Australian Climber Attempts 9a+ Grade

- Angie Scarth-Johnson was a climbing prodigy from a young age; at nine years old, she became the then-youngest person to climb a grade 31 (8b) route, and at ten, the youngest to climb a 32/33 (8c). Her family moved from Canberra to the Blue Mountains to better support her training on natural cliffs. - Before this attempt, Scarth-Johnson had already become the first Australian woman to climb the 9a grade (equivalent to a 35) in 2021 with her ascent of *Victimas del Futur* in Spain. She has since climbed two other 9a routes. - The 9a+ grade, part of the French sport climbing system, is equivalent to a 5.15a in the American Yosemite Decimal System (YDS) or a 36 in the Australian grading system. It represents one of the highest tiers of difficulty in sport climbing, demanding exceptional strength, endurance, and technique. - A successful 9a+ climb would put Scarth-Johnson in an elite group of female climbers. The first woman to achieve this grade was Margo Hayes of the USA in 2017. Other women who have conquered this grade include Anak Verhoeven and Julia Chanourdie. - After a period focused on outdoor climbing and setting records on rock, Scarth-Johnson had shifted her focus to indoor competitive climbing with the goal of qualifying for the Olympics, narrowly missing out on the Tokyo Games. - Her climbing has taken her around the world, and she splits her time between Australia and her mother's homeland of Spain, which is a global hub for difficult sport climbing.