Ashima Shiraishi was six years old when her parents took her to New York City’s Central Park and she scrambled up Rat Rock, a popular bouldering spot in the southwest corner of the park. She befriended Yukihiko Ikumori, the man The New York Times has called the spiritual godfather of Rat Rock, and he helped point Shiraishi in the right direction, offering guidance on routes, and, she says, made climbing fun for her.
Shiraishi quickly became a skilled and decorated climber. In 2016, at the age of 14, she became the first woman and the youngest person to complete a V15, essentially one of the hardest ratings in bouldering, by climbing a route known as Horizon on Mount Hiei in southern Japan. In competition, she earned gold in lead climbing and bouldering at the Youth World Championships in 2015, 2016, and 2017.
Shiraishi, now 20, was born and raised in New York City, the daughter of Japanese parents who moved from Tokyo to the States in 1978. Though she’s currently enrolled as a freshman at UCLA, Shiraishi says she will always consider New York home. She shared her favorite spots in the city.