Ashima Shiraishi

Ashima Shiraishi (白石阿島, Shiraishi Ashima, born April 3, 2001) is an American rock climber. Shiraishi started climbing at the age of six at Rat Rock in Central Park, joining her father. Only a few years later, she quickly established herself as one of the top female boulderers, competition climbers, and sport climbers in the world. Her numerous accomplishments include first-place finishes in international competitions, and multiple first female and youngest ascents. Shiraishi is featured in several short documentary-style films, and is the subject of the documentary short "Return to the Red".

At age 13 she became the second-ever female, and youngest person, to climb a sport route with a difficulty grade of 5.14d/5.15a (9a/9a+).

Biography Shiraishi was born in New York City on April 3, 2001. She is the only child of Tsuya and Hisatoshi Shiraishi, who immigrated from Japan in 1978 to New York City. Her father, Hisatoshi "Poppo" Shiraishi, was trained as a dancer in Butoh. When she was 6 years old, her parents took her to Central Park, where she started climbing at Rat Rock. She later climbed at Brooklyn Boulders in Gowanus, Brooklyn.

At age 8, Shiraishi climbed the classic boulder problem Power of Silence (V10), in Hueco Tanks, Texas. At age 9, she climbed Chablanke (V11/12) and Roger in the Shower (V11) in Hueco Tanks, and several other difficult boulders. At age 10, she climbed Fred Nicole's notorious Crown of Aragorn (V13) also in Hueco Tanks, and is the youngest person ever to climb this grade.

Shiraishi also excelled in lead climbing. At age 11, in October 2012, she climbed Southern Smoke at the Red River Gorge, a grade 5.14c (8c+) sport route, becoming the youngest person to climb a route of this difficulty.

In 2013, Shiraishi continued to excel at both bouldering and lead climbing, adding a 5.14a (Slow Food at Céüse) two more V13s (One Summer in Paradise and Automator) and finally two 5.14c's (24 Karats and 50 Words for Pump). In July 2014, she climbed what might be her first V14, Golden Shadow; however, there is a suggestion that Golden Shadow is V13 or V13/V14. She was the second officially recorded female climber (after Tomoko Ogawa) to successfully climb a V14 problem. On the first day of 2015, she climbed her second V14 (V13/V14), The Swarm, claiming the first female top-out of the problem.

At age 13, Shiraishi climbed her first 5.14d (9a), Open Your Mind Direct R1 in Santa Linya. The difficulty of the route had become harder while Shiraishi was attempting it, for a few months earlier a hold had broken off near the top leading to its reclassification as 5.15a. She is the second person ever to finish this problem. With this achievement she became the first female climber as well as, at the time, the youngest climber to climb this bouldering grade. (In 2019, Mishka Ishi overtook Ashima as the youngest person to climb 8C/V15.) A few months later, she climbed Sleepy Rave, another V15 (or V14 according to some), In the same year, she started competing in the Climbing World Cup as an adult.

She is sponsored by Evolv, Arc’teryx, Clif Bar, Petzl, Coca-Cola Japan, All Nippon Airways and Nikon.

In 2021, she enrolled at University of California, Los Angeles, studying neuroscience and environmental science.

She has been referred to as a "bouldering phenom" by the New York Times and as a "Gretzky of the granite" by The New Yorker.

Notable ascents Boulder problems Horizon - Mount Hiei (JPN) - 2015 Phenomena - Hinokage (JPN) - 2015

Other Bouldering Achievements: The Shining - Lethal Design - - flash Chablanke - V11/V12 (8a/8a+) Roger in the Shower - Power of Silence - Ashimandala - - First Ascent (Age 7)

Redpointed routes 9a or 9a+ (5.14d or 5.15a): Ciudad de Dios - Santa Linya (ESP) - March 23, 2015 - First female ascent.