New Link: On September 5th, 2009, after two weeks of work, Mayan Smith-Gobat of New Zealand redpointed her hardest route yet, L’arcademicien (5.14b or 8c), at the world class sport crag of Céüse, France.

L’arcademicien is a relatively new route with 25 meters of very sustained, technical climbing on micro holds. Smith-Gobat suspects that her recent ascent is the hardest redpoint by a New Zealand woman and possibly only the second time any kiwi has climbed a route of this grade outside of New Zealand.

Smith-Gobat wrote on her blog that, "The timing was perfect; I only had one more climbing day at Céüse before heading back up to Germany and preparing for the next challenge: In mid-September we fly to the USA, where my partner and I intend to spend two months learning to climb cracks in Yosemite Valley."

Read more about New Zealand’s Mayan Gobat Smith here.

Source: Mayan Gobat-Smith / www.mayanclimbs.com

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