Margo Hayes
Margo Hayes (born February 11, 1998) is an American professional rock climber from Boulder, Colorado. She is best known for becoming the first woman to climb a 9a+ (5.15a) route in 2017 with La Rambla in Siurana, Spain, and for completing the “9a+ Trilogy” in 2019 (La Rambla, Realization/Biographie, Papichulo). Hayes began climbing at age 10 after a background in gymnastics and joined Team ABC in Boulder, coached by Robyn Erbesfield-Raboutou. Her grandfather, Dr. James Morrissey, helped lead the Kangshung Face on Mount Everest, and her father has climbed in Yosemite, giving her strong climbing roots.
On the world youth stage, she won silver in both bouldering and lead at the 2015 IFSC World Youth Championships in Arco. In 2016 at Guangzhou, she won both bouldering and lead and finished first overall, with a 15th place in speed. She has competed for the U.S. National Team in lead, speed, and bouldering, and was part of the 2019 team aiming for Olympic qualification. Hayes received a Golden Piton Award in 2016 for climbing 14 routes graded 5.14.
In March 2024, she released her first single, Karma, produced by Luis Calderon. Hayes’s highest published redpoint grade is 9a+ (5.15a).
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 08:23 (CET).