Finding the Beta to Process Fear

For the past couple months, I’ve dreaded climbing. It took me a while to realize this, because I still wanted to go climbing. But every time we headed out to the crag I felt a pit of anxiety in my stomach. I actually was relieved when snow stymied our approach or we picked a crag…

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Satisfyingly Slow

My default setting is to dive deep into a project – whether it be a boulder problem or creative endeavor – and not stop until I’m successful. I’ll devote hours, days, weeks, months to focus on that one thing. You could call me dedicated, stubborn, or even obsessed, and those are all accurate descriptions. But since I’ve…

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Climbers Vary

I wear a “Climb Like a Girl” tank all the time, and I do climb like a girl, because I am a girl. But I’m not the stereotype of a girl. I’m tall. I hate techy climbs with little crimps. Slabs are my nemesis. Give me juggy overhangs all day. On the Ashima to Alex…

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A Challenge I Could Do

We pulled up to Wall Street, the soaring walls of red sandstone right along Potash Road. It was a sunny, warm, but not desert hot, day in Moab, and the crag was packed with climbers. After scoping out the routes nearby, only one line of bolts was open. After a quick consultation with the guidebook,…

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Don’t Fall for Easy

I’d been working on a boulder problem at my new gym, but kept getting frustrated. I could do the first move, but then was completely stuck. Literally. I couldn’t seem to move anywhere from there. It didn’t make sense. Nothing felt possible. So I got frustrated and walked away. A few days later, I had…

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Making It Look Easy

“That looked so smooth.” “You said there was a hard part, but none of that looked hard for you.” “You had that dialed.” These are often the kind of comments I get whenever I send a project. Which is funny, because, to me, it doesn’t seem true. Maybe my movement flowed now, but, first of…

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Does It Matter?

“The great thing about climbing is that it’s just a piece of rock. The only thing that makes you feel different is what you bring to it. It acts as a mirror that way, it reflects you. You fall and you’re like, ‘Ugh I suck!’ but you’re the one bringing that negativity to it. It’s…

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Why Do I Climb?

I climb for the fun, the laughter, the smiles. Because climbing is play. I climb for the creativity, the grace, the beauty. Because climbing is art. I climb for the fresh air, the scraped knees, the tall trees. Because climbing is nature. I climb for the energy, the determination, the power. Because climbing is strength….

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Horse Pens is My Happy Place

I woke up with the sun, unzipped my tent, and looked around. We had arrived at Horse Pens 40 after dark, so I didn’t really know where I was. But as I walked around to get the lay of the land, I fell instantly in love – and that feeling only grew stronger over the…

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