Irina Kuzmenko

Irina was born in Saint-Petersburg, Russia in 1996. She was a ballerina as a child, and at the age of 10, her ballet classmate introduced her to climbing. “My feet were still in tight shoes, like ballet,” she says, “but climbing was more interesting and fun!” She fell in love with it imediatelly. Her perseverance helped her make rapid progress, and by her first year she won the youth championship in lead. From that moment on, Irina was hooked. She became a member of the Climbing Federation of Russia and started competing internationally. In 2019, she won the bronze medal in bouldering at the European Championships. At the age of 22 she tried outdoor bouldering for the first time and finally found her niche. Rapidly, she went from 7C+ grade to 8B in less than a year and began travelling to some of the most famous bouldering areas in the world. In Rocklands, South Africa she sent Fragile Steps (8B), becoming the first Russian woman to climb the grade. On a trip to Cresciano, Switzerland she made the first female ascent of the iconic line Dreamtime Stand (8A+). Her dedication and motivation continues to this day. Irina keeps exploring and visiting new climbing areas, and is already preparing more climbing trips around the world. At the same time she loves sharing her knowledge and experience with other climbers through bouldering workshops.