Angie Scarth-Johnson Attempts 9a+ Climb
Australian climbing prodigy Angie Scarth-Johnson is preparing to attempt a 9a+ grade climb, a level of difficulty rarely reached by any athlete. Scarth-Johnson, once seen as a future Olympic star, had paused her competitive journey but is now set to push physical and mental boundaries with this remarkable attempt. The 9a+ grade represents one of the most challenging levels in sport climbing, requiring exceptional technical skill and mental resilience.
- Angie Scarth-Johnson began climbing at age seven after repeatedly falling out of trees; her parents took her to a climbing gym for safety. Her family later relocated to the Blue Mountains so she could be closer to the cliffs at Blackheath and Mount Victoria. - She has a history of setting records at a young age, becoming the youngest person to climb a grade 31 (8b) at age nine. A year later, she became the youngest person to send a grade 32/33 (8c). - This is not her first time pushing the sport's limits; at 17, she became the first Australian woman to climb a grade 9a. She has since successfully climbed two other 9a routes. - One of her previous 9a ascents was "Victimas Pérez" in Margalef, Spain, a route that had only seen a few successful male climbers and no other females prior to her. She attempted the route around 50 times before completing it. - The 9a+ grade is one of the most difficult in sport climbing, just a few notches below the current world records of 9c for men and 9b+ for women. - Before focusing on outdoor rock climbing, Scarth-Johnson was a top contender for the Olympics, ranking second in the qualification event for the single spot available for an Australian woman at the Tokyo Games. - Her climbing career has taken her to various global destinations, including establishing new climbs in Tonga, where her father's family lives. She now splits her time between Australia and her mother's homeland of Spain.
