Feb 10 2014

Climbing Pregnant: Month 4: Banff, Amnios, and Breaking the News

Climbing, Pregnancy
by Beth

I never thought taking a bite of an apple would be scary, but there I was, staring down a bright red apple, wondering if that first bite would send me running to the toilet. I took a bite. It tasted … delicious!   About two weeks into the second trimester my nausea had totally subsided. It wasn't like a switch turned off one day, but over the course of a week or two I began to feel like my old self again. Colors flooded my diet again: greens from leafy vegetables, reds...

Read More
Feb 06 2014

Climbing Pregnant: Month 3: First Trimester Done

Climbing, Motherhood, Pregnancy, Yosemite
by Beth

Most people said the nausea would likely be gone by the end of the first trimester. But there was always a chance the I’d be one of those unlucky women who were sick throughout their pregnancy. As the end of the first trimester approached, I felt a mix of hope and dread. Luckily, as my third month came to a end, so did my daily bouts of sickness. It took about two weeks to fully fade out, but then it was gone. Yipee skipee, no more nausea! The relief of...

Read More
Feb 04 2014

Climbing Pregnant: Lynn Hill Interview

Climbing, Interviews, Kids, Motherhood, Pregnancy
by Beth

When I was 19 years old I met the legendary Lynn Hill. I had just completed my first 5.14 at Smith Rock in Oregon, To Bolt Or Not To Be, when Lynn invited me to go to Madagascar with her, Nancy Feagin and Kath Pyke. Being more famous that most male climbers, Lynn has accomplished things decades ahead of her time. With her free ascent of the Nose, numerous 5.14's, first ascents on different continents, her list of accomplishments is endless. I was completely humbled that such a legend would...

Read More
Jan 30 2014

Climbing Pregnant: Month 2: Sickness, Heartbeats and a Nikon Photo Shoot

Climbing, Pregnancy
by Beth

As I crept into the second month I started to think about being pregnant a lot more.  My harness had to be let out a bit, but other than that, I thought I was doing a good job of hiding my belly. Though most people probably didn’t notice, it felt really weird to be getting rounder. Normally in the past if I got rounder, it was because I indulged too much on my favorite food or treat, or laid on the couch too often :) But now, this was normal....

Read More
Jan 27 2014

Climbing Pregnant: Robyn Erbesfield-Raboutou Interview

Climbing, Interviews, Kids, Motherhood, Pregnancy
by Beth

This is the first of several interviews of women who climbed during pregnancy. If I've learned anything from climbing and pregnancy, it's that there is a huge range of how people feel. Some women have been able to maintain a high activity level throughout their pregnancy and others feel so terrible that they are sidelined for months at a time. Even different pregnancies with the same women can vary drastically. I know that I am climbing far below my "normal" climbing level and frequency well into my second trimester. Robyn...

Read More
Jan 23 2014

Climbing Pregnant: Month One: How to Listen to your Body

Climbing, Pregnancy
by Beth

It's very interesting to me to look back on the first couple months and see how hard it was for me, what a different mind set I was in with the unknowns and worries, coupled with the sickness and physical changes. I'm glad that I documented this when I was going through it, even though it was a difficult space to be in.   We found out the day after Max died. The first pregnancy test read positive. Then so did the second. One of the saddest times of my life was crashing...

Read More
Jan 21 2014

Climbing Past My Pregnancy Stigma

Climbing, featured, Pregnancy
by Beth

I'm pregnant! Wowza! Big adventures lie ahead, along with exhaustion I'm sure :) We've got a little boy coming end of April and we couldn't be more thrilled.   When I first found out I was pregnant, I did a ton of research to see what other climbers experienced, and didn't find a lot out there. I want to help change this in the climbing community, to help make it an open discussion. If you research running while pregnant, the resources are endless from novice runners to professionals; but climbing while pregnant...

Read More
Aug 27 2013

Lessons and Love from our Dog, Max

Climbing, Dogs, featured
by Beth

The scared light-brown dog, all skin and bones, hopped out of the rescue lady’s van in the parking lot of this non-descript strip mall. One of his legs was bandaged after the surgery. His brown eyes opened, fearful and bewildered, and he seemed to be searching for his owners.   “Max is totally in shock,” said Elizabeth from the rescue agency, in her South African accent. “For the past two weeks he looked in every door, every corner, every vista for his home, not knowing that he’ll never find it again.”   Abandoned by...

Read More
May 28 2013

Crux Crush Interview

Climbing, Interviews
by Beth

The lovely ladies of Crux Crush were kind enough to do an interview with me for their blog. They asked some very interesting questions that I am hardly, if ever, asked. To read their kind words, follow the link below...

Read More

Climbing Back Video

Climbing, Injuries
by Beth

I had the pleasure of working with my good friends at Big Up Productions on this recent video on my past few years with injuries and climbing. As I've written on this blog, I've had my fair share of injuries over the past handful of years, but my passion for climbing is just as strong as ever, whether I'm climbing 5.10 or 5.14. It's great to be able to team up with such great folks to document the thick and thin of being a professional climber. I hope you enjoy the video!   ...

Read More