Ashima Shiraishi on Horizon, ~8C, Mount Hiei, Kyushu, Japan © Yoshiko Saito So, some might say this is a piece of non-news, but I find it very interesting that Ashima Shiraishi, 14, came very close to repeating Dai Koyamada's Horizon, ~8C, at Mount Hiei, Kyushu, Japan.

This is the project I spent a few days on but fell 3 times from the last hold that was wet😭😭 I definitely cried myself to sleep on my last night 😂 I hope to finish projects like these in 2016!!!!

Yes, the 8C grade is all over the place, but Horizon is more likely to be hard than easy for the grade.

This is what Dai Koyamada said about the grade of this long, steep problem:

So I can say for sure the grade of this problem is at least V15[8C], but I’m not sure where it exactly fits within the range of V15. Is it in the upper V15 region or beyond V15 and in the realm of V16[8C+] – I can’t tell.

If things continue like this, it won't be long before the best male climbers need to start watching their backs. Ashima and Janja Garnbret are catching up rapidly...

Ashima Shiraishi is sponsored by: Clif Bar, Evolv, Petzl and The North Face​