Australia's Finest: Lee Cossey

Black Diamond Equipment spotlights Australian climber Lee Cossey in Australia’s Finest, a short but focused portrait of a veteran who’s spent nearly two decades chasing lines, lessons, and the quiet obsession that keeps pulling him back to the rock. At the center is “The Red Project,” a formidable 9a (5.14d) that has lived in the background of his life for years—an unfinished conversation between climber and climb. What makes this worth your five minutes is the honesty of the process: not just a highlight reel, but the grind of returning, recalibrating, and believing again after time away. It’s a reminder that the hardest routes aren’t only about strength—they’re about patience, problem-solving, and the stubborn hope that the next attempt might finally click.

Black Diamond Equipment · 5:02

Black Diamond Ambassador Lee Cossey has been climbing for nearly 20 years, and for the last 12, he has been off-and-on trying The Red Project, a 9a (5.14d).