Aug 08 2018

Ferguson Fire

Climbing
by Beth

The Ferguson fire has been raging for over three weeks in and around Yosemite. Two firefighters lost their lives battling this fire. Both left behind families. I've pasted links below to their GoFundMe pages as well as to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation and the California Fire Foundation. I cannot imagine the loss for their families. For anyone who loves Yosemite, please consider donating to each of these causes. Firefighters work tirelessly and selflessly to save lives, homes, and places that we all love, and I hope that through our donations...

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May 22 2018

Athletes, their children and social media

Climbing, Kids, Motherhood, Pregnancy
by Beth

"Can't wait for the adventures ahead with this little man." That's the caption I wrote on my first Instagram as a mom. I posted it from the hospital bed as I held a seven-pound infant to my bare chest. I hadn't slept in over 36 hours, couldn't stand upright, but had been through the most profound experience of my life. It's human nature to want to share these impactful moments. Social media allows us to do this, and share them to whoever chooses to follow us. Even better, online...

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Apr 24 2018

Weekend Warriors

Climbing, Kids, Travel
by Beth

As a professional climber, I've avoided weekends when the roads were full of traffic and the crags were littered with people. Saturday and Sunday have always been, by choice, my rest days. It worked out perfectly. I climbed during the week with other abnormal people (e.g., professional climbers or vacationers) and lived in a lovely little bubble. During those years, it never occurred to me how few weekend warriors I actually knew or interacted with. Then I met Randy, my husband, a bonafide working man with a commute to an...

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Mar 01 2018

Climbing With Kids: In Praise of the Third Wheel

Climbing, Kids, Motherhood
by Beth

As climbers, when we become parents, most of us become boulderers by default. I can feel the cringe from some Valley locals now, but at least for my family, it’s true. Fortunately, Randy and I love bouldering, but there’s no doubt that bouldering can been the easiest form of climbing with kiddo in tow. Single-pitch cragging almost always means finding a third person so that one parent is able to watch and attend to the child (unless you are in the pre-mobile stage or self entertaining stage, both of which...

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Jan 11 2018

Katie Lambert Interview: Thoughts on climbing and decisions not to have kids

Climbing, Interviews, Kids
by Beth

For anyone that knows Katie Lambert, she's an inspiration. Not only with her climbing achievements, but with her insightful and thoughtful way of approaching life. She's not one to jump on a popular bandwagon nor to promote things that she isn't passionate about, which I find incredibly refreshing these days. Katie is one of the best and well rounded climbers out there, proficient in the alpine, sport and boulders and has a tenacity that gets her up daunting climbs.   I spent a fair bit of time talking to her about having...

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Apr 11 2017

Outside Magazine and Being Vulnerable

Climbing, featured, Motherhood, Pregnancy
by Beth

A few years ago I wrote a piece about our beloved dog Max, who had just died. It was the most personal piece of writing that I’d shared with the public since my divorce. To say I was nervous and afraid to share my emotions so openly would be an understatement. But Max had had such an immense and positive impact on me that I almost felt as if I owed it to him to write down my thoughts and feelings and put it all out into the world, regardless...

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Apr 04 2017

Paige Claassen Interview: Thoughts on Climbing, Starting a Non Profit and Having a Family

Climbing, Interviews, Kids, Motherhood, Travel
by Beth

Paige Claassen is one of the strongest, understated climbers of her generation. For the past decade she has dispatched with some of the hardest routes in the world - and doesn't gloat about it. What's always struck me about Paige is her eye and desire to try meaningful climbs - beautiful, historical, stiff - they are always "king lines" in my opinion. She recently got married (happy almost one year anniversary Paige!) so naturally I wanted to know when she was going to have kids...

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Mar 23 2017

Babies in Bleau

Climbing, Motherhood, Pregnancy, Travel
by Beth

Salut friends! Here we are bouldering again in the forest of Fontainebleau.   Having spent my prime years competing in Nationals, sport climbing 5.14s, and either establishing or repeating hard big-wall free climbs on El Capitan, I would never have guessed that I would go on to become such an avid pebble wrestler in my ripe old age of "29-plus"-but here I am, on my third trip to Fontainebleau in as many years. Who knew that bouldering was the most conducive way of climbing with a kid?   Fontainebleau has become an annual...

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Mar 21 2017

Sash DiGiulian Interview: Thoughts on Climbing, Career and Having Kids

Climbing, Interviews, Motherhood, Pregnancy
by Beth

Sasah DiGuilian is one of the most influential climbers of the day, male or female. After her ascents of hard sport routes at the Red River Gorge and Spain, she shot to the top of the climbing scene. From there she's taken her passion and talent to all corners of the sport, traveling the world pioneering and establishing first ascents. She recently graduated from Columbia University allowing more time for climbing, work and travel. I've always admired how she's handled her notoriety and continued to put family and friends at...

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Jan 18 2017

An Incredible Tribe of Women

Climbing, Motherhood, Pregnancy
by Beth

I found my first grey hair the other day. But if I’m actually telling the truth I found it closer to a year ago. I convinced myself that it was just an exceptionally blonde hair, like one from my youth, and combined with the bad light in my bathroom, I semi believed it to be true. The first thing I did was text my friend with some scary emoji and question mark, she returned the favor but also added “welcome to the club, congrats on everything you accomplished that gave...

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