11-Year-Old Girl Rock Climber Brooke Raboutou Shatters Records

A 11-year-old girl rock climber has been shattering world records for her age in the extreme sport of rock climbing.

Brooke Raboutou has parents who are former world champion rock climbers. She began rock climbing at about the same time she began walking and their house resembles a rock climbing gym. Brooke is now part of Team ABC and her mother is her rock climbing coach.

Her mother told THINKR that her attitude makes her a rock climbing champion:

“She wants to climb the hardest route out there. She wants to win the competitions.”

Brooke has set many precedents in rock climbing that 10 years ago many top rock climbing experts had trouble acheiving. In the past four years, she has completed seven record-setting climbs all over the world, from Spain to

At age 11, Brooke is the youngest and shortest to ever climb 5.14b on top of being a girl. Although height is not always an advantage. A scrunchy climb would be easier for shorties while a long reach might require a leap. She was also the first 9-year-old to complete a V10 bouldering route and the first 10-year-old to do V11.

To put these rock climbing achievements in layman’s terms, a 5.6 rated climbing route is the rough equivalent of a ladder when it comes to making your ascent. By 5.8 or 5.9 even athletic people will find themselves challenged if they do not have much experience climbing. Climbing a 5.10 route pretty much means that you have some experience and you’re in half decent physical condition, although skill can “sometimes” make up the difference. As an example, this writer topped out at 5.12 in the peak of his climbing career before getting in an automobile accident. Now I’m limited to 5.10 routes at most, and even then only some of them.

The V11 she achieved is relevant to bouldering, which are short rock climbing routes undertaken without a rope and typically over a crash pad. Bouldering is all about upper body strength and flexibility for the most part. That’s not to say that technical experience is not necessary, since bouldering routes are typically tricky puzzles, but without the requisite physical skills you won’t be going too far. As an example, even the “easy” bouldering routes marked as V0 may challenge someone who can accomplish a 5.8 rock climbing route.

What do you think about this amazing rock climber?