Video: Caroline Ciavaldini – First Female Ascent of Requiem (E8 6C)
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Wild Country athlete Caroline Ciavaldini makes the first female ascent of Requiem (E8 6c, roughly 5.13c), which was the UK’s first E8 route. On the imposing walls of Dumbarton Rock Requiem follows a difficult crack to a run-out upper wall and a very challenging finish. See more at wildcountry.com.
Name: Caroline Ciavaldini
Age: 29
Home climbing area: Reunion Island
How did you get into climbing? In Reunion Island, I had gymnastic, rugby, and then climbing as my sport at school. I liked it, started the afterschool climbing program, and the ball was rolling!
What kind of climbing do you do? You could say that I am a pure product of the French climbing federation, which means that I started as a competition climber, doing 10 years of World Cups. But then I bumped into a weird climber from the UK, who said the word:”trad” to describe his climbing. I had no idea what that meant, and it took me a while to become crazy enough to try it. Well, it seems I have gone a long way, as now I trad climb, multipitch climb, boulder, sport climbs, all of it averagely well, with a definite low point on bouldering… Maybe that is an OK definition of the dearly English “overall climber,” isn’t it?
What does climbing mean to you? That is a tough one… let’s say, A LOT. That’s safe.
Favorite Climbing Area: The world. I used to say Saint Leger du Ventoux is the best climbing area I know, as there is indeed awesome limestone tuffas, but no slippery slates, no sandstone, nor gritstone… so until I find one area that has everything, I will only settle for the world.
