Japanese American Ashima Shiraishi is the best female rock climber in the world and she’s only 14-years-old.
Shiraishi began climbing at 6 in Central Park at the Manhattan Plaza Health Club. At age 13, the New Yorker became the second female and youngest climber ever to climb a sport route that was graded 9a+ (5.15a). Very few climbers in the world can tackle such a route.
In 2016, Shiraishi completed an 8C (V15) boulder problem at Mount Hiei in Japan, making her the first female to do so.
Shiraishi was born in New York after her parents immigrated from Japan in 1978.
The young climber won the IFSC World Youth Championships for both lead and bouldering in the female Youth B category in 2015 and 2016.
Shiraishi has sponsorship deals with Evolv, The North Face, Clif Bar, Petzl, All Nippon Airways and Nikon.
