Sasha DiGiulian facts for kids
DiGiulian in 2019
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| Nationality | American | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | October 23, 1992 Alexandria, Virginia, U.S. |
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| Education | Columbia University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 feet 2 inches (157 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| Updated on 14:53, 10 January 2020 (UTC). | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sasha DiGiulian (born October 23, 1992) is an American professional rock climber. She is known for her amazing skills in outdoor sport climbing and big wall climbing. She also has a strong background in competition climbing and bouldering.
Sasha won a gold medal at the 2011 International Federation of Sport Climbing World Championships in Italy. She was the overall female champion and also won gold in bouldering. She has won many Pan-American championships and is a three-time US National Champion.
She has completed over 30 "First Female Ascents." This means she was the first woman to successfully climb those routes. She also made over a dozen "First Ascents," meaning she was the first person ever to climb those routes. Some of these include "Rolihlahla" in South Africa and a big wall in Brazil. In 2013, she was the first American woman to climb a very difficult route called Era Vella. In 2015, she became the first woman to free climb Magic Mushroom, a super tough route on the Eiger mountain.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Sasha DiGiulian grew up near Washington, D.C.. Before she started climbing, she was a figure skater. She attended the Potomac School, which teaches students from kindergarten through high school.
Climbing Career
Sasha started climbing when she was just 6 years old. She began competing in climbing events at age 7. By the time she was 11, she had already climbed a very challenging route.
In March 2011, right before she finished high school, she successfully climbed two very difficult routes in Red River Gorge in Kentucky. These climbs are known as "redpoints," which means she climbed them without falling after practicing them.
After high school, Sasha took a year off to travel and focus on climbing. She competed in international events and climbed outdoors. She won the gold medal in bouldering at the 2011 World Championships in Italy. She also returned to the Red River Gorge in October 2011 and redpointed another tough route called Pure Imagination.
Sasha was the US National Champion in Female Open three times. She was also the undefeated Female Open PanAmerican Champion from 2010 to 2018. During her junior career, from 2004 to 2010, she was the undefeated junior Pan American Champion.
In 2011, she redpointed many challenging routes. She also "onsighted" two very difficult routes. Onsighting means climbing a route perfectly on the first try without any prior knowledge or practice. In 2012, she won three gold medals at the Panamerican Championships for bouldering and was the overall champion.
In 2015, she became the first woman to free climb Magic Mushroom. This is one of the hardest alpine climbing routes on the north face of the Eiger mountain. She has completed over 30 "first female free ascents." She also made eight important "first free ascents," including a big wall route in Brazil in 2016. In 2017, she completed the first female free ascent of Mora Mora in Madagascar. She climbed it with Edu Marín i Garcia, and it was also the second time anyone had free climbed that route.
In 2021, Sasha shared that she had several hip surgeries to fix problems with her cartilage. After recovering, she returned to climbing. In 2025, she and Marianna Ordóñez became the first women to free climb the route Bravo Les Filles in Madagascar.
Wider Career
Sasha DiGiulian produced a film called The Trilogy. This film is about how she became the first woman and second person to climb three big walls in the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site in one season. This was the first film she produced.
Sasha has also become a strong voice for protecting the environment and fighting climate change. She has spoken in Washington, D.C. to encourage laws that help the environment. She was part of a group of professional climbers, including Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell, who spoke to lawmakers about public land, outdoor activities, and conservation.
In 2018, Sasha used her Instagram account to speak out against unfair treatment and harassment in her sport. She felt it was important to speak up for herself and other athletes.
In 2019, Sasha helped create new climbing routes in Southwestern Virginia. In September 2023, she published a book about her life called Take the Lead: Hanging On, Letting Go, and Conquering Life's Hardest Climbs. In November 2023, she spoke to the United States House Committee on Natural Resources to support a law called the EXPLORE Act. In 2024, she was featured in a film by Red Bull and HBO called Here to Climb.
Personal Life
In 2014, Sasha's father passed away. This was a very difficult time for her.
In 2016, Sasha graduated from Columbia University. She studied creative writing and business. She was also an athlete representative on the board of the International Federation of Sport Climbing.
In March 2017, a rock climber emoji was created. The picture used for the emoji was based on Sasha DiGiulian!
In September 2023, Sasha married filmmaker Erik Osterholm. They met when he filmed her climbing Mount Washington for a documentary series in 2017. They started dating in August 2018.
Awards and Other Honours
Sasha DiGiulian is a board member for the Women's Sports Foundation. She is also an Athlete Ambassador for several organizations like Right to Play and the American Alpine Club. She has received many important awards, including:
- Glamour magazine's Top College Women of the Year in 2016
- The Cutting Edge Athlete Award in 2014 from the American Alpine Club
- The Golden Pitons in 2011
- The Arco Rock Legend Award for her amazing achievements in outdoor climbing
See also
In Spanish: Sasha DiGiulian para niños
