Who has impressed you the most this last year? Climber or Non-climber?
A: Sean Patrick (the founder of HERA) for creating an event that brings rock climbers together to climb for a greater purpose, and also, for being such an example of truly living and giving to others. The pilot of flight 1549. Lynn Hill for bouldering V11/12 at age 47.
Describe a time when someone helped your climbing?
A: Kevin Wilkinson has helped me improve my climbing more than anyone else. Not only did he pinpoint what I was lacking (power), but also, he provided a solution in the form of a solid training program to help me work toward improving in that area. As a result, I’ve seen more climbing improvement in the last year than I had in the previous decade of climbing (I’ve been climbing for 17 years total).
How do you deal with fans chasing you at all times?
A: The firehose is effective when I’m at home. On the road, I often have to resort to swatting them with newspapers and saying, “Bad fans. No.” Booby traps work, too. And disguises. As you can see, I’ve found that it’s most effective to use a combination of tactics, so they never know what to expect.
What do you see as the biggest myth out there about being famous?
A: Am I famous? Oops, I didn’t notice. Or maybe that’s the biggest myth…isn’t the term “famous climber” an oxymoron, anyway?
Describe what you think climbing could do for the world if everyone climbed.
A: Can you even imagine a world catering to climbers? At first thought, it would be AWESOME!!! Roads/good trails to every crag, no access issues whatsoever, climbing-based theme parks, millionaire climbers…imagine if climbing were even like tennis or golf in popularity. Of course, the cliffs/boulders would be overrun and trashed, you’d have to reserve a “tee-time” on any popular route, & you’d probably have to pay to climb anywhere…
On second thought, let’s keep it like it is. Climbing: The few, the proud, the brave… or at least, the ridiculously, insanely, and inexplicably addicted to climbing just because it’s so much more fun than anything else!
