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Monique Forestier cracks the grade 31 barrier 30-Jul-2003 At 8:49:28 AM Mike

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More news about Monique from From Simon Carter at Onsight Photography:

Monique Forestier has become the first Australian woman to climb a route of grade 32 difficulty when, on Wednesday 23 July 2003, she climbed the route Intergalactic Lactic Spastic, which is located at the cliff known as Aliens Domain (AD), near Bowens Creek in the Blue Mountains, NSW, Australia. This is the hardest rock climb that an Australian woman has ever climbed. Currently in Australia the hardest climb is graded 33. A grade 32 route would be graded 5.14a in the US scale, and 8b+ in the French.

Intergalactic Lactic Spastic was originally a project of Steve Grkovic's. It was was first climbed (and named and graded) by Nathan Hoette in 2001. The route has recently been climbed by Australia's top male sport-climber, Garth Miller, who confirmed the grade. It has also been climbed by Zac Vertrees.

Right: Monique on Intergalactic Lactic Spastic (32). Photo copyright Simon Carter. See here for more pics.

Monique's success on Intergalactic Lactic Spastic (32) is the culmination of many days work at the Aliens Domain cliff. Monique first climbed the route Pigs in Space Direct (30) in May after nine days of attempts. It then took Monique a further eight days to climb her new variation Mission to Mars (31) that we reported last week (see that news item here). The route Intergalactic Lactic Spastic shares much of the same climbing as Mission to Mars however it incorporates an even more difficult finish. After succeeding on Mission to Mars it took Monique an additional three days of attempts to climb Intergalactic Lactic Spastic. The route is approximately 25 metres long and overhangs by approximately 10 metres. It would be termed a "resistance" route by climbers as it requires a long continuous sequence of strenuous moves using very small holds and with little opportunity for rest.

Australian climbing photographer Simon Carter witnessed Monique's ascent of Intergalactic Lactic Spastic. Simon has 20 years climbing experience and has photographed some of the world's best climbers. He said of Monique's ascent, "Monique was definitely firing. It was a perfectly executed red-point [ascent].... This really is a sensational achievement. It is without doubt one of the most significant achievements in Australian climbing in recent years. We're talking about someone creating a new national record here, not just by one grade but now by two! Monique has trained extremely hard and earned this wonderful achievement.... This represents such a major leap in the women's standard that I suspect it will cause some to have to readjust their thinking as to how hard Australian women can climb. I hope this inspires other women to seriously attempt some of these super hard routes, Monique has now shown that they are possible...".

Monique Forestier has been on a roll lately. Two months ago she became only the second Australian woman to climb a route of grade 30 difficulty. With her recent ascents she has now pushed the Australian women's standard up by two grades. The last time the women's top standard was increased was when Tara Sutherland climbed No More Gaps (30) at Nowra in 1999.

Monique has now climbed one route of grade 32, one 31, one 30, three 29's, two 28's, sixteen 27's (three of these "onsight" - meaning to lead on the first attempt and without prior knowledge). In the Climbing World Cup in Singapore last year she was placed 16th in the difficulty event, and 9th in the speed climbing. She has her sights set on competing in more international competitions. Monique maintains a busy schedule to enable her to pursue her passion for climbing. She lives in Mount Victoria in the Blue Mountains but works and trains in Sydney.