A brave Columbia University student became the first person ever to climb a nearly impossible rock in South Africa — a death-defying feat in which she clung to a cliff more than 100 feet above ground.
The world’s top-ranked female rock climber, Sasha DiGiulian, 21, made six attempts — slipping and slamming against the 120-foot rock — before she reached the top of Rolihlahla in Waterval Boven, South Africa, in July.
“You slam into the wall and it hurts. You start getting scared and the fear rises. If you fall improperly, it hurts,” said DiGiulian, who used a safety line and carabiner to keep from falling into the trees below.
“But I knew it was possible and I started seeing that . . . I wanted to find out the perfect method to do it and to make it happen,” she said.
“Once you make it to the top, you have to pinch yourself to make sure it’s reality. It’s a bliss that’s unparalleled,” she said.
Climbers who make a “first ascent” earn the honor of naming the rock, so she dubbed it “Rolihlahla,” Nelson Mandela’s middle name.
“You can just feel how much the country loves Mandela. The energy was there and I wanted to show respect . . . Plus, the name means ‘troublemaker’ and I like that,” she added.
DiGiulian has won the National Championships for Female Sport Climbing three times.
She’s majoring in nonfiction writing at Columbia and practices indoor rock climbing at The Sports Center at Chelsea Piers and Brooklyn Boulders in Gowanus.