"On 9 May 2025, Belgian climber Anak Verhoeven made the first female ascent of Rainshadow at Malham Cove. By climbing this route, she became the first woman to climb a 9a on English rock".
Words by Anak Verhoeven...
I travelled to England with a specific goal in mind: to climb Rainshadow, a historic route with a 9a grade. It is situated at Malham Cove, an impressive amphitheatre-shaped rock face in the Yorkshire Dales.
I worked Rainshadow’s movements on and off for several weeks, but the progress was slowed down by a nasty hold on the crux that hurt the joints of my left ring finger. I had to be careful not to get injured, so I took a lot of rest days, taped the finger, and limited myself to just a few tries per session on the movements with that particular hold.
The climbing sessions themselves were rather short because of the lovely, sunny weather all throughout my trip and Malham Cove being in the sun for most of the day, making it too warm to climb during those hours."I worked hard to find a solution for every single movement on the route; figuring out all the handholds, foot placements, body positions, clipping and shakeout spots… For me, unlocking a sequence can feel just as rewarding as a successful ascent – sometimes even more so. It is satisfying to find a method that finally works after all the problem-solving, doubt and perseverance.
Finally, I had solved the last piece of the “puzzle”. From that point on, I knew I was capable of climbing the route successfully: doing all the movements in sequence from bottom to top, without falling or resting on the rope. But, success is never a given. So many things can go wrong, so many variables need to be just right. That is climbing.
I memorised all the movement information, down to the smallest details. Then, it was time to start doing attempts. I had two promising tries before taking a two-week break from the project that was good to let my finger rest. On my first day back at Malham, I did two more attempts and fell both times on the hardest movement – a tricky move to a right-hand pinch, with the painful hold for the left hand.
After a rest day, as I was warming up on my project, I found a better way of doing that move which gave me a big confidence boost. On my fifth redpoint attempt, I stuck that crucial movement. I kept fighting through the upper section of the route until I found myself at the anchor and topped the route. I felt a wave of relief. How special to have done such an historic British climb!
I think Rainshadow is a brilliant route. It is physically difficult and mentally taxing as well. I liked the route’s smooth limestone and the footwork precision that is required on that kind of rock.
A particularly pleasant part of this trip were the nice interactions with local climbers. I felt welcomed as a foreigner visiting their crags. Looking forward to going back!
We are super proud to be supporting such a powerhouse of a woman in the climbing space. It's incredible to witness what dedication to the craft and an unstoppable drive can reach with continuous commitment to a goal. Well done Anak, as you know, we at Runder are rooting for you from your corner! Keep pushing the limits and making an exceptional example to the rest of the world what dedication can achieve.
For a closer look at what this all means take a peak at this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnS1Rq2_26E