Annie Sanders, 17, does Pure Imagination (8c+)

Annie Sanders, who last year sent her first 8c+, has done Pure Imagination (8c+) in Red River Gorge (KY). The 17-year-old is primarily a competition climber who 2024 participated in seven Boulder and Lead World Cups, with her lowest finish being 7th place. At the final event in Seoul, she claimed victory in Boulder and earned a bronze medal in Lead. (c) Steven Hu

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
I tried Pure Imagination 3 years ago, but it was at the end of a long climbing day and I was nowhere near the level that was required to send it. I don’t think I even got past the first crux and lowered down pretty early on the route. Fast forward to this year, I only had 3 days to try and send it. On my first go, I did all the moves with relative ease and was pretty confident that I could send it. On my second go, I messed up a couple foot sequences, but by then I had all the moves pretty much dialled. On my 3rd go, I ended up executing my beta perfectly, resulting in the send! I’m super psyched to have put this one down in one day, and I’m already looking forward to going back for my other project.

What project would that be?
I only had 2 days to try Golden Ticket (8c+). I did all the moves but the dyno, 2 days wasn’t enough, I was pretty tired on day 3. Hopefully, I’ll be able to go back next year.

How was winning your first World Cup?
It felt very special, I put a lot of effort into the training this year and it definitely paid off. And just a lot of fun during all the rounds, something about Korea, I really like competing there!

How does a normal training week look like and how many hours are we talking?
Depends on the season, if I’m training for bouldering or lead comps but during the season the training load is not as high as during the offseason, I usually try to focus on a lot of onsighting and mental preparation. 5 days a week, 4-5 hours, I always take 2 days off before the comp.

What do you like the most about climbing?
I like that it’s never the same moves, boulders, routes, and that I always have something to improve. There are endless possibilities, whether it’s indoors or outdoors.