Beth Rodden
Encyclopedia
Beth Rodden is an American rock climber. She was the youngest woman to climb 5.14a
, and is one of the only women in the world to have redpointed a 5.14c
/8c
traditional climb. She lives near Yosemite, California.
In 1998 Rodden redpointed
the sport
route To Bolt Or Not To Be, the historical first 5.14 established in America, and became youngest woman to ascend 5.14a. Her work impressed free climbing
pioneer Lynn Hill
, who invited Rodden to make the first all-female ascent of Madagascar's Tsaranoro Massif in 1999. The trip to Madagascar marked Rodden's move to a less mainstream trad climbing career.
In 2000, she put up the first free ascent of Lurking Fear with Tommy Caldwell, marking El Capitan's second free ascent by a female.
With Lurking Fear and her 2005 free ascent of The Nose, she became the first woman to free climb two routes on El Capitan. In October 2005 she free-climbed The Optimist, becoming the first American woman to redpoint 5.14b.
In February 2008, Rodden redpointed the first ascent of Meltdown. A proposed grade of 5.14c makes Meltdown the hardest climb in Yosemite, the hardest traditional pitch in America, the hardest ascent by an American woman, and hardest traditional route led or established by a woman.
On a climbing trip to Kyrgyzstan's Kara Su Valley in August 2000, Rodden, then-boyfriend Tommy Caldwell, and fellow climbers Jason "Singer" Smith and photographer John Dickey were held hostage for six days by rebels from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan
.
The four climbers overpowered one of their captors and escaped to a Kyrgyz army camp. Their story was a brief sensation for the American media.
Rodden's climbing suffered and she did not travel internationally for a year. Then in October 2001 she climbed El Capitan
in an Americares
event to raise money for the families of 9/11 rescue personnel. She returned to the top tier of rock climbing, onsighting
Phoenix, a 5.13a crack in Yosemite, in May 2002.
Rodden and Tommy Caldwell
met at a junior climbing competition in 1995 and were married in 2003. They divorced in 2010.
Grade (climbing)
In rock climbing, mountaineering and other climbing disciplines, climbers give a climbing grade to a route that concisely describes the difficulty and danger of climbing the route...
, and is one of the only women in the world to have redpointed a 5.14c
Grade (climbing)
In rock climbing, mountaineering and other climbing disciplines, climbers give a climbing grade to a route that concisely describes the difficulty and danger of climbing the route...
/8c
Grade (climbing)
In rock climbing, mountaineering and other climbing disciplines, climbers give a climbing grade to a route that concisely describes the difficulty and danger of climbing the route...
traditional climb. She lives near Yosemite, California.
Climbing history
Rodden started climbing in 1995 at The Rocknasium, a local climbing gym in Davis, California. She won the Junior National JCCA Championships in 1996, 1997, and 1998; ranked first overall in the ASCF adult national series in 1997 and 1998; and placed third at the ASCF Fall Nationals in 1998.In 1998 Rodden redpointed
Red point
In sport climbing, the term redpointing refers to free-climbing a route, while lead climbing, after having practiced the route beforehand...
the sport
Sport climbing
Sport climbing is a form of rock climbing that relies on permanent anchors fixed to the rock, and possibly bolts, for protection,...
route To Bolt Or Not To Be, the historical first 5.14 established in America, and became youngest woman to ascend 5.14a. Her work impressed free climbing
Free climbing
Free climbing is a type of rock climbing in which the climber uses only hands, feet and other parts of the body to ascend, employing ropes and forms of climbing protection to prevent falls only....
pioneer Lynn Hill
Lynn Hill
Lynn Hill is a United States rock climber, known as a top sport climber of the 1980s and famous for making the first free ascent of the Nose Route on El Capitan in Yosemite Valley....
, who invited Rodden to make the first all-female ascent of Madagascar's Tsaranoro Massif in 1999. The trip to Madagascar marked Rodden's move to a less mainstream trad climbing career.
In 2000, she put up the first free ascent of Lurking Fear with Tommy Caldwell, marking El Capitan's second free ascent by a female.
With Lurking Fear and her 2005 free ascent of The Nose, she became the first woman to free climb two routes on El Capitan. In October 2005 she free-climbed The Optimist, becoming the first American woman to redpoint 5.14b.
In February 2008, Rodden redpointed the first ascent of Meltdown. A proposed grade of 5.14c makes Meltdown the hardest climb in Yosemite, the hardest traditional pitch in America, the hardest ascent by an American woman, and hardest traditional route led or established by a woman.
On a climbing trip to Kyrgyzstan's Kara Su Valley in August 2000, Rodden, then-boyfriend Tommy Caldwell, and fellow climbers Jason "Singer" Smith and photographer John Dickey were held hostage for six days by rebels from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan
Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan
The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan is a militant Islamist group formed in 1991 by the Islamic ideologue Tahir Yuldashev, and former Soviet paratrooper Juma Namangani—both ethnic Uzbeks from the Fergana Valley...
.
The four climbers overpowered one of their captors and escaped to a Kyrgyz army camp. Their story was a brief sensation for the American media.
Rodden's climbing suffered and she did not travel internationally for a year. Then in October 2001 she climbed El Capitan
El Capitan
El Capitan is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, located on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith extends about from base to summit along its tallest face, and is one of the world's favorite challenges for rock climbers.The formation was...
in an Americares
AmeriCares
AmeriCares is a non-profit disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization providing immediate response to emergency medical needs and supporting long-term health care initiatives for people in the United States and around the world. Since its founding in 1982, AmeriCares has provided more than...
event to raise money for the families of 9/11 rescue personnel. She returned to the top tier of rock climbing, onsighting
On-sight climbing
On-sight climbing means to attempt a rock climbing route for the first time without inspection or any form of "beta" ....
Phoenix, a 5.13a crack in Yosemite, in May 2002.
Rodden and Tommy Caldwell
Tommy Caldwell
Tommy Caldwell is an American rock climber. He was previously married to prominent American rock climber Beth Rodden....
met at a junior climbing competition in 1995 and were married in 2003. They divorced in 2010.
Notable ascents
- est.1997: Country Boy (5.13d, 2nd ascent, onsight) at Lumpy RidgeLumpy RidgeLumpy Ridge is a prominent series of rocky cliffs, slabs, and buttresses adjacent to and north of the town of Estes Park, Colorado. Lumpy Ridge lies inside of Rocky Mountain National Park. Lumpy Ridge is well known for rock climbing.-External links:*...
, Estes Park Valley, ColoradoEstes Park, ColoradoEstes Park is a town in Larimer County, Colorado, United States. A popular summer resort and the location of the headquarters for Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park lies along the Big Thompson River. Estes Park had a population of 5,858 at the 2010 census...
. - 1998: To Bolt or Not to Be (5.14a, 8b+) in Smith Rock State ParkSmith Rock State ParkSmith Rock State Park is a state park located in central Oregon's high desert near the towns of Redmond and Terrebonne. Its sheer cliffs of tuff and basalt are ideal for rock climbing of all difficulty levels...
, Oregon. - 1999: Bravo les Filles (VI 5.13d A0, 13 pitches, with Lynn Hill, Nancy Feagin, and Kath Pyke) in Tsaranoro MassifGeography of MadagascarMadagascar is an island in the Indian Ocean off the eastern coast of southern Africa, east of Mozambique. It is the fourth largest island in the world. The highest point is Maromokotro, in the Tsaratanana Massif region in the north of the island, at . The capital Antananarivo is in the Hauts...
, MadagascarMadagascarThe Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
. - 1999/2000: Disco Machine Gun (5.13, FAFirst ascentIn climbing, a first ascent is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain, or the first to follow a particular climbing route...
/FFA) Indian Creek Canyon, Moab, UtahMoab, UtahMoab is a city in Grand County, in eastern Utah, in the western United States. The population was 4,779 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat and largest city in Grand County. Moab hosts a large number of tourists every year, mostly visitors to the nearby Arches and Canyonlands National Parks...
. - 2000: Lurking Fear (5.10 A3, FFAFirst ascentIn climbing, a first ascent is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain, or the first to follow a particular climbing route...
with Tommy Caldwell) on El CapitanEl CapitanEl Capitan is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, located on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith extends about from base to summit along its tallest face, and is one of the world's favorite challenges for rock climbers.The formation was...
, Yosemite Valley. Originally rated 5.10 A3, the first seven pitches free are 5.12c, 5.13c, 5.12d, 5.12d, 5.12a, 5.12c, and 5.13c. - 2002: The Phoenix (5.13a, first female onsight) Upper Cascade FallsCascade FallsCascade Falls may refer to:*Caledonia Cascade, also called Cascade Falls, a waterfall located in Rabun County, Georgia*Cascade Falls , a waterfall near Boone, North Carolina...
, Yosemite Valley, California. - 2002: Grand Illusion (5.13c, onsight, first female ascent) at Sugarloaf, CaliforniaSugarloaf, CaliforniaSugarloaf is an unincorporated residential area less than a mile south of Big Bear City and 8 miles from the eastern tip of Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains of San Bernardino County, California. The area is primarily residential with a convenience store and a bar located at the center...
. - 2003: Sarchasm (5.14a, 8b+, 2nd ascent) Longs PeakLongs PeakLongs Peak is one of the 53 mountains with summits over 14,000 feet in Colorado. It can be prominently seen from Longmont, Colorado, as well as from the rest of the Colorado Front Range. It is named after Major Stephen Long, who explored the area in the 1820s...
, Rocky Mountain National ParkRocky Mountain National ParkRocky Mountain National Park is a national park located in the north-central region of the U.S. state of Colorado.It features majestic mountain views, a variety of wildlife, varied climates and environments—from wooded forests to mountain tundra—and easy access to back-country trails...
, Colorado. - 2003: West Buttress (5.13c, FFA with Tommy Caldwell) on El CapitanEl CapitanEl Capitan is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, located on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith extends about from base to summit along its tallest face, and is one of the world's favorite challenges for rock climbers.The formation was...
, Yosemite Valley. All pitches were redpointed at different times; no continuous free ascent done yet. - 2005: Anaconda (5.13b/c, first female free ascent) at Lumpy RidgeLumpy RidgeLumpy Ridge is a prominent series of rocky cliffs, slabs, and buttresses adjacent to and north of the town of Estes Park, Colorado. Lumpy Ridge lies inside of Rocky Mountain National Park. Lumpy Ridge is well known for rock climbing.-External links:*...
, Rocky Mountain National ParkRocky Mountain National ParkRocky Mountain National Park is a national park located in the north-central region of the U.S. state of Colorado.It features majestic mountain views, a variety of wildlife, varied climates and environments—from wooded forests to mountain tundra—and easy access to back-country trails...
, Colorado. - 2005: Grand Wall (5.13b, Free Ascent) multi-pitch at SquamishSquamish, British ColumbiaSquamish is a community and a district municipality in the Canadian province of British Columbia, located at the north end of Howe Sound on the Sea to Sky Highway...
, B.C. Canada. - 2005: The Optimist (5.14b, FAFirst ascentIn climbing, a first ascent is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain, or the first to follow a particular climbing route...
/FFA) in Smith Rock State ParkSmith Rock State ParkSmith Rock State Park is a state park located in central Oregon's high desert near the towns of Redmond and Terrebonne. Its sheer cliffs of tuff and basalt are ideal for rock climbing of all difficulty levels...
, Oregon. - 2005: The Nose (VI 5.13, 3rd/4th Free Ascent with Tommy Caldwell) on El CapitanEl CapitanEl Capitan is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, located on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith extends about from base to summit along its tallest face, and is one of the world's favorite challenges for rock climbers.The formation was...
, Yosemite Valley, California. In October Caldwell and Rodden each led about half of the route’s 31 pitches and freed every one. - 2008: Meltdown (ungraded, thought 5.14c, FA), Upper Cascade FallsCascade FallsCascade Falls may refer to:*Caledonia Cascade, also called Cascade Falls, a waterfall located in Rabun County, Georgia*Cascade Falls , a waterfall near Boone, North Carolina...
, Yosemite Valley, California. She worked the 70-foot crack for most of the winter before redpointing, placing all protection on the redpoint ascent.
Filmography
- 2005: Dosage Volume III (bigUP productions) - Rodden on The Optimist.
- 2005: A Day In The Life: 5 Women Who Climb (Vasentertainment)
- 2006: Wall Rats (Form Follows Function/Yegg Central Productions)
- 2006: The First Couple of Rock (Corey Rich and Jason Paur) - A film highlighting Rodden and Tommy Caldwell as married climbing partners.
- 2008: Dosage Volume V (bigUP productions) - Rodden on several hard traditional routes including Meltdown.
- 2008: Grand Canyon Walls (bigUP productions/Sender Films) - Rodden and Tommy Caldwell raft down the Grand Canyon looking for first ascents.