On January 18, 2008, Lisa Rands nabbed the first female ascent of The Mandala (V12; FA Chris Sharma, 2000), in Bishop, California. The tall, overhung prow was for decades dismissed as too futuristic and to this day remains one of the most coveted and storied problems in American bouldering. In the 1970s, John Bachar and Ron Kauk reportedly joked the line would one day fall to John Gill's grandson, likely not considering the possibility that it could go to a granddaughter. The Mandala is just one more climb in a tick list of burly, heady ascents for Rands. Not long after the send—and just after this interview—she placed sixth in the American Bouldering Series Nationals, locking in a spot at the upcoming Bouldering World Cup (the first Bouldering World Cup to be held on American soil), to be held this June at the Teva Mountain Games, in Vail. 

How long did you work The Mandala?
I saved The Mandala for years, waiting to feel strong enough so I wouldn’t epic on it. Four years ago I thought I was ready (I’d just recovered from a knee surgery); when I went to warm up on a steep, juggy V0 I heard a squish in my knee and it swelled like a balloon. I was devastated! I went through two more knee surgeries and could do nothing more than wait. I stuck to other styles of climbing, never pushing my bouldering too hard or too high until just last year. I started rebuilding my strength and fitness by doing some other hard highballs around Bishop such as Hueco Wall (V9), Golden Showers (V10), and This Side of Paradise (V10), to name a few. 

Did you suffer any more injuries in the process?
Chris Sharma visited Bishop during a spell of bad weather and we trained for an evening on my friend's indoor climbing wall. I was tired and should’ve rested, but was inspired by Chris and eager to get strong. Besides, Chris said he was "out of shape", so I thought we'd have a very light session... Right! He did, but I ended up tearing my left bicep tendon trying to climb one of his problems. I refused to acknowledge how bad the injury really was. I’d tried The Mandala a handful of times and knew I could do it, but [after that day training with Chris] I was repeatedly shut down on the first hard move. Finally, I asked a doctor to look at my arm and he assured me I had a torn bicep tendon. By the time that began to heal I’d wasted several days trying the problem… but at least I got the top completely dialed!