Climbing with pro-climbers - Interview with Hazel Findlay
Can you tell me about yourself?
I grew up in the UK and I started climbing when I was 6 years old with my dad. I have been climbing ever since; it has been 21 years now as I am 27 years old. I became a professional climber around 6 or 7 years ago. I have been climbing full time since then apart from some injuries time off.
Which kind of climber would you say you are?
I consider myself an all-round climber because I do everything. But I guess I probably do a little bit more of trad and sport climbing than bouldering or ice climbing. My favourite kind of climbing is trad climbing because I think that the coolest routes in the world are trad routes and I want to do those ones. I also kind of like the idea of going on the rock and leaving it like you found it, it’s much more natural than just clipping the bolts and having the first ascensionist decide how you need to climb the route. I do not consider myself extremely strong or fit, but because I climbed my whole life, I am probably technically quite good and I guess I have a very good head for climbing, not just for scary climbs, but for staying motivated and having a healthy approach towards climbing.
What brought you to coaching?
I was first interested in the mental side of climbing and whether we can train to have a stronger mind for climbing versus just being brave or not – this idea that you are just born with a capacity. I wanted to know if you can train it. We think we can train the physical side of climbing, so why not training the mental side too? This is what interested me initially. And when I got deeper into it, I realised that I wanted to teach it. I got a very severe shoulder injury that left me with lot of time on my hands, so I decided to devote myself to learning how to teach others.
How did you get to know Rockbusters?
I think I just heard that they were doing climbing coaching holidays. Most of the coaching that I do is one to one and often it’s a one-off session with someone. So, I spend half a day with them and they go on their way. Sometimes I get a nice email saying, “oh your coaching helped, I could do my hardest route, thank you”, but sometimes, I never hear of them ever again and it’s hard for me to know whether what I am teaching is working. So, I like to be with people for a week and I can really see the effect of my teaching on them. This is why I have done a few trips in Spain. I am not sure who contacted whom (me contacting Jan or vice-versa), but we came together and this is how this trip came to life.