further and required more effort than anything I’ve done before. I had to become stronger, address my climbing weaknesses, and learn patience and trust throughout the process. The most significant lesson Parallel World taught me is the importance of fully believing in myself. Being the first woman to climb the route and grade introduced doubt about my capabilities. Overcoming that self-doubt and believing absolutely in my ability to climb this route was crucial to my success.