Michaela Kiersch sends Amandla (8B+) at Rocklands despite fractured finger
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Kevin McNally
American climber Michaela Kiersch has spent a rainy month in Rocklands, South Africa, during which she amassed a huge list of ascents that include the classic 8B+ Fred Nicole test Amandla, three 8B's and two 8A flashes, Hatchling and Light saber. While all of these are incredibly impressive in their own right, what makes Kiersch's climbs even more noteworthy is the fact that a fortnight before heading out to South Africa she dislocated and fractured her little finger while trail running. 3 screws were surgically fixed into her finger, resulting in her climbing the entire trip in a 3 finger drag.
In her most recent post she explained "For better and for worse, we experienced nearly 2 weeks of rain over the month, climbing 13 days out of 30. For my finger, it was probably ideal to have forced rest. I made some conscious and crucial mindset shifts over the last 6 weeks that enabled me to come away with one of my most successful and fun climbing experiences ever (more on that in the next post). Most of all, I’m extremely proud of myself and my little pinky."
Being a pro climber and hand therapist, Kiersch was in a unique position to judge precisely how much she could push the envelope on any given boulder. As she herself concluded, it is indeed pretty cool that she has managed to match her hardest redpoint (Victima perfecta 9a+ at Margalef), her hardest onsight (Crimptonite 8b+ at Oliana) and her hardest boulder (Amandla 8B+/V14) within the space of just 4 months.
TICKLIST (8B+/V14 — 7C+/V10)
Amandla 8B+
Quintessential 8B
Master key 8B
L’arch 8B
Green mamba 8A+
Fragile steps 8A+
Hatchling 8A flash
Light saber 8A flash
Barracuda 8A
Tea with elmarie 8A
Pendragon 8A
Out of balance 8A
Nutsa 8A
Purple nipple clan 8A
Dirty epic 8A
Caroline 7C+ flash
Black mango chutney 7C+ flash
Paula Abdul 7C+
Kiersch thanks her sponsors: La Sportiva, Petzl, Organic Climbing
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