Rands has also had successes in traditional climbing, being the first woman to achieve the grade of E8, with ascents of The End of the Affair at Curbar Edge in October 2004, and Gaia at Black Rocks in April 2006, both in England's Peak District; these routes are notorious as being both extremely hard and extremely dangerous, with a fall carrying the most disastrous consequences for the climber. She also made a fast all-free ascent of Saint Exupery Spire in Patagonia and has sport climbed 5.13d/5.14a in China.