Favorite type of climbing:
Sport climbing
Interview
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Climbing
When and how did you get into climbing? What keeps you interested? What fascinates you?
I moved to Tasmania after school to play cricket, but instead became addicted to climbing. The Organ Pipes above Hobart both inspired and terrified me. At first, I saw climbing as vertical bushwalking—about being in beautiful places, getting scared, and always wondering what was around the next corner.
A one year trip to Europe in 2009 opened my eyes to the wider climbing world. I discovered how much I loved long, steep sport routes, which we lack in Australia. Places like Rodellar in Spain blew my mind and motivated me to improve. For the first time, I realised I could actually change my physical ability.
Now, well into my 40s, I’m more motivated than ever to push my physical limits on steep sport routes. I find it fascinating how nuanced climbing improvement is. There are endless aspects to
refine, and that motivates me to take full advantage of the opportunities I have and to eke everything I can out of myself.
Who was your childhood hero?
Mostly cricketers. If you don’t know who David Boon is—look him up! My early climbing influences were bold Tassie locals like Dave Gardiner, and mountaineers like Reinhold Messner and Mark Twight.
Do you consider yourself a role model now? Does it influence you at all that other people look up to you?
I don’t think about it much. But if I am a role model, I’m intrinsically motivated to be doing what I’m doing, and that’s probably what people should take away - whether or not others are seeing it, I’d still be spending my time in the same way.
I’m fortunate to spend most of my time climbing rocks. It’s something I’ve worked toward for 20 years, and it’s taken persistence to get here. If people look up to me, I hope they see that working hard, maintaining trajectory, and overcoming setbacks pays off.
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?
In 2010, I came back to Australia from Europe with one objective: climb Punks in the Gym. Doing it, completely changed my perspective. That route had never been a dream—it was simply too hard. But then it became possible, and eventually I succeeded. That flipped a switch: I realised I wasn’t “stuck” as the climber I was. I had agency over my future.
Another milestone was the Covid pandemic in 2020. At the time, I was working hard in my business to gain more climbing time. Lockdowns felt like a setback, but once borders reopened, I went to Europe for a year-long climbing trip. That year has now stretched into several.
What were your greatest failures / setbacks / injuries? How did you cope with them and how did you come back from them?
I’ve had my share of injuries. One of the most traumatic was dislocating my LEFT shoulder on Passport to Insanity in the Grampians. After reconstructive surgery and nine months completely
off climbing, I stayed motivated by setting an ambitious comeback goal. A year (to the day) after surgery, I climbed The Groove Train at Taipan Wall—the hardest thing I’d ever done at the time.
What is your favourite climbing-related story / experience?
Buy me a coffee for the full story of my RIGHT shoulder injury and subsequent surgery, 15 months after the LEFT.
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Training
Do you have a strict training schedule for when and how you train throughout the year?
I don’t follow a rigid year-round plan. Living on the road in Spain allows me to climb on rock year-round, with board training when it doesn’t interfere.
Most importantly, I prioritise injury prevention. Daily weight and band work keeps me healthy and maximises my time on rock.
What advice can you give to somebody looking to improve their training routine?
Be clear about what you’re training for. Motivation for a specific objective gives you direction. With infinite things you could train, it’s crucial to spend time on what actually moves you toward your goals.
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Psychology
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?
Actually, the point here is that it doesn’t matter. If you know the outcome in advance, then it’s not that interesting. One of the things about climbing that makes it truly interesting as a participant sport is that there’s jeopardy ie. we don’t know the outcome. So the real question is “Should I train to do a one-armer?” ie. Is getting stronger in this way likely to help me reach my goals? Hint: I know someone who climbed 9b without being able to do a one armer…
How important is it to set goals in professional sports? What are your goals / targets you are working towards in climbing and in life?
Goals provide the framework for where to invest our energy. While I treat climbing as seriously as a job, it’s important not to lose sight of the other reasons we climb: being in nature, spending time with friends, and engaging in a challenge.
Right now, I have one big goal: Chilam Balam in Spain. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever tried, and may prove too hard—but that uncertainty makes it motivating. I also have smaller goals along the way.
More broadly, I want to continue pushing my limits into my late 40s. I’m climbing better than ever now and want to see how far I can take it. My simple life goal: keep it simple. In a world of distractions, there’s real value in focusing on what matters.
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Future of climbing
Is there anything you would like to change about the current developments in climbing?
I think it’s fantastic that climbing is booming. Most of that growth is indoors, which is good—our crags are already under pressure. I’d love to see more and better, climber led, gyms.
Outdoor climbers need to act as custodians of the places we’re privileged to use. We need a stronger “leave no trace” culture at crags.
Where do you see the sport going in the next years, what will change and what is your role going to be in it?
In the future, I see climbing becoming more mainstream, but indoor climbing will look less and less like outdoor climbing. The best athletes will become specialists—world class at either bouldering or sport climbing, but not both.
My role is to keep pushing my own boundaries, showing that climbing can be a lifelong pursuit. I’ll continue to encourage climbers to clean up after ourselves and others – to keep the outdoors wild places.