Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge and congratulate Sasha DiGiulian, a constituent and world-renowned rock climber. She is the first woman in the world and the first American to free-climb one of the most difficult routes up the north wall of the Eiger in the Swiss Alps. I have known Sasha for a long time. She is a family friend and a schoolmate of my daughter. She began climbing at just 6 years old at Sportrock in Alexandria, Virginia, and has since become the top female climber in the world. She is small, slender, lithe, and incredibly strong. Sasha has the uncanny ability to defy gravity. {time} 1030 Sasha was the overall female world champion in 2011, is the reigning Pan-American champion since 2004, and is a three-time U.S. national champion. She is the only North American woman and the third woman in the world to climb the grade 9a, 5.14d, the hardest sport climbing grade ever achieved by a woman, doing so in Kentucky's Red River Gorge. In August, at age 22, Sasha climbed the north wall of the Eiger, a massive 1-mile vertical rock face in the Swiss Alps. This is one of the most difficult and deadliest mountains in the world. Sixty-four people have died attempting the Eiger since 1935, earning it the German nickname ``Mordwand'' or ``Murder Wall.'' It took Sasha and her climbing partner, Carlo Traversi, nearly a month to make the climb, facing constant rockfall, rain, ice, and snowstorms throughout their ascent.…”