Louise Shepherd


Quick Info

From: Australia 🇦🇺
Gender: Female
Hardest Trad (Onsight): E6
Notable Partnerships
Kim Carrigan

Australian rock climber, guide and author. One of the best women climbers in the world in the early 1980s.

References

[1] https://www.commonclimber.com/louise-shepherd.html

[2] https://verticallifemag.com/articles/louise-shepherd/

[3] https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/features/andy_pollitt_and_louise_shepherd-10558

Contributors
88 contributions since 3rd February 2025.
47 contributions since 23rd January 2026.

Quick Info

From: Australia 🇦🇺
Gender: Female
Hardest Trad (Onsight): E6
Notable Partnerships
Kim Carrigan

Australian rock climber, guide and author. One of the best women climbers in the world in the early 1980s.

References

[1] https://www.commonclimber.com/louise-shepherd.html

[2] https://verticallifemag.com/articles/louise-shepherd/

[3] https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/features/andy_pollitt_and_louise_shepherd-10558

Contributors
88 contributions since 3rd February 2025.
47 contributions since 23rd January 2026.

Podcasts


Library


Pics + Vids

No pics or vids yet.


Ascents

10 recorded ascents.

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Climb Grade Style Ascent Date Suggested Grade
First ascent.

References

[1] Mountain Issue 104, page 12

Climb Grade Style Ascent Date Suggested Grade
Climb Grade Style Ascent Date Suggested Grade
Second go.

A very impressive second go effort, placing all the gear on lead. Potentially the first female ascent of a 26 in Australia?

References

[1] https://www.thecrag.com/en/climbing/australia/arapiles/bluffs/route/12902953

First female ascent.
Separate Reality E5 Lead | onsight 1980-1982

The first time an Australian woman climbed a grade 24.

The first person to onsight the route and likely one of the first women to onsight a route this hard.

I suppose we'd better start taking you seriously as a climber now!

Mark Moorhead

References

[1] https://verticallifemag.com/articles/louise-shepherd/

[2] https://verticallifemag.com/articles/first-at-the-grade/

Strolling (Right Hand Variant) E5 Lead | onsight 1981
Life in the Fast Lane E4 Lead | onsight 1981
Climb Grade Style Ascent Date Suggested Grade