BURSTJapanese climber Mei Kotake is currently on a bouldering trip to Gottardo, Switzerland. She just announced that she sent Tigris Sit V14 (8B+) in a single session. This send adds to an already successful trip. On her second day of the visit, she sent Quiet Storm V14 and Hazel Grace V14 in a single afternoon. The next day, she topped Stefano Ghisolfi’s P.I.G. V15, her first of the grade.
“Happy to send it in one session and so quickly,” said Kotake on Instagram. “Over 20 moves, lots of crimps, just the kind of problem I like.”
Kotake’s send of Tigiris Sit came the day after her P.I.G. V15 ascent. Earlier today, she topped Left Hand of Darkness V12.
Tigris Sit was established by Christof Rauch in 2016. The endurance line has been repeated by many top climbers including Alex Puccio, Pietro Vidi, Jules Marchaland, Michaela Kiersch, and Stefano Carnati, among others. Several ascensionists consider it soft for the grade.
Kotake has been an active comp climber for a number of years. In 2024, she made her first-ever World Cup podium at the Lead World Cup in Chamonix on July 14, earning bronze. Less than a week later, she won gold at the Lead World Cup in Briançon. After wrapping up the comps, Kotake visited Magic Wood, Switzerland, for some bouldering and sent New Base Line V14, her first-ever of the grade.
In November 2025, she sent Caricature and proposed V14. In her post about Caricature on Instagram, she said previous repeaters of Caricature dubbed it V12 or V13, but she felt it was V14 when she compared it to other problems she has tried around the world, including in Japan.
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