I started very early, from five or six years old, to climb. To climb trees, to climb rocks everywhere I could. At some point, of course, I used a rope.
I tend to pick objectives that I feel are safe because I know that, in the moment, I always go for it. I have some rules for myself, though: Look for the rock faces without a lot of loose rock. Always rope up on glaciers where there is even a slight chance of falling into a crevasse. No pure free soloing. Never climb below hanging glaciers.
I grew up rock climbing.
I think climbing is less a sport and more a hobby, and as such, I think everybody's a beginning climber.
My first climb was on lead; there were pitons, no bolts.
I thought I knew how to jug, but when you only jug 30 meters to the top of a sport climb, you don't need good technique. But jugging 400 meters, that's a big deal.
It lasted but a year of two, till all the routes were done. The pace so fast that most forgot that climbing could be fun.
You just see your hands, your ice axe, and your crampons...and they have to just move.
I was surfing the Internet, and I came across a school in Atlanta where you could learn how to climb trees with ropes the way the pros do. It sounded terrific, and so I went down there, and I began to learn these kind of rarified techniques for how you get up and down trees while using special ropes and gear.
I have climbed Everest from the Nepal route and the China route. The other routes are too hard for me. So I don't think I can climb Everest again.
I have different shoes for different types of climbing, six or seven different shoes that I alternate.
Who wouldn't be a mountaineer! Up here all the world's prizes seem nothing
People think I just walk up to a sheer cliff and climb it with no knowledge of anything, when in reality, there's tons and tons of information out there, and I'm already well tapped into it.
Meru was the most challenging climb of my life. Not once but twice.
For years I was a rock climber and nothing else. I went to school, yes, and university, yes, but in my heart I was a rock climber.
The things I like to do involve a lot of mental focus, a combination of physical and mental challenge. That is what mountain climbing is.
I love my climbing shoes. Virtually all of my big solos have been in the TC Pros. They are the most important thing when I'm soloing.
I think it's great that so many people are enjoying climbing. I've always loved climbing; I don't see why other people wouldn't enjoy it just as much. As long as everyone does their best to respect the areas in which they're climbing, I don't see how the growth of the sport could be a bad thing.
I think in general the American scene is much more focused on bouldering, where in Europe they're more focused on sport climbing.
