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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Dec 19 2017

Jen Bisharat Interview: Climbing Pregnant and Climbing with Kids

Interviews, Kids, Motherhood, Pregnancy
by Beth

I first met Jen at a Triple Crown competition over a decade ago. She was one of those undercover locals that crushed all the visiting professional climbers. Since then she's gone on to quietly become one of America's most accomplished female sport climbers while simultaneously being a Kindergarten teacher, a fact that should blow anyone's mind. With multiple 5.14's under her belt, she's ticked off some of the hardest routes in Rifle.   A little over a year and a half ago, she and her husband Andrew welcomed their daughter Piper into...

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Sep 13 2017

Fear

Kids, Motherhood
by Beth

Fear and Afar: From Kyrgyzstan to the Bay   Fifteen years after being held hostage for six days by a group of Islamic rebels in Kyrgyzstan, I picked up the phone and called a therapist. I had spoken to her a couple of times about starting therapy, but had never pulled the trigger. I was too scared to go down that dark road. Too scared to open those wounds.   But … I also wanted to be able to function in my life. My fears and paranoia were affecting my child,...

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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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Nov 08 2016

Pregnancy Climbing Harnesses

Climbing, Motherhood, Pregnancy
by Beth

  Hi Beth!   Your blog is awesome and I have read through several of your posts on climbing through pregnancy. I also follow you on Instagram and love your mama-climbing lifestyle. ?   Anyways, I was wondering if you used a pregnancy harness and if so what brand? I swear I have read all of the reviews and cannot make up my mind. I am only 13 weeks but I can't fit my harness anymore. I am wearing my husbands old harness, but know at some point I will grow out of...

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