Katie Lamb Shatters Limits as First Woman to Conquer V16 Twice
Katie Lamb has once again made history, becoming the first woman to climb a confirmed V16 boulder problem. It is the second time she has been credited with the grade. Her latest accomplishment came with her ascent of The Dark Side in Yosemite National Park, a 17-move problem that Climbing magazine calls the hardest boulder in Yosemite and among the hardest in the United States. In doing so, she set an undeniable milestone in women’s climbing and reaffirmed her place at the forefront of the sport. But for Lamb, the journey was about much more than the title.
In an Instagram post following her achievement, Lamb reflected on the mental and physical demands of the climb, as well as the perseverance it required. “Despite everything in this world that is built to minimize friction, there are moments of stickiness for a scaler,” she wrote, describing the value of showing up to try, even when the odds seem daunting. That mindset carried her through the many months it took to climb The Dark Side, a boulder problem established by Carlo Traversi in December 2023.
This isn’t Lamb’s first brush with the V16 grade. In July 2023, she climbed Box Therapy in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, and was initially celebrated as the first woman to climb a V16 boulder. That achievement, however, became mired in controversy after other top climbers questioned the grade, and the problem was downgraded to V15. For Lamb, the public discourse surrounding Box Therapy was an eye-opening experience. “It felt like a drama generated by others,” she told Climbing, adding that it imposed “a narrative that I didn’t expect, or ask for.” Afterward, she found herself questioning the value she personally placed on public opinion about her climbing.
This time, however, there’s far less debate. The only other climbers to have done The Dark Side, Aidan Roberts and Keenan Takahashi, both agreed with the V16 grade. For Lamb, it’s not just the difficulty of the problem but the process that makes the accomplishment personally meaningful. “I was pretty intrigued by The Dark Side from the beginning, because it just looked so improbable,” she said of the climb, which she began working in February 2024. Lamb had to combat various challenges over the months she dedicated to the project, including Yosemite’s notoriously tricky weather conditions, physical setbacks, and moments of doubt. At times, she thought she might not complete the climb this season. But by refocusing her mindset, shifting from an outcome-driven goal to one grounded in curiosity and progress, she unlocked her potential and stuck the send.
Photo Cred: Eric Bissell
While climbing at this level is hardly straightforward, Lamb said that she savored the process of working on The Dark Side, even in the face of setbacks. With its friction-reliant holds and precise movements, the problem demands a delicate balance between power and finesse. Lamb explained the unique conditions required to make progress. She has “really, really dry skin,” so she looked for the right mix of skin moisture and rock friction, even using the humidity after rain to help on the sloper-dominated problem.
Ultimately, her persistence was rewarded in the spring of 2025, on what she described as a quite warm day. Believing it might be her last session of the season, Lamb went in with few expectations and climbed the hardest boulder of her career. “I had this big mindset switch, and started feeling okay about not doing it this season,” she said. “Then I did it, which was a total surprise.”
Photo Cred: Chris Natalie
Despite the achievement’s significance for women’s climbing, Lamb has consistently emphasized the importance of separating external validation from personal experience. After Box Therapy, she said, “I don’t feel so tied to public opinion anymore.” In her view, “the external perspective should coexist with my own internal experience.”
Katie Lamb’s ascent of The Dark Side cements her position as one of the leading figures not just in women’s bouldering, but in climbing as a whole. Yet her story is a reminder that even at the highest levels of the sport, the journey remains as important as the destination. With this historic climb behind her, Lamb not only proves her physical prowess but also demonstrates the value of persistence, self-reflection, and, above all, finding meaning beyond the spotlight.
