Steve Bramucci - Rock Stars!

Ashima Shiraishi began rock climbing at the young age of six.

A week before her 15th birthday, Ashima Shiraishi (sounds like a-SHEEM-a shi-RAH-shee) hiked along a forest path on Mount Hiei (sounds like HEE-ay) in Japan. She drew the cool morning air into her lungs, passing tall pines and bright green bamboo groves. With each step, her excitement grew. Shed been waiting for this moment for months.

Ashimas father, who she calls Poppo, and her mentor, or adviser, Dai Koyamada (sounds like DIE koi-ah-MAH-dah), walked beside her up the mountain. Soon, they arrived at a massive, bean-shaped boulder named Horizon. The curved underside of the boulder creates a natural tunnel, nicknamed the Red Cave. The roof of this cave is lined with ledges and handholds, which run along a crack in the limestone. These features form a bouldering problema climbing route low enough to the ground to be completed without ropes. It was this difficult problem that brought the trio (sounds like TREE-oh) to Japan.

Staring up at the Red Cave, Ashima drew a long breath and released it slowly. A few months earlier, Horizon had left her in tears. Now, shed come back feeling like a more experienced climber. Shed been visualizing the route for months, practicing the skills shed need to complete each move.

In order to finally send Horizon, Ashima knew shed have to remain focused while keeping calm. This quality of stillness is a special gift all its own, one which Poppo Shiraishi, a dancer, knows very well.

My dad tells me to have a quiet soul before I climb, Ashima said. He talks about this state of nothingnessbecause if youre flustered and distracted, you wont be able to get to the top.

That serene (sounds like suh-REEN) attitude doesnt come overnight. It takes commitment and practice. To have that feeling of calm on Horizon, Ashima would need to pull together all of her experiencesevery trick and skill shed learned since first trying the sport of rock climbing.