Dimitri Flick

When and how did you get into climbing? What keeps you interested? What fascinates you?

I started climbing sporadically with my family during the vacations. Then, at the age of 14, I caught fire at a climbing camp. I started climbing more and soon climbed my first 8a. My training became more and more systematic. Today, I focus my whole life on climbing.

Who were your childhood heroes?

Jakob Schubert is one of my greatest idols. He is a very complete climber and his fights in difficult routes inspire me a lot. Next to him, my good friend, David Firnenburg, is a very big inspiration as well. Every time, I go climbing with him, I learn something and get better. He is mentally strong and very good at dealing with failures. Besides all that, he is a very nice person and always stayed humble. 

Yes, I think that I am a role model. I try to pass on my values by behaving like one. It is very important to me to be respectful with nature and residents at climbing areas. There I try to sensitize others, if possible.

What have been the most important milestones in your life so far, both in climbing and in everyday life? And did you recognize them immediately as such or only later on?

My biggest milestone was climbing my first 8b. Not because the grade was very hard, but because the process meant a lot to me. I tried the route with a good friend. He used to pick me up from school once a week and we would drive to the project, where we climbed until late at night. The moment I sent the route, I did not realize, what this route meant to me. I only understood this later. I know that I was very happy. 

What were your greatest failures / setbacks / injuries? How did you cope with them and how did you come back from them?

In 2020, I broke my ankle while bouldering. I could’t climb for three months. This was a big challenge. I started training again after just one week. As soon as I could put on a climbing shoe again, I climbed my first 8c. This injury showed me that if I stay positive and keep fighting, every challenge makes me stronger.

What is your favourite climbing-related story / experience?

A story I will never forget was definitely my first day on the Titlis North Face. The Titlis North Face is an approximately 400 meter high and heavily overhanging wall near Engelberg. In it there are many very difficult multi-pitches, which are incredibly imposing. The first time I tried it with a good friend. We were still young, so that we could not yet drive a car. We took the train in Zurich at 5 in the morning to have enough time. When we arrived in Engelberg, it started to rain. However, we thought to ourselves, "Never mind the wall is overhanging." And we started the two-hour hike. After about an hour, the trail gets lost and you have to find your own way to the wall over pathless terrain. Since it was raining and most of it was steep, rocky grassy slopes, it was very slippery. After wandering around for two hours, we found the start of the rout. The wall was dry and we could finally start climbing. The climbing was already very difficult and exposed in the easy pitches. Since we were not yet very experienced, we just started climbing. Only in the fourth pitch we realized that we had not landed in the 7c route as originally planned, but in the 8b, which was a line to the left. It rained all day, but the wall stayed perfectly dry. During the rappel down, it was already getting dark. Arriving at the base of the wall, we started our descent towards the valley station. From there, we wanted to take the bus to Engelberg. But since it was already 11 p.m. in the evening, there was no bus anymore. Therefore, we had to walk one hour to Engelberg. Fortunately, there was still a night bus in Engelberg. The only thing we had left to eat was one kilo of cake. It tasted better than any gourmet meal. At 4 o'clock in the morning we were back home. Often it is not the big sends that are remembered the most, but the experiences with good friends.

Do you have a strict training schedule for when and how you train throughout the year?

Yes, I train very systematically. Every year, I have a long training phase in the winter, where I get the strength for the summer projects. In the summer, I train during the week specifically for my projects and on the weekend I go to the rocks. Since I'm still studying, I only have time for the rock on the weekends and during the vacations.

What advice can you give to others looking to improve their training routine?

Don't forget to have fun despite all the training.

Are you able to do a one-arm pull-up? How about a single finger?

Yes, sometimes two. Depends on how much chocolate cereal I've eaten.  The more muesli, the more pull-ups.

What do you think of indoor climbing gyms in relation to climbing on actual rock?

For me, the climbing gym is the place, where I get the power for my projects. I think that climbing on plastic is not, as different from rock as many think. The better you can move on the wall, the better you climb, no matter where. There are definitely things,that are very specific, but overall, it comes down to the same thing. I'm a route setter myself and I like the playfulness I can get out of route setting. This freedom helps me expand my repertoire of movements, which in turn helps me come up with the best solution faster on the rock and in competitions.

How much of success as a pro climber is due to self-marketing and how much due to actual climbing skill?

I hope, I can attribute all my successes to my skills. But certainly "show" plays a role in the life of an athlete. You can generate a big reach with social media like Instagram. It's very important to have the right balance between social media and elite sports.

Is it possible for anybody to eventually perform a one-armed pull-up or get to the top of the Eiger/Matterhorn, or do you really have to be born for it?

Yes, I think that everyone could do a one-armed pull-up. That is mainly a matter of training. But does everyone have to be able to do a one-armed pull-up? 

Mountain climbing is a different shoe number. You have to be free of giddiness, fit and strong-willed. There I think it is much more difficult that anyone could do it but if he/she wants it enough. Everything is possible.

How important is it to set goals in professional sports? What are your goals? What targets are you working towards for your climbing and in life?

Goals have a great effect. They can give you a lot of motivation, but they can also put you under pressure. I have learned to set my goals so that they motivate me and remain achievable. But often you have to be flexible in climbing and in life. Since climbing is an outdoor sport, you are at the mercy of the weather. 

My big focus now is on climbing difficult routes. I try to push my level as far as possible. I have some routes in mind that I would like to climb. It's important to me that the line inspires me. One of these dream lines is Dreamcatcher in Canada.

How do you deal with extremely hard climbing problems? Do you ever get frustrated and give up on them? Or do they motivate you even more?

I try to divide the route or the boulder into individual sections and climb these first. Then I try to link the parts together. Eventually, hopefully, I'll get up the route. 

Yes, difficult routes can frustrate me. Whenever you have expectations, frustration is involved. For me, it's also the low points that make a project/send memorable and very special.