Does it really work?
Climbing is trending – and if Harry Styles can’t convince you to give it a go, perhaps the Olympians at Paris 2024 can. One writer takes to an IRL climbing wall (a mountain) to ask: can I scale my way out of a phobia?
THE GUINEA PIG
Am I shivering from the morning mountain air? Or is it the weather inside my head that’s turned my legs to jelly? I’m preparing to ascend a granite slab located in Squamish, British Columbia. I’m out here thanks to an invitation from Arc’teryx to attend its annual Climbing Academy – an event that brings together climbers of all levels. I came to learn the ropes – among other things – with a private lesson out in the wild, led by two of the brand’s rock stars: athletes Shelma Jun and Alannah Yip, and I’m a long way up from my comfort zone.
I have a very real fear of heights, specifically near an exposure (any place close to a cliff ) and when I’m on a surface I can see through (such as a suspension bridge). So I try not to think about how high the cliff soars above me as my instructors explain the basics. Fortunately, I’m in good hands. Shelma, belaying and holding my safety rope on the ground, founded the Flash Foxy climbing community to make the sport more accessible and welcoming to women and genderqueer climbers. Alannah, who cheers my every move, represented Canada in the sport’s Olympic debut at the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo, and she continues to compete internationally.
‘Climbing,’ I yell, signalling the beginning of my first ascent. My initial steps are timid: one toe on the wall, then the second; find a left handhold and a right, then repeat. I feel surprisingly secure. The only moments I slip are the ones when I allow doubt to creep in. Alannah and Shelma assure me the little nub of rock my toe is balanced on will hold; all I have to do is push in – and trust it. With my mind laserfocused on the rock and my limb placem
