Angela Eiter climbs historic first female 9b with La planta de shiva in Spain

Angela Eiter claims the first female 9b! This is the amazing news that comes directly from Villanueva del Rosario in Spain where yesterday the 31-year-old Austrian managed to redpoint La planta de shiva, the huge outing freed by Adam Ondra in 2011 and repeated for the first time in 2016 by Jakob Schubert.

Until only a few months ago Eiter’s historic achievement would have been, quite frankly, unthinkable. After 12 years during which nothing much changed at the absolute apex of women’s climbing, last February Margo Hayes raised the bar to 9a+ thanks her ascent of La Rambla at Siurana in Spain. The American confirmed her form at the end of September with the coveted first female ascent of Biographie at Céüse in France, while a few days earlier Belgium’s Anak Verhoeven managed to take things one step further by becoming the first woman to free a 9a+, Sweet Neuf at Pierrot Beach in France.

Angela Eiter has now taken things to a whole new level with her 9b redpoint. At first glance, nothing could have foretold this impressive leap, although it has to be said that before devoting herself to hard redpoints, Eiter was a champion competition climber who won everything there was to win and dominated an entire era. Her impressive results include four World Championship victories (2005, 2007, 2011, 2012), one European Championship win in 2010, three World Cups (2004, 2005, 2006), the Arco Rock Master a staggering six times (2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2012) and one edition of Arco Rock Legends, as well as being nominated for the Rock Award.

Banking on her previous three 9a’s - Era Vella at Margalef, Big Hammer at Pinswang and Hades at Götterwandl in Austria, on her 8b/+onsight skills and 8B bouldering power, Eiter has now broken into a realm of difficulties reserved to a tiny, select few of the best male climbers in the world.

UPDATE 24/10/2017
>> Angela Eiter, the first woman to climb 9b interview

Link: www.angelaeiter.com, La Sportiva

ARCO ROCK LEGENDS 2006
Daniel Andrada, Josune Bereziartu, Yuji Hirayama, Maurizio ‘Manolo’ Zanolla, Flavio Crespi, Angela Eiter and Tomas Mrazek talk abou their climbing passion.
(Ass. Rock Master. Directors: Francesco Mansutti, Vinicio Stefanello).