Aged 19, and in her first year in college, Payne won a clean sweep of all three of the
American Bouldering Series 5, national championship events, (and thus became the overall ABS 5 champion),[7] and two Professional Climbers Association (PCA) competitions, (and also the overall PCA championship),[8] for the 2003-2004 boulder season.[3][4] Payne finished second overall (2012), and third overall (2006, 2007, and 2015) in the annual
US Bouldering Open National Championships (what the ABS became post-2004).[3] Amongst other podiums and victories in individual competitions,(e.g. the 2006 SENDFEST in
Salt Lake City,[9] and the 2010 Triple Crown Series at
Horse Pens 40 in
Steele, Alabama[10]),[1] in 2013, Payne won the
Hueco Rock Rodeo at
Hueco Tanks, in Texas.[11]
Bouldering
From 2004 to 2009, Payne completed the first female ascent of numerous bouldering problems graded
V10 (7C+) to
V12 (8A+),[1][4] as well as making the third female ascent of the classic Midnight Lightning in 2004,[6] and earning an honourable mention in Climbing magazine's 2007
Golden Piton Award [
fr] for her climbs,[4][12] and winning her the 2007 Everest Award for Female Boulderer of the Year, at the 2007 Teva Mountain Games (
Chris Sharma won the male award).[13] In early 2008, Payne climbed Chbalank in Hueco Tanks at V11/V12, and in September 2008, she climbed
Dave Graham'sEuropean Human Being in the
Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) at "hard"
V12 (8A+) and her first V12.[1][14] In February 2009, she climbed Atomic Playboy in
Fontainebleau in France, another
V12 (8A+).[14] In June 2010, she climbed Clear Blue Skies, and made the first female ascent of No More Green Grasses, at
Mount Blue Sky, both at grade
V12 (8A+).[1][15]
On August 17, 2010, Payne became the
first-ever female in history to complete a confirmed
8B (V13) boulder, with her ascent of The Automator in the RMNP (
Anna Stöhr would complete the second-ever female ascent of an 8B (V13) just one month later).[3][5][16] She won a second honourable mention in Climbing magazine's 2010 Golden Piton Awards.[17] In 2012, Payne, rock climber
Ethan Pringle, and mountainer Mike Libecki went to the
Kangertittivatsiaq fjord in south east Greeland on a bouldering and climbing expedition.[18][19] In July 2014, Payne sent her second
8B (V13) boulder, Freaks of the Industry, in Lower Chaos Canyon in the RMNP,[20] a project she had spent several seasons working on, and which she ranked as one of the achievements she was most proud of in her career.[3][21]
Rock climbing
In 2015, Payne branched into
big wall climbing, ascending the 3,264-foot spire of Poumaka in
French Polynesia, with Libecki,[5][22] which was captured in the film, Poumaka (2016).[23]
Personal life
In 2016, Payne was working for
USA Climbing.[24] She is a keen amateur photographer.[24]
Payne has spoken openly about the prevalence of
eating disorders in her sport,[1] and contributes prominently to a documentary on the subject called Light (2021), by Caroline Treadway.[25][26][27]
Bibliography
Women Who Dare: North America's Most Inspiring Women Climbers (Chris Noble), 2013, Falcon Guides. page 173–185.
ISBN978-0762783717.
Award winning documentary on eating disorders in climbing : Caroline Treadway (director) (2021).
Light (Motion picture). See Thru Films. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
Documentary on ascent of her ascent of Poumaka : Keith Ladzinski, Andy Mann (director) (2016).
Poumaka Tower (Motion picture). 3 String Prod. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
Documentary on leading climbers featuring Payne : Kyle Berkompas (director) (2013).
Exposure Vol. 1 (Motion picture). Fryberger Films.
ASINB00IWX37JS. Retrieved February 1, 2022.[28]
Documentary on leading climbers featuring Payne : Mike Call (director) (2007).
MVM Volume 2 (Motion picture). Momentum Media. Retrieved February 1, 2022.