24-year-old Katie Lamb Creates History by Climbing to an Altitude of 10,396 ft in Her ‘Box Therapy’ Ascent

Katie Lamb created history after she became the first woman to climb a V16 with her fourth ascent of Box Therapy. Box Therapy roughly takes two hours to reach. It stands at a height of 3169 metres. This is higher than the Mount Rundle in Banff National Park. In the winter of 2021, Lamb went on a tour to Bishop, California. She went there to try the Swarm, which is a classic v13. The Swarm was first climbed by Dave Graham. During this period, she climbed for only 6 days. The other days were rest days.

Lamb grew up in Boston and has climbed most of her life. She has previously sent a number of V14s, including the legendary New Baseline, The Penrose Step and Jade. Katie is a very focused individual and focuses on one project at a time. However, she feels focusing on one project helps her plan about the entire event better.

A Brief about box therapy

Box Therapy is not an easy project to accomplish. It is located seven miles from the Wild Basin Trailhead at an elevation of 10,500 feet. This was first founded 15 years ago. Tommy Caldwell was the first one to find it. Tommy Caldwell established the Box Therapies stand start and spread eagle (V11). The Spread eagle starts halfway out of the seam, which cuts across the boulder’s 20-foot and 50-degree overhanging face. Although, this looks tough but there have been people who have managed to overcome this.

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About Box Therapy, Lamb wrote, “A lot of my progress can be attributed to just showing up. I know where I can be and keep coming back until I get there. It’s an asset, but can make climbing less fun. Recently I’ve been feeling less excitement, but more joy.” 

Katie Lamb a woman of many accomplishments

Lamb, who is just 24 years of age, has accomplished a lot in her career. At 24, she has already conquered at least six V 14s. The six V 14s include Spectre, Jade, New Baseline, The Penrose Step, Book Club and Direct North. Among the lot, Spectre is the one which is considered one of the toughest. A woman of great physical fitness and determination, there have been times where Katie has struggled to keep going but somehow managed to get back. Climbing an altitude of 10, 396 feet is not an easy task. We hope Katie keeps inspiring the world in the future as well and keeps on creating records.

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