Recently, 49-year-old female climber Robyn Erbesfield-Raboutou successfully completed two 8b+ difficulty routes — Ixeia and Tripa de Conejo — in Spain’s climbing mecca, Rodellar.
49-Year-Old Erbesfield-Raboutou Conquers Two 8b+ Routes
Spain’s Climbing Mecca: Rodellar
Erbesfield-Raboutou, one of the world’s top female climbers in the 1980s and 1990s, won the World Climbing Championships four consecutive times from 1992 to 1995. She was also the third woman in the world to complete an 8b+ route. Since 1993, she began coaching athletes and officially retired in 1996. After giving birth to her son Shawn in 1998, she was appointed head coach of the U.S. Climbing Team. She currently specializes in the development and training of young climbing talent.
Early competition photos of Erbesfield-Raboutou
2011: She Rediscovers the 8b+ Grade Again
2011: At Heuco Wall
“I never really train. Usually, I go bouldering with friends indoors twice a week for two or three hours each time. Right now, I’m coaching a climbing team and have just opened a new bouldering gym in Boulder. But I still absolutely love climbing those beautiful outdoor routes.”
Erbesfield-Raboutou’s children, Shawn and Brooke
The Raboutou Family with Daughter Brooke
Erbesfield-Raboutou’s children, Shawn Raboutou and Brooke Raboutou, have been climbing since childhood and both show exceptional ability. Daughter Brooke is particularly outstanding — she started climbing at age 2, completed her first 7c+ route at age 9, and then, at just under 11 years old, managed to send her first 8b+ route, God's Own Stone, in the Red River Gorge (USA) after five attempts in late March, becoming one of the youngest climbers to achieve this grade.