VauxWall Climbing will be hosting an exclusive Bouldering Babes Climbing Girls Run The World Tour! event – where extraordinary women create an encouraging space to connect with one another, and have a kick-ass time keeping fit!
This is an exclusive use closed event. You will have the entire centre to yourself along with like minded climbers.
Places are limited and to guarantee yours please book by clicking here
Price: £25 (incl. entry fee)
Every so often, we’ll interview extraordinary girls doing extraordinary things: this is Girl Crush. This week, we’re stoked to profile Auckland-based athlete Sarah Hay, who recently competed and crushed at the first two New Zealand National Climbing and Bouldering Competitions of the series.
“Climbing has also taken me to places and countries I’d never otherwise have thought to visit and I’m lucky enough to have parents who live in Queenstown which is gorgeous and close to so much great rock.“
-Sarah Hay | Climbing Athlete
Kristin is a mother to a super rad 3-year-old, an alternative high school and local community college teacher, doctoral candidate, and entrepreneur.
An active member of the rock climbing community in the northeastern United States, she is extremely devoted to the empowerment of women through climbing, and teaches ladies technique clinics at climbing gyms in Rhode Island.
I began climbing in 2011, nurturing my newfound obsession as the spring and summer gave way to the crisp air that provided the best friction. That fall, I went on my first real climbing trip to the Red River Gorge, led my first 5.11, and began working my first V4. Then, my intuition told me something was wrong; I took a pregnancy test before going to the gym one night, and my fear became a reality.
From Sheryl Sandberg to Bey (as in Beyoncé), there is a certain sense of gravitas (and, quite frankly, privilege) that lends itself to the image of the woman who ‘has it all’.
For some, it is the quintessential model of balancing a happy home, healthy relationships, and a hearty career; for me, it has been about crafting what I call a ‘corporate bohemian’ lifestyle (or, quite simply, ‘work life balance’) to create financial stability while having the freedom to pursue all of my passions – most of which involve travel, climbing, or the optimal pairing of both.
Admittedly, I’d been one of those nay-saying ladies in my earlier years, and just as I did not believe that women could have it all from a personal and professional standpoint (for reasons I won’t delve in here), so I did not believe that I could ‘have it all’ as a female climber.
We’re big believers that that rock climbing is perfectly suited as a metaphor for life, and Matthew Childs’ TED talk, 9 Life Lessons from Rock Climbing, nicely encapsulates this view:
Rule #1: Don’t let go
Rule #2: Hesitation is bad
Rule #3: Have a plan
Rule #4: The Move is the End
Rule #5: Know how to rest
Rule #6: Fear Sucks
Rule #7: Opposites are good
Rule #8: Strength doesn’t always equal success
Rule #9: Know how to let go
At first glance, it might look like Rule #1 and Rule #9 contradict one another, and luckily Rule #7 helps to clear things up 🙂
In Thrive, Arianna Huffington makes an impassioned and compelling case for the need to redefine success and creating a life of well-being, wisdom, and wonder. Her secret? Meditation, Mindfulness, Unplugging, and Giving.
Self-care is like that. Thriving in climbing is staying injury-free, but self-care is often an afterthought. Admittedly, our own cultivation of a self-care practice has emerged out of treating rather than preventing injuries over the past few years, and we’ve been working to remedy this.
We’ve observed a strong correlation between self-care and injury prevention, and are super stoked to share some of our self-care best practices below and celebrate many more injury-free years to accompany our climbing!
Every so often, we’ll feature extraordinary girls doing extraordinary things: this is Girl Crush.
Cat Suen makes us smile. We first met through mutual friends on a girls only climbcation, where we were blown away by her dedication, kindness, and warmth, and quickly developed a girl crush. When she’s not projecting 5.12’s in her home crag in Squamish, she enjoys climber family potlucks, other people’s dogs, patio gardening, fly fishing, and surfing.
“I am just a girl who loves to climb! I did not heel hook out of the womb, but I was born to climb. Climbing is my oxygen and I can’t live without it. I am afraid of heights, but I am not afraid of the places it takes me. Nothing compares to getting to the top of a climb and breathing in all the beauty that surrounds me. These mountain top moments make my heart smile. Climbing makes my heart smile.”
-Cat Suen
Something pretty magical happened recently: I sent one of my hardest routes to date. After projecting Rugmunchers (5.11d.) for about a month, one night it all came together.
Join us this Saturday, August 22nd from 7:30-9pm @ Rock Spot Climbing for a female-focused climbing clinic for all our Providence-based lady crushers!
You’ll learn to climb safely and confidently, and confront your fear of heights, falling, and exposure. Jeanne loves bouldering with female-focused hip movements, strong core work, and delicate balancey footwork to create fluidity with the wall, so there will be some of that. She hates injuries, so there will be none of that.
WHO: The Ladies of Rock Spot Climbing!
WHAT: Bouldering Babes Climbing Clinic
WHERE: Rock Spot Climbing @ 100 Higginson Ave in Lincoln, RI
WHEN: Saturday, August 22nd | 7:30 PM – 9 PM
WHY: Climbing Girls Run the World!
Two nights ago, we sprained our left ankle after slipping and falling on uneven pavement while crossing the streets of New York City.
We immediately knew that our ankle was no bueno for climbing after feeling that all-too-familiar sharp shooting foot pain, and our acupuncturist doctor confirmed our fear the following day. She prescribed R.I.C.E. (rest, ice, compression, and elevation), and no climbing/hiking/biking/yoga/any dynamic activity that could further exacerbate the tendon tears in our poor bruised, swollen ankle.
One of the toughest things to do as an avid rock climber is to rest. Fortunately, we’ve had a lot of experience with climbing injuries, and learned over the years that in addition to occupational or physical therapy, one of the best things you can do for your body is to rest.
‘Ok, great, but then how does one keep sane once one’s happy place has been compromised?’, you might ask.
Join us this Sunday, August 16th from 6-7pm @ Brooklyn Boulders Chicago for a female-focused bouldering clinic for all of our Chicago-based lady crushers!
You’ll learn to climb safely and confidently, and confront your fear of heights, falling, and exposure. Jeanne loves bouldering with female-focused hip movements, strong core work, and delicate, balancey footwork to create fluidity with the wall, so there will be some of that. She hates injuries, so there will be none of that.
— WHO: YOU! The ladies of BKB Chicago! WHAT: Bouldering Babes Climbing Clinic WHERE: Brooklyn Boulders Chicago! WHEN: Sunday, August 16th | 6 PM – 7 PM WHY: Girl climbers rule —
Bouldering Babes 