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Sarah Lydecker

@sarah.lydecker

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Climbing gym manager, AMGA SPI, CWI Provider. Cultivator of whimsy and joy.

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It’s an honor to be invited to lecture for the Mazamas’ Intermediate Climbing School and talk about leading in the alpine. My lecture introduced 40 developing climbers to alpine climbing and I encouraged them to learn to trust their judgement, consider how much risk each individual is willing to consent to while climbing, use bailing as a chance to learn, communicate openly with climbing partners, and to recreate ethically on public lands.

What was really neat about this lecture is that it was the first time I’ve presented here where I really felt like myself. Over the years, I’ve felt I’ve had to Perform Climbing and look a certain way. Hype up whatever program I’ve been working for, wear the right clothes that say “climber”, minimize parts of my life that are not climbing-focused (I love gardening and computer games!), make sure everyone in the room knows what grade I climb, and present myself in a way that conforms to the group.

This time, I made a point to think about how I could show up as the version of myself that felt the most authentically Sarah. All the work I’ve done with @fallonclimbs @sage.sending @embodiedclimbingschool and @heyflashfoxy has really helped me get to a place where I now can own my experience and expertise. I’m not the boldest or the strongest climber, but I’ve been intentional with my development and have climbed through a lot. The programs I’ve run speak to that intentionality with their success. I’m grateful to be at peace with where I am with climbing and so stoked to be a voice of encouragement for others on their journey.
📸 by @explore_moor and my mom. So fun to share this with family and friends!.

@mazamas1894 #leavenotrace #climbinginstructor by @sarah.lydecker

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10 days ago

Rest in peace, Sweet Ollie. It was an honor spending life with you. 2015-2026. by @sarah.lydecker

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3 months ago

Ollie has taught me so much about love, joy, and kindness. I am so grateful for these past 10.5 years. Our time together is something I will always cherish. The last few months she has slowed down and soon she will frolic in the next dimension where she has many friends waiting to meet her. Saying goodbye is difficult and it’s also an honor. Her warmth, gregariousness, and sweetness inspire me to live fully in the moment and seize each day. Love you, Ollie Dog 💜 by @sarah.lydecker

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4 months ago

Just about 6 months ago now, I started my new position managing the climbing gym at Multnomah Athletic Club. In this time I have helped facilitate regional and divisional climbing comps, invited @camera_kate to give my staff a lesson on belayed rappels, climbed with members and coaches during club closures, instructed a twice weekly adult climbing class, facilitated the Club’s largest adult climbing event in history, hired 10 people, gone outside climbing with my team twice providing mentorship and stoke, attended the Climbing Wall Association Summit, recertified my AMGA SPI (with a great eval!), lectured on Trad Leading with @mazamas1894, inviting my team members to that learning offering, kept operations running smoothly though it all, and have been certified as a Climbing Wall Instructor Provider, which means I’ll be able to train and certify my team to the three levels of Climbing Wall Instructor! On the CWA website, I see no women in Oregon with this certification, hopefully I am not the first woman to have this honor but if that’s the case, I’m committed to doing the best I can in this position. Next month, I will run my first CWI certification courses and am so stoked for that. Through the past few months I’ve been incredibly grateful for the support from Matt, my family, and friends as well as my colleagues who have helped me learn. It’s a wild transition going from dirtbag to 9-5 office life, but it’s happening and I’m learning so much. Grateful for my experiences that have brought me here and hopeful for things to come! by @sarah.lydecker

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4 months ago

The first flush of roses is coming in really nicely this year. And this seems to be the year of giant lupine, had no idea that I’d end up with 2 6’ tall lupine bushes! by @sarah.lydecker

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5 months ago

Passed my SPI recert this weekend and feeling really proud of my work! I am grateful to have been able to work so continuously, spend so much time in beautiful places, and to share my love of climbing with so many people. Climbing can be a path to self actualization or just a really fun day out! You can really expand your concept of what is possible through climbing.

I have managed to get promoted at every job I’ve worked, gotten 5 star reviews from clients and employers, and during my reassessment, I gave a lesson so good that my provider said it made him think about climbing and feel more present climbing than he’d felt in a really long time. I’ve been averaging about 80 days in the field and 100 instructional days in the gym. I have led climbing trips in 35 degree and 101 degree weather, taken out climbers ages 6 to 74, managed multiple climbing sites at one location with groups up to 23 people, and been so honored to be a positive force of stoke for my clients.

My guiding dream is to manifest some women’s Smith tripswith @roxylikesrocks, lead clinics for @heyflashfoxy, and one day run a climbing nonprofit that leads women’s climbing retreats for underserved girls and survivors of domestic violence.
Thank you to everyone who has supported me on this path, it’s been incredibly rewarding work. by @sarah.lydecker

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6 months ago

Some photos from fall guiding outings with @mac_outdoorprogram. I really enjoyed being part of such a great program that’s able to curate some very special member experiences. I led a family climbing trip, women’s climbing trip, took the youth climbing team to Smith Rock, and led two hikes this fall. Really thankful to have been part of such a great team and work in the best department at the MAC! by @sarah.lydecker

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10 months ago

Somehow it’s December! 😬 Grateful to enjoy some special moments outside while it was warm. by @sarah.lydecker

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10 months ago

There are times where showing up for yourself is the crux. Believing your dreams are still possible after many detours on your path and showing up through the setbacks. When failure and loss feel too familiar, success can be scary. The possibility of success means changing the narrative, rewriting the patterns you develop, and being willing to grow.

Earlier this year, I found myself at a very low point and was considering quitting climbing. This activity can really illuminate areas in your life and patterns to examine. I’ve had to let go of so many beliefs I had about myself and my place in climbing. This process of evolution is ongoing and full of lessons.

I didn’t have any route goals for this trip to Joshua Tree, all I wanted to do was have fun and get some sunshine. As soon as I saw Heart of Darkness, I knew I needed to lead it. It was the right combination of physical climbing with good protection in a style I excel in. I knew I could get the rope up. And yet, when I hopped on the sharp end two days later, doubts and feelings of inadequacy came to me. The movement was strenuous and I was physically tired after 3 days of climbing and some health stuff.

In the end, I made it! I met my fear and climbed alongside it, then beyond it. I think the biggest thing that helped me was taking some time to reflect on and realize how profound my grief around climbing is. The pain and terror and broken trust was something I needed to recognize and grieve, and through that I found some freedom, compassion, and agency to try again. This sport has the potential to be really profound, these moments can be transformative. It takes a lot of work to rebuild broken trust and step back into the arena. And wow oh wow does it feel GOOD. Stoked I found my ability to try hard again, it’s been a while.

So thankful for all the support I had. I felt very loved and seen. Fallon, Matt, Elise, and Anna— y’all have really been there for me on this journey and I’m grateful for you. by @sarah.lydecker

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a year ago

Sometimes you just need a desert rock climbing trip to reset everything and find your joy again. Grateful for the ability to keep showing up in climbing, and all the experiences along the way.

Thank you Karen and Katy for organizing this and congratulations on your SPIs!!!!! by @sarah.lydecker

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a year ago

I really appreciated being able to attend @heyflashfoxy’s Trad Fest last month and am so grateful for the work they do in climbing.

It was really affirming to find a space that centers womens and diverse gender experiences with climbing. Not putting us into little corners on the side but designing an entire festival with our enjoyment in mind.

I’m grateful to find climbing spaces that honor the land and the people who have been caretakers of that land pre colonialism. Thank you for the education, @owens_valley_indian_water @threecreekscollective Having the opportunity to give back through acts of service, education, and financial support to the native caretakers- land that my ancestors participated in defiling— doesn’t change what happened, but it is one step in a reduction of extractive relationships with the land and native people, and being able to show up and support that is important.

I am so thankful to connect with so many passionate and stoked climbers and see that I’m not alone in this industry. It’s refreshing to exist on my own merit, not in a uniform, and not having to perform climbing to a standard that wasn’t designed with women in mind. What a gift it was, to relax and let my guard down!

It was special for me as a climber to relax and be a student again, there’s so much to learn. Sometimes learning and asking for help feels difficult for me when the people teaching are often all men. Practicing some lead falls in a chill clinic environment improved my courage to later try really hard on a recent trip and climb a route that was difficult and important to me, I’m proud of that! Yay!

AND being able to learn about herbalism and get some bystander intervention training and make bracelets and connect with new friends and old friends all while hanging out in a gorgeous zone?! Chefs kiss perfection!

Thanks so much Flash Foxy!
📸 @irinatakesapicture @katiesugarman @bennjerphotography by @sarah.lydecker

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a year ago

“I love hard things that set me free”
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This mantra from one of my teachers was on repeat in my mind as I dug deep and pushed myself to finish my first triathlon today. Not only did I complete the race, but I surpassed my goal time and finished at the back of the front pack, scoring 5th in my age group! Somehow, the run (my least favorite discipline) was the section I did best on, and I credit a practice of meditation for that. Preparation for this objective was equal parts mental and physical. Showing up and training my body was relatively easy while training my mind to believe that I’m capable of pushing myself beyond my comfort zone was the crux. Really proud of how I showed up for myself today and super grateful for all the support from friends, family, and Matt that allowed this happen.
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This triathlon experience sprang from the fact I had to become a lifeguard for work this season. Preforming the feats of strength in the pool challenged me (I panicked on the brick test) and I chose to lean into that discomfort and take up swimming, logging ~1000 meters every week. I also began running this summer. Considering the fastest mile I’ve ran this year was 10 minutes, the fact I got a 10:50 mile at the end of triathlon is pretty cool. Discomfort can teach us a lot, and often there are beliefs we can let go of. I chose to let go of the belief I’m incapable.
Thanks @newportharbortri for the great race! by @sarah.lydecker

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a year ago