Lisa Rands pushes gritstone limits

[From Climber (UK), December 2003]

Well-known American boulderer Lisa Rands paid another flying visit to the Peak District this autumn and bagged her first E7 with a head-point ascent of the Johnny Dawes classic White Lines at Curbar. Lisa's grit record is impressive, especially since it all started by accident. A pulley injury in her left hand a few years ago forced a break from hard bouldering, and led to the specialized pastime of top-roping left-handed arètes to keep boredom at bay. When the injury healed, she found she'd developed a taste for grit routes, and flashed Nosferatu (E5) before head-pointing Pebble Mill (E5) at Burbage South.

This year she was back after droping out of the World Bouldering Cup due to a knee injury. This didn't seem to hold her back too much, and she bagged a host of E3s and E4s, plus Shock Horror Arete (E5/6), Ilkley, and Nettle Wine (E5) at Cratcliffe.

Head-pointing wasn't ignored either, and after a swift tick of Consolation Prize (E5) at Wimberry, she turned her attention to Curbar. A late September evening saw her first attempt at White Lines, but after just three practices, rain and gloom forced retreat. The following evening looked little better. Blue skies and hot rock meant waiting and willing for a breath of wind to cool the crag. But temperatures eventually dipped, and after one final top rope she went for the lead, becoming only the second woman to claim a grit E7 after Airlie Anderson's head-point of Master's Edge at Millstone.

This probably won't be the last we hear of Lisa on the grit. Although the first to admit she's still learning to place gear to best effect, she claims to "really enjoy the weird, scared feeling you get when on-sighting," and can't wait to push some higher grades.

— Alex Messenger

Photo by Alex Messenger