For someone about to attempt climbing for the very first time, what’s the most important thing they can remember going into it?

In general, I think it's important to keep an open mind and let go of expectations. In climbing, we are constantly facing our limits and it's important to not get frustrated. Listen to your body and just try. One of the most satisfying feelings in climbing is challenging yourself. It's not supposed to be easy, so learning to embrace this process really at the core of climbing.

What techniques do you use to help get your mind and body in the right place to climb?

It's important to stretch and warm up well before we begin a climb. But more than any pre-climb ritual, I'd say that climbing actually is the ritual that sets me straight for the rest of life.

Continuing on that idea, do you think climbing can help us create some personal balance in a world that’s facing so much uncertainty right now?

Climbing for me really is like a meditation or yoga practice, or maybe comparable to a martial art. Of course it's very fun but it's also really hard, and forces us to dig deep. For sure the benefits of this mental and physical training also prepare us for the rest of the challenges of daily life. I definitely feel that when I'm in a good climbing space the rest of life seems to fall in place pretty naturally.

If somebody is feeling nervous about their first outdoor climbing experience, what would you tell them?

It's natural to get scared. Dealing with fear is an inherent part of outdoor climbing (and life in general). So learning to acknowledge it is the first step in being able to control it. In climbing, fear keeps us safe and making the right decisions, but it can also paralyze us. It's important to not let it get in the way of making rational decisions. So in some ways we have to both use fear and coexist with fear without letting it take complete charge.