Katie Lamb climbs Box Therapy, V16/Font 8C+
- Friday 8th September 2023
American boulder specialist Katie Lamb has made the fourth ascent of Box Therapy, thus becoming the first woman to climb V16/Font 8C+.
Katie Lamp skipped V15 entirely preferring to go straight for Box Therapy at V16/Font 8C+ having climbed several V14/Font 8B+’s. The 24-year-old's resume includes notable and well-renowned blocs such as Jade and New Baseline – amongst others. Earlier this year she added Spectre – a hard Dave Graham problem – to her list of successes. At that time she confirmed that was her “hardest and proudest” ascent to date.
Breaking the news on her Instagram page Katie summarised her experience saying, “I spent some time in July walking up to this meadow trying to fill my cup, and I’m pretty happy with how it turned out.” Lamb’s ascent of Box Therapy takes both her own climbing to a new level as well as the level achieved by women. Climbing V15/Font 8C in 2016, Ashimira Shiraishi became the first female, and youngest climber ever, to climb V15 when she repeated Horizon.
Located in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park, Box Therapy was first climbed by Daniel Woods. Box Therapy is a sit-start to Spread Eagle V11/Font 8A, a Tommy Caldwell. The location, and hence the approach, is recognised as pretty arduous thanks to the two-hour hike at an altitude of c.3200m.
Since Daniel Wood’s first ascent only two others – Sean Bailey and Drew Ruana – have ticked Box Therapy.
Watch Daniel Wood’s making the first ascent of Box Therapy below.