As much as climbing has taken MEC Envoy and accomplished alpinist Sarah Hart to some impressive heights, it’s ultimately what keeps her grounded in life and on the rock. Fresh off a two-year climbing sojourn in BC, the US and Patagonia, Sarah is back home in Squamish, where inspiration comes from her long-term climbing partners, her desire for the flow state and the reality of living in a place with challenges stacked in the backyard.
We followed Sarah and her climbing partners to Gobsmacking Wall for some sunny climbing in Sarah’s backyard.
What is it about climbing that has you hooked?I guess the easiest way to describe it is flow. That feeling of being present in the moment. It’s just you and the rock. It’s all so fluid and effortless and your senses are popping and everything is being taken in at such an expedited rate. That’s really what I love. The flow.
What does it take for you to get into your flow state?Climbing is a lot about controlling your emotions and fears – really managing your head. I had a bad fall in 2006 and so for me, climbing since the accident has been even more of a mental battle. The times I do manage to overcome the fear and feel that flow are all the more sweet because it’s a real challenge for me to get there.
Does the emotional work that you do on the rock translate into your day-to-day?Climbing has molded my character entirely. I don’t think I would be as successful in life if I didn’t have climbing. I think it’s because the things that I’ve accomplished in my climbing career have shown me that I have a lot of mental strength, and that translates across the board. I believe in myself in a way that I don’t think I could if I hadn’t experienced the challenges and successes that I have in climbing.
What do you do to stay motivated?It’s pretty engrained in me. I’m very internally motivated and so despite it being the middle of winter, I’m already thinking about the goals I want to achieve this summer and what I can be doing now to make that happen. Taking each week and breaking it down to figure out how I’m going to approach my training each day is something I really look forward to and enjoy doing.
What do climbing partners add to your experience?My climbing partners are everything. They can make or break your success on a climb, and make a regular day in the mountains entirely special. Everything that happens to you on a climb happens in front of your partner and I really like that. There’s no filter, no pretending. Innately, I’m a really genuine person and I love having pure, honest, real experiences with my partners.
Are there certain qualities that you look for in your climbing partners?I love to joke and laugh and just be silly, and so the people I want to climb with are just like that. Like Julie and Nick who were on the shoot with me that day. We’ve climbed together for about 6 years and I consider them to be like family. When you spend so much time together and have that deep trust it creates a really natural friendship.
Where are you the most excited to climb this summer?There’s a relatively new area called the Long House. You have to drive a bit of a logging road to get there, and it’s just the most magical place. It’s set in this deep draw between giant granite cliffs – like 35-metres – and there are big old growth cedars and it’s so quiet. In climbing we say, “the wall is stacked” and it just means that in 100m or 200m there’s one crack line after the next. I’m excited to dedicate some serious time to that wall this summer – I have so many goals at that crag.
Get the scoop on the redesign of our hiking collection in Inside the Line.