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Climber Interviews
Exclusive athlete interviews by Urban Climber Magazine: Reinhard Fichtinger, John Evans, Whitney Hoose, Brad Weaver, Lynn Hill, Christian Core, Jonathan Siegrist, Colette McInerney, Courtney Hemphill, Sam Elias, Joel Zerr, Christina Pilo, Angela Payne, Dave Marquess, Melissa Lacasse, Lee Means, Lauren Lee, Ethan Pringle, Liz Hajek, The Chancellor Brothers
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 Unearthed: Eric Sanchez
Most people think of 19-year-olds as irresponsible, high-energy, hormone-crazed kids with nothing but chasing girls and beer pong on their minds. If you were to replace girls with first ascents and partying with studying, then you could get a small taste of the life of Eric Sanchez. He splits his time between full-time routesetting for Touchstone Climbing Gyms in the Bay Area of California, sending hard boulders in the Sierra, and attending night classes at Las Positas College.  Q&A: Sasha DiGiulian
"I had a major turning point when I did Southern Smoke [5.14c at the Red]. My boyfriend at the time would always try climbs that were harder than mine, and I never thought of trying them. Smoke was the first that I saw that I thought was a really cool climb. I ended up doing all the moves my first try, and realized that 14c wasn’t a whole other realm of climbing. I think a lot of it is just getting on hard climbs and trying them... I just felt like I could start trying whatever I thought looked cool."  Unearthed: Ben Spannuth
After graduating from the University of Colorado at Boulder, Ben Spannuth decided to pick up and go to Spain. Within his first three weeks there, he racked up a tick list including seven 5.14s. In the final days of September, Spannuth sent his eighth 5.14 with Era Bella (5.14d) on his first try of the day, adding that to his already-impressive beginning of the month when he sent the 55-meter-long, ultra-classic Cosi Fan Tutti (5.14c) and onsighted Cada loco con su tema (5.14a) just 45 minutes later.  Q&A: Joe Kinder
A chat about developing routes, making videos, and why competitions are boring - I’ve always suffered through comps. I do them, and I feel bad about myself as a rock climber. They make me feel like garbage. I look at comps and I’m like, those suck. But hold up, the people that are good at it, I have the most respect for. I wish I could do it. I just don’t like it. Finishing projects and excelling at rock climbing is what matters to me, and that’s what I’ll look back at when I’m old and go, that’s an insane memory.  Unearthed: Joe Mills
Perhaps the best way to paint a picture of Joe Mills, 27, is to describe the classic Joe scene: sending China Doll (5.14 R) in Dream Canyon, Colorado, one of the hardest trad leads in the country, while skipping all the bolts and pitons in the 180-foot mega-pitch and wearing an old pair of Carhartts and a ratty polo shirt. He’s sent basically every hard crack in Indian Creek, including an onsight of Learning to Fly (5.13) and a second-try send of From Switzerland with Love (5.13c).  Q&A: Kevin Jorgeson
A conversation about round two on El Cap's hardest free climb, bulking up, and Professional Climbers International - AT: So, big question: you’ve been working on trying to free the Dawn Wall on El Cap with Tommy Caldwell for three seasons now. When are you going back to Yosemite? KJ: October first. AT: Is that all you’ve been thinking about? KJ: Pretty much. I started fully obsessing over it the last few weeks.  Adam Markert
We talk about being psyched a hell of a lot in this magazine, so much so that it’s lost its oomph and become just a word for someone who digs climbing. This year’s Scarpa Unearthed Climber of the Year, Adam Markert, reminds us what it’s all about. Climbing for 18 years, Markert, 30, absolutely buzzes with optimism, joy, inspiration, and passion, traits that fit nicely with his jobs as a fourth-grade teacher and climbing coach for Vail Athletic Club in Vail, Colorado. You just can’t bring him down.  Eric Gifford
A climber since 1992, Eric has had a lifetime of fighting for what he loves, including his own life. A devastating head and spine injury a decade ago left him debilitated for more than 18 months, but determination and dreaming of climbing kept him going. Since fully recovering, he has traveled all over in the never-ending pursuit of rock, but says his home areas of Red River Gorge, Rocktown, and Arkansas are his favorite playgrounds.  Ashima Shiraishi
No one knows what’s next for 10-year-old climbing phenom Ashima Shiraishi, but everyone knows it’s going to be big. Already a two-time ABS junior national champion with a pro-level tick list, this Japanese New Yorker is an adorable powerhouse. Ashima began climbing at age 6 under the guidance of Central Park bouldering guru Yuki Ikumori, and has since continued with a plethora of teachers, ranging from local gym rats to pro climbers.  Pete Clark
If you haven't heard of Pete Clark, shame on you. If you have, then you’re probably wondering why the hell he’s in Urban Climber. What’s that… he looks familiar? More than likely you’ve witnessed him gyrate provocatively and/or shamelessly hit on you at one of several—or all—NE2C events. Or maybe you can see past that overpriced Urban Outfitters scarf and recognize him as a pioneer of Western Mass climbing, with FAs such as Bromantic Warrior (5.13b), Blue Steel (5.12dR), and Party Wolf (V11).  Pat Bagley
Patty-cakes, as he was affectionately introduced at a bar in Salt Lake City during the summer Outdoor Retailer show, was as animated a person as I had met amid the repeated gear pitches and edit meetings that whole week. Then an assistant to Tim Kemple, the undeniably chirpy photographer recounted the day without the slightest tinge of industry insider elitism rampant at such shows year after year. It was clear he cared deeply about climbing, photography, and people, but didn’t seem like a guy who took himself too seriously, which is refreshing in a sport often dominated by ego.  Anne Skidmore
Anne Skidmore, 31, belongs to more than one minority. Not only is she a female working in a field dominated by men, but she also has the, ahem, cajones to shoot ice climbing. Not many people are ballsy enough to ice climb, let alone hang from ropes in the cold to photograph it. But as she says, “If you’re gonna go for it, you gotta go big.” From June to October, Skidmore shoots weddings in North Conway, which she says is fun because “people are down to earth and really connect with the mountains.”  Anna Stöhr
As the 2011 World Cup competition season ramps up, elite climbers around the world are trading in crashpads and sunshine for sponsored jerseys and plastic training. Anna Stöhr, the Austrian phenom who finished second overall in 2010’s World Cup bouldering series, is no different. As a climber sponsored by the Austrian army, and girlfriend of strongman Kilian Fischhuber, Stöhr trains daily at a military sports center in Innsbruck, Austria, with some of the best climbers in the world.  Tyler Landman
Not many people can say they started climbing at five years old. But that’s probably one reason this young Brit with a daunting knack for scrambling up boulders and an attitude to match became one of the most talented rock climbers around. At 20, though, Tyler’s more focused on a possible career as a brain surgeon than a pro climber. He’s studying neuroscience at Wesleyan University and climbs when he can but isn’t too worried when he can’t—his talent isn’t going anywhere. And he seems to have the right temperament for medicine: careful confidence and the ability to call up a cool, intense focus at will.  Portia Menlove
After graduating from nursing school in the spring of 2010, Portia Menlove gave herself a six-month vacation. She felt that she deserved it after 19 consecutive years of schooling. While suffering from a tendon—and then shoulder—injury, she’d taken nine months off from climbing. She climbed routes to rehabilitate and started bouldering again in July. To get back in shape, she decided to take a road trip, starting in Colorado. |
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