UPDATED: 3/22/11 – Sasha DiGiulian onsighted Omaha Beach (5.14a) this morning at the Madness Cave at the Red. Omaha Beach, notable for its 1999 Katie Brown onsight, was originally graded 5.13d until holds broke.

"Omaha Beach is a climb that I have always dreamed about one day onsighting," DiGiulian, 18, says. "It looks super spectacular, and at first (a few years ago) the idea of doing it was daunting to me. I always wanted to onsight it, so I had held off from trying it and from watching anyone on it. Today, I was very eager to finally get to climb it. It felt like a purely fitness-oriented route with one distinct crux. I really enjoyed the fluidity of the movement and its longevity."

3/20/11 – News link: Sasha DiGiulian redpointed Southern Smoke (5.14c) yesterday at the Red River Gorge, making the route’s first female ascent. DiGiulian is one of few women to have climbed this grade.

It took DiGiulian only six attempts to climb Southern Smoke. "1st go of my 3rd day on it," she says on her 8a.nu scorecard. "Very nice, aesthetic climb!" On belayer Magnus Midtbo’s blog, he says she "cruised through Southern Smoke, and made it look like 7a [5.11d]."

Joe Kinder bolted and climbed the line, located at the Bob Marley crag, in November 2008. (Below is a video of him and Brad Weaver working the route.)

Date of ascent: March 19, 2011

Source: magnusmidtboe.com, Sasha DiGiulian

Southern Smoke with Joe Kinder & Brad Weaver from Joey Kinder on Vimeo.