Katie Brown

Katie Brown started climbing at the age of 13. That same year, she won the Junior World Championships, and then won the legendary Arco Rockmaster twice. In 1999 she won the World Cup at Besancon, and also won the X Games three times. Known for her tendency to onsight almost everything she climbed, in 1999 Katie flashed a route in Siurana, Spain called Hydrophobia (5.14a). That feat placed Katie among four others, all men, who, at the time, had flashed a similar grade.

Now, at age 28, Katie has expanded her horizons from the competition climbing world, though she maintains her onsight prowess. She has made several fast ascents of testpiece desert cracks at Indian Creek, and an impressive, rare onsight of the 23 pitch Northwest Face of Half Dome in Yosemite.

In the traveling climbing community, Katie is perhaps best known for the loud muffler of her silver Ford Focus hatchback, where she often resides with her little dog Cody, and for packing an unbeatable selection of accessories on road trips. Katie is currently finishing design school at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in San Francisco, with an emphasis on product development and sustainable design.

Please check back regularly for additional updates. For videos, photos and more information on Katie, click here.

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A little Q&A:

Is there anything else you like as much as you like climbing? Yoga

Favorite piece of prana clothing? Namaste T

Favorite climbing area? Red River Gorge, Kentucky

What have you done (climbing) that gave you the most satisfaction? My most satisfying days of climbing are days that I’ve spent climbing easy things in the mountains, in the summer.