Lisa Rands Makes First Female Ascent of The Mandala (V12)

SAN LEANDRO, California — Lisa Rands made the first female ascent of The Mandala (V12) in the Buttermilks in Bishop, California, on Friday, January 18. Rands, who lives in Bishop, had her eye on The Mandala for years, but had not had a chance to really work on it until recently. She took only three days in 2008 with the problem before sending it.

Fellow The North Face athlete Peter Croft and Bishop local described The Mandala as the best unclimbed line in the Buttermilks before Chris Sharma’s 2000 first ascent.

“When I climbed it, it felt easy,” said Rands. “It makes me realize I can step up my level of climbing.”

Revered within the climbing community, The Mandala climbs a steep prow on a large granite boulder. Rands nailed the critical, first move — an extremely long one given her 5’4″ frame — and powered through the rest of the sequence with precision, only hesitating for a second before turning the lip onto the icy summit.

“It was under snow for a while,” said Rands. “I had friends shoveling the top off to try and dry it.”

For more information on Lisa’s ascent of The Mandala, check out www.bishopbouldering.blogspot.com.

For more information on The Mandala, check out the Bishop Bouldering guidebook, or head to http://www.wolverinepublishing.com/images/bishopsample.pdf