Reframing Pain and Embracing Control for Audacious Goals

Key Quotes

"I find that climbing is like a really great sport to learn about what you're personally capable of you have this like crazy experience where it's you and your climbing partner against the world that is the rock and the rock doesn't care about any of these factors of excuses even on this climb when the rock was wet on the upper quarter of the whole climb it was like i can sit here and complain about it but that's not going to change the actual reality of the wetness on the rock it's not like el cap cares"

Sasha DiGiulian explains that climbing offers a unique environment for self-discovery, highlighting the objective nature of the rock as a force that does not respond to complaints or excuses. This demonstrates her perspective on confronting challenges directly rather than dwelling on external factors, emphasizing the sport's ability to reveal personal capabilities.

"Free climbing not to be confused with free soloing is you have a rope and you have gear for if you fall but it's without the use of gear as assistance and so you're just scaling the wall with your hands and your feet and free soloing as popularized by you know the film is something that a very very small fraction of a percentage does because if you fall the consequence is almost you know a mathematical certainty of death and so what i've focused my career on is free climbing which really challenges the standard of technical ability and um what i can do at the upper echelon of my sport with a rope"

Sasha DiGiulian clarifies the distinction between free climbing and free soloing, defining free climbing as using a rope and safety gear for protection while ascending without mechanical assistance. She emphasizes her career focus on free climbing as a method to test technical limits within a safe framework, contrasting it with the extreme risk of free soloing.

"I think that fear is a constant for me and it's one of the things that i personally experience all the time i could even be just sport climbing down closer to the ground and some days i just i'm scared to fall because the consequences in my mind seem like i could you know fall weirdly onto my back or um kind of cheese grate down a slab and i would say that as i progress on a wall typically that fear gets alleviated by the exposure that i experience so normally when i start up i'm almost at the height of my fear and then after my first fall because you're you're mentally so focused on the hard aspect of the climb itself that generally i fall without really knowing that i'm going to fall and my focus is on trying to actually execute the sequence but the fall aspect of it is actually really empowering because then you realize that the consequences are safe"

Sasha DiGiulian describes fear as a persistent element in her climbing, even on simpler routes, due to potential negative outcomes. She explains that as she progresses on a climb, the exposure often reduces this fear, and that falling, when the consequences are known to be safe due to the rope, can be an empowering experience that allows her to focus on the technical execution of the climb.

"My approach has been the latter alright so let's let's talk about pink and in focusing on the positives um and we go from there to super gluing your fingers shut if i read correctly to complete this this massive climb on uh el cap platinum or the direct line uh you're the first woman to free climb this and i believe only the fourth free ascent of all time regardless of sex"

The interviewer highlights Sasha DiGiulian's positive approach, contrasting it with the extreme measures like super gluing her fingers, which she reportedly used to complete the "Platinum" climb on El Capitan. This quote underscores the immense physical demands and unconventional methods employed in her groundbreaking ascent, noting her status as the first woman and fourth person overall to free climb this route.

"I find that climbing is like a really great sport to learn about what you're personally capable of and i love big wall climbing because you get to create this really connected bond with your climbing partner you have this like crazy experience where it's you and your climbing partner against the world that is the rock and the rock doesn't care about any of these factors of excuses like even on this climb when the rock was wet on the upper quarter of the whole climb and some of the harder terrain it was like i can sit here and complain about it but that's not going to change the actual reality of the wetness on the rock like it's not like el cap cares"

Sasha DiGiulian articulates her philosophy on climbing, viewing it as a profound method for understanding personal capabilities and fostering deep partnerships with climbing companions. She emphasizes the objective nature of the rock, which remains indifferent to external conditions or complaints, reinforcing the idea that challenges must be faced directly.

"I think that when the mind is so committed then the physical body just accepts like what it is and and performs the task i want to give you a chance to come back to the my my joy in saying fu to all the haters uh you said that you you wanted to address that a little bit more"

Sasha DiGiulian suggests that strong mental commitment allows the physical body to adapt and perform, even under adverse conditions. This statement is followed by an interviewer's prompt for her to elaborate on her feelings about overcoming criticism, indicating a theme of resilience and defiance against detractors in her career.