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Rock Climber | Journalist
@climbingmagazine

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I’m stoked to share that my @climbingmagazine story on @katekelleghan and @laurapineau’s Triple Crown was shortlisted for the International Sports Press Association’s Best Young Reporters Award!!

This story is one of my favorites, and it’s so cool to see it getting lots of love one year later ❤️

Separately, if you’re thinking about switching careers to follow your passion, let this be a call to do it. I wrote this story 3 months into my first full-time writing job. Before that, I spent 10 years studying and working in computer science. The idea of getting hired in a creative field—let alone being named top 15 in an international sports journalism award—was beyond me. There’s just no way to predict something like that.

Thank you to @aipsmedia @aipsawards for the recognition, and to my team at @climbingmagazine for all the support 💕

3rd photo: @katekelleghan & @laurapineau sorting gear for the Triple, 5 days before they made history by @adventuresam

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6 months ago

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“Watch Fists of Fury. You’ll get the idea.”

The MtnProject description is clear: for bigger-handed folks, “Bruce Lee as FUCK” (5.12) is a fist crack. You punch into its depths and walk sideways up the wall.

But last November, I realized that I couldn’t get a single fist jam in the whole roof—not until I’m just below the end, within reach of the corner hand jam. It’s just too wide, and my hands are just too small.

My Fists of Fury would just have to be Ankles of Steel and Armbars of Desperation.

Over the winter, I made a 1.5-month pilgrimage to Salt Lake City to train in the Momentum Sandy Gymvert and in Ashley and Danny’s crack trainer. By the time I’d driven away, I’d gone from falling at the first clip to climbing six clips up and pivoting into a knee lock, four times per session, with ten-pound sandbags.

It wasn’t quite enough. Back in the desert, my freshly-forged invert skills only got me comfortably through the first half of Bruce Lee’s roof. The second half was so narrow that it required—ugh—trench foot, which is the most painful offwidth roof technique. It would also require my narrowest shoes.

Too big for a fist jam, too small for comfy invert feet, and to top it off, another splitter 4’s section above the roof—with rope drag from hell. Was Bruce Lee purely designed to trap me in my own, specific weaknesses?

Yes, actually. It would demand that I level up.

In the end, it was because of my small hands—because I’m unable to fist-jam the roof at all—that I was forced to pull the coolest sequence I’ve ever choreographed: releasing my inverted feet from above me, with both hands in a hand-fist stack—no feet, over miles of empty air!—then sticking one knee straight back up into a barely-there pod. From there, I could stem, armbar, and grovel to the edge.

A pure superhero move. All-or-nothing. Very Bruce Lee, indeed.

🎥: @tradprincess

#alwaysquesting by @adventuresam

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

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On the difficulty of Autobahn:

First, I have so much admiration for @tompaulrandall, who made the first ascent of Autobahn in 2024, and who has given Mary and me a ton of support in training for Century Crack. He’s a legend in climbing and one of the most skilled and knowledgable crack climbers who’s ever entered the sport. Without his vision and drive, offwidth climbing would be far less epic than it is today. It’s a privilege to share his friendship and benefit from his advice.

With that in mind, Autobahn has been suggested as the hardest offwidth in the world, so I’d like to respectfully offer my thoughts.

Last year, I put 23 sessions into Century, an established 5.14b (and also a Tom and Pete first ascent), and got halfway at best. On Autobahn, I sent on my second session, even with ~25 lbs (11.3 kg) on my harness. I also sent in 25 minutes, faster than any documented Century ascent.

As a uniform, uninterrupted crack with no lip, offset, or pods, Autobahn lacks the cruxes and intricacies of natural roof cracks, which force you to slow down, adjust technique, improvise, and perform limit moves. All that is required on the bridge crack is raw endurance—the same move, over and over—with no changes to anticipate. Yet compared to the 8 x mid-to-low 5.13 offwidths I’ve done over the past 2-3 years, I found it much harder, simply because of its scale.

Crack grades are always weird; difficulty is often dependent on random body proportions like fist width and foot size. Still, after reflecting on both routes and discussing with Mary, I feel that an appropriate grade for Autobahn is 5.14a R.

Why the R grade: The final stretch over concrete is a no-fall zone due to its low height. Future ascensionists may want to experiment with crash pads, static or semi-static ropes, and moving the belay in order to mitigate the risk of significant injury from a fall.

It’s been a long, sweaty summer in various crack trainers, and it’s really cool to have achieved this milestone (and beyond that, my first 5.14!) going into the fall. Thanks again to Mary, Olly, Henry, and the rest of the Berlin crack community for all the support ❤️ by @adventuresam

2 months ago

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Life update ⚡️ On August 7th, I made the fourth ascent of Autobahn (5.14a R), the 200-foot offwidth roof in a bridge north of Berlin. Proud of this effort and happy to walk away with the hardest send of my life so far.

I came to the bridge hoping to get in some training laps for Century season two, but after a quick warm-up, I was surprised to find myself ready to redpoint on my second session. The main concern was protecting the groundfall. I am not a free solo girlie, so my strategy was to bring every single cam I could. Thanks to Mary and Henry, I had access to 30 x #5 cams, which added about ~25 lbs (11.3kg) to my harness at the start.

In retrospect, all this gear still didn’t protect me from a potential deck. By the time I was nearing the last 50 feet, after the river, the rope stretch meant I’d still hit concrete if I slipped out. Luckily, I was too focused on climbing to look at the ground—telling myself to do it now, and never again—and completed the climb in about 25 minutes.

I’m so thankful to Mary, who wrote my crack training plan and convinced me to come try the bridge in the first place, and to Henry, who belayed me on the send (and worse, the hourlong back aid). I also owe a major thank-you to Tom and Pete for their beta and encouragement, Jeff for letting me train in his Squamish crack shed in July, and Olly for building me two (!!) crack trainers and being my best supporter.

More thoughts on the grade in my next post.

🎥 by @tradprincess by @adventuresam

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524

2 months ago

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Been getting some pivot practice with laps on Squamish’s classic offwidth boulder, “Enter the Crackn” (V7) 🐙

Thanks for the spots on this one @kelseywalak @oliver_tippett @avant_climbing_innovations @ataipale & Ryan

Uncut on YouTube

🎥: @ataipale taken in Squamish, British Columbia by @adventuresam

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3 months ago

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$Offwidths – for most climbers they are a necessary evil, but for a fringe fraction, hard, often inverted offwidth climbing is the main attraction. We talk with offwidth climbers Sam MacIlwaine and Pete Whittaker to discuss the dark art of fists stacks and wide ponies. Listen on Spotify or wherever you find your podcasts. (Link in bio) #climbinggold is created by @ducttapethenbeer in collaboration with @alexhonnold Sponsored by: @thenorthface, @kodiakcakes Photos: @christianivasq, @alex_ekins by @adventuresam$

4 months ago

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Dropping tomorrow on Climbing Gold... “Wide Ponies and Offwidths” 🎧 (@adventuresam, @petewhittaker01)

#climbinggold is created by @ducttapethenbeer in collaboration with @alexhonnold

Sponsored by: @thenorthface, @kodiakcakes

Photos: @christianivasq, @alex_ekins by @adventuresam

4 months ago

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5 months ago

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We are excited to announce that, Climbing Gabriel, a short film that @walkingstick_presentations worked on for much of last year with @bchendrix and @sav.cummins , featuring @adventuresam , has been selected for the Park City Film Series “Made in Utah: Film Showcase” and will premiere two weeks from today in the Jim Santy Auditorium. If you would be interested in enjoying an evening of exceptional Utah Filmmaking you can find more details and register for free at the link in our bio.
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#Utah #filmmaking #climbing #adventure #documentary @parkhog @parkcityfilm taken in Park City, Utah by @adventuresam

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6 months ago

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“Maybe your memory slips off the edge of it, the way a mirror spits back light.” —Gennarose Nethercott

Lovely moments from ‘The Price of Evil’ and life in Moab 🏜️ Happy Earth Day!

Climbing photos by @tradprincess taken in Moab, Utah by @adventuresam

6 months ago

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“It has to be your soul.”

That’s what I guessed, stretching on the floor of Mary’s sun room, a few hours before I sent the ‘Price of Evil’ (5.13b). The name was a question. No other answer, right?

Wrong. Several hours later, I coronated my 18-minute send by clipping the chains and spitting out the sand I’d inhaled. When I made it back to the cave, she asked me again.

“Doubt,” I said, woozy and clear-eyed all at once. “The price of evil is doubt. I didn’t get to have doubt and also send this. Usually I let myself have a little.”

In reality, climbing the Price of Evil felt like fleeing the cave in Disney’s Aladdin. You touch the gold and it starts pressing in on you from both sides. You can’t see an escape path ‘til you’re through.

I’m grateful to be joining the short list of offwidth legends who’ve sent this Mason Earle testpiece. It’s a double celebration for me, as I’ve now achieved my Big Four goal: this one, Belly Full of Bad Berries, Earle Struggs, and The Mechanical Bull 🎉

Thank you to @isabelle_solana_reed @gorisb @derekalexandercraig @gorisbernie @tradprincess @tessa_oliver for your support ❤️

🎥 by @tradprincess taken in Indian Creek by @adventuresam

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6 months ago

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