Ascending Beyond Limits: My Journey at Paraclimbing Nationals

With Paraclimbing Nationals just around the corner, it reminds me of my experience at Nationals. Many people don’t know that in addition to wheelchair racing, rock climbing is one of my favorite hobbies. It was the first adaptive sport I found and enjoyed it enough to stick with it. In March of last year, I had the opportunity to compete at the Paraclimbing Nationals in Austin, Texas. It was a unique experience that differed from anything I had done before. Although I had been climbing recreationally for a few years, I had never done it competitively.

One of the things I love about climbing is the strategy involved. As a para climber, each athlete has a slightly different technique for climbing the route. Even if two different climbers climbed the same route, they wouldn't climb it the same way. It can be hard to coach because everyone has to sort of figure out the best way to climb the route for themselves based on their strengths and abilities.

I loved watching the climber's different techniques and how they all support each other. It was fun getting "beta" or getting advice from other climbers during warm-ups. That is something that I have always loved about adaptive community is everyone is always willing to lend a helping hand and share advice.