Tell us about yourself, how did you get into climbing?
I'm a student and competitive climber from East London, and I’ve been climbing for over 10 years now. I got into it when my mum tried to introduce my brother and I into mainstream sports and we just weren't having it - we were quite stubborn. One day, she stumbled across this climbing wall and the welcome we received was really lovely and extraordinarily warm. Back then, climbing was much more white male dominated than it is now, but they couldn't care less about what we looked like and I think that welcome was largely the reason why we stayed and why we were hooked from that first instance. I now work with the same people who welcomed me when I was young because I realised the importance of first positive interactions and encouraging people to stay and stick with the sport.
Sport climbing is now in the Olympics, how will this change society’s view on the sport for the better?
All three disciplines of climbing are now in the Olympics: speed, bouldering and elite climbing. Everyone was quite excited to showcase what this incredible sport is all about and hopefully now people understand that climbing is not just a thing that you go and do at a kid's birthday party. Climbing is still on a if you know, you know, basis, so being included in the Olympics will definitely help raise awareness. Just in terms of turning people's heads, I think the Olympics did that.
With the inclusion of climbing in the Olympics, we thought we would get more funding. I remember at school people used to take the mick and say it's not really a sport at all. So the Olympics did a good job of showcasing the psychological and physical demand of what the sport is about. It’s always really inspiring watching these elite athletes compete on the world stage. Climbing finally had its moment.
Tips for first time climbers?
Your shoes will be tight. Wearing smaller shoes helps reduce slippage on the wall. In my case, my actual shoe size is six but my climbing shoes are four.
Take chalk. It really makes a difference in terms of the grip that you have on the wall.
Don’t give up. During the first few months of climbing the only thing that will make you better at climbing, is climbing. Take the time to learn the techniques and movements, then you can incorporate the strength-specific climbing and handball training later on.
Climb your way. It can be as social and as solo as you want it to be, which is another really positive thing about climbing.
Leave your ego at the door. It’s important to keep an open mind and accept that falling and failing is such a regular occurrence and it happens all the time. Climbing is quite indiscriminate in that way as the rock or wall will spit you off, regardless of who you are or what you look like if you can't perform. Figuring out how to perform and chatting to random people you've never met before to learn together is what makes up half of the fun.
Enjoy it. It's an incredible sport and it has friendly communities where people can come together who didn't know each other before to try and solve this boulder problem together.
What would you want your industry to look like in 5 years?
I would love to see competitive climbing indoors evolve as it is still quite young in terms of what you see on the wall, the parkour style and dynamic movements. It will be exciting to see the new handholds and footholds and the new weird, wacky and wonderful movements that are forced upon us by the route setters.
What other sports do you play?
My first love was karate. I achieved up to brown, double white stripes. I'm not sure if I'm saying that right…but it was one belt before Black Belt! I'm in the gym quite a bit to supplement the stuff on the wall and increase my climbing-specific training.
Do you have any goals you’d like to hit?
Pre-COVID when I was on my competition grind, it was quite stressful and mentally draining juggling training and school with not much time for anything else. I almost fell out of love with the sport, so I’m now trying to incorporate a way that it ticks all the boxes in terms of the training that I need to be doing, but also leaves space for me to just chill, grab a coffee and do something that isn't thinking about work or climbing.
Advice for young women wanting to join a club or team dominated by male identifying attendees?
It can be really intimidating, but bear in mind that climbing is one of those rare sports that has a welcoming community. Go in with that open mindset and know it's okay to fall and it's okay to fail. Grab a group of friends if it's your first time for moral support as I find it's always a lot more fun and motivating to climb with people.
Spotlight 3 athletes who are pushing the boundaries in sport...
Janja Garnbret @janja_garnbret is an absolute beast at the moment - she won gold at the 2021 Olympics, which debuted climbing for the first time and was smashing world cups before that. It was incredible to watch and I think she’ll keep doing big things for years to come.
I recently came across nine-year-old Zhieng Ziu who had a grade of 5.14a in January this year and has become the youngest person - male or female - ever to do so. Definitely a child prodigy who is smashing through boundaries.
I’ve been watching Brooke Raboutou’s @brookeclimbs journey since I was little. She competed at the recent Olympics to place 5th. I can remember watching videos of her when I first got into the sport and it always gets me super psyched to see the journey of these female athletes into elite level and beyond.
Where can we find a climbing community to join?
Facebook is a great place to join group chats for new climbers and find a friendly online community to organise training sessions and trips. In recent years there’s been an explosion of the indoor climbing scene and so many cool, new walls are being built, especially around London. Once you're at a centre though, there are almost always women social climbing evenings for a chill but motivating atmosphere to climb in!
The British Mountaineering Council (BMC) also has lots of useful information on outdoor climbing and upcoming events:
https://www.thebmc.co.uk/
