A Boulder teen climbed her way into history!
Nineteen-year-old Boulder teen, Margo Hayes, wrote her name in the history books as she completed one of the most difficult climbing routes for rock climbers in record time. She spent a record seven days projecting La Rambla in Siurana, Catalonia (Spain). It was a confirmed 9a+ or 5.15a climb – one of the toughest grades given. https://www.instagram.com/p/BQ_Hz2WldJb/?taken-by=honngy
“I am overwhelmed and humbled by the support I’ve received from the climbing community, and my family and friends near and far.” -Margo Hayes on Instagram (@margojain)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BREjN1DgL37/?taken-by=greg_mionske Hayes was on break during school (she is studying abroad in France) and had been climbing in Spain for 10 days before she decided to ascend La Rambla. She came close to completing the task on February 25th and even pushed back her return flight to France in order to have a few more days to climb. Turns out, she only needed one more day.
Jon Cardwell, who had been projecting the route with Hayes (in addition with other climbers), said that being witness to her ascent was legendary and that it didn’t come as a surprise when she finally made the climb since her previous tries were close. Hayes simply wasn’t giving up. “But when it actually happened, I think it gave us all chills, the whole canyon lit up with cheers, and Margo was in tears, exhausted and happy. It was a moment I will never forget,” said Cardwell. https://www.instagram.com/p/BQ3KMfEjI2N/?taken-by=jon_cardwell
None of this comes as a surprise seeing as Hayes climbed her first 5.14d in Rifle, Colorado back in August 2016. “Hey boys, I’m joining the club. Officially a bad girl,” Hayes wrote in a post on Facebook after the 2016 climb. She joined the “Boys Club” – one of the hardest climbs in Colorado – as its ninth member and its first female. This is a huge achievement for Margo Hayes and we look forward to see where her climbing takes her next! Rock on, Margo! Featured image courtesy of Greg Mionske (@greg_mionske) on Instagram!
