The first 8c+ in America established by an American, the soon to be famous Chris Sharma. Jim Thornburg writing in Climbing magazine #168:
Speed worked on the sick-looking direct start and reckoned that an ascent of the entire route would be like climbing two 5.14a's back-to-back. After a finger injury put Speed out of commission, it seemed likely that the route would gather cobwebs until some visiting Euro arrived to snake yet another American testpiece. [1]
10 successful ascents recorded.
| Climber | Style | Ascent Date | Suggested Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Sharma | Lead | worked | 17th Mar 1997 | ||
| First ascent. | ||||
|
Age 15. Chris had been climbing for a little over 3 years when he made the ascent, at the time one of the hardest routes in the US alongside Just Do It. References |
||||
| Tommy Caldwell | Lead | worked | 1998 | ||
| Second ascent. | ||||
| Jason Campbell | Lead | worked | 8th Feb 2000 | ||
| Dave Graham | Lead | worked | 20th Nov 2001 | ||
References |
||||
| James Litz | Lead | worked | 19th Dec 2004 | ||
| 3 sessions. | ||||
| Daniel Woods | Lead | worked | 28th Oct 2006 | ||
| 4 sessions. Sixth go. | ||||
| Mike Doyle | Lead | worked | 13th Feb 2015 | ||
| Adam Ondra | Lead | worked | 24th Feb 2015 | ||
| Second go. | ||||
References[1] https://www.instagram.com/p/ButtnauhREK/ [2] https://www.8a.nu/crags/sportclimbing/united-states/vrg/sectors/blasphemy-wall/routes/necessary-evil |
||||
| Paige Claassen | Lead | worked | Feb 2018 | ||
| Jenya Kazbekova | Lead | worked | Before 27th Dec 2025 | ||
| 5 sessions. | ||||