Chris Weidner
  climber, freelance writer
- Oct. 27, 2010

FRB: Name?

Chris: Chris Weidner.

FRB: Age?

Chris: 36.

FRB: Height/Weight?

Chris: 5’10”. 165lbs.

FRB: Location?

Chris: Boulder, Colorado.

FRB: Occupation?

Chris: Freelance writer.

FRB: Blog/web site?

Chris: No blog. It amazes me that some writers keep active blogs. The last thing I want to do with my free time is spend it in front of my computer. I’m getting a web site going.

FRB: How did you get into climbing, Chris?

Chris: I started climbing at a summer camp in Washington’s San Juan Islands, called Camp Nor’Wester. There was a 60-foot rock on camp property so one of the activities was rock climbing. I also chose to take part in a climb of Mt. Baker that only a few campers had the opportunity to do. The first time I wandered around a glacier, roped up at sunrise, really impacted my life.

FRB: Who were some of your early partners/mentors?

Chris: Dallas Kloke of Anacortes, WA was my first climbing mentor. He introduced me to the mountains. I was 17 and he was 52 when we started climbing together. We stood atop at least 75 summits in Washington, Idaho, Colorado, and the Canadian Rockies over about 17 years. We also shared many days rock climbing. Sadly, I attended his memorial service last weekend. He recently died in a climbing accident in the Cascades.
Tom Hargis was another early mentor and important climbing partner in my life.

FRB: Favorite partners?

Chris: I’ve had so many wonderful partners over the years – that’s a tough one. Regardless of what we climb I always have a great day out with Bruce Miller. Other favorite partners include Matt Samet, George Squibb, and Justen Sjong. I could go on naming favorite partners for a while...

FRB: What famous climbers do you admire?

Chris: I’ve climbed a lot with Alex Honnold in the last three years. We roped up before he became famous. I respect his drive, discipline, and passion for all types of climbing.
I also admire Tommy Caldwell, Josh Wharton, Conrad Anker, Jim Logan, Jim Donini, and George Lowe.

FRB: Tell us some hair raising early adventures or epics.

Chris: One time my friend Jeff Hashimoto and I were trapped by a storm near the summit of Mt. Rainier in Washington. At times the wind was so strong that our tent ­– with us in it – was nearly blown away. We waited out the storm for a few harrowing days, then descended without incident. The Park Service launched a huge rescue effort with ground crews and helicopters. We were the top story on local news stations. I remember the television headline, “We are losing hope for two Seattle men lost on Mt. Rainier …” Our friends and families thought we were dead.

FRB: What kinds of climbing do you like, Chris?

Chris: I established deep roots climbing mountains. Today, I spend most of my climbing time on rock– sport, trad, bouldering, and alpine. But I still get out ice and mountain climbing to keep all my skills sharp.

FRB: Where do you climb these days?

Chris: I love local climbing. Most often I’m in one of the canyons (Boulder, Eldorado, Clear Creek), the Flatirons, RMNP, or Rifle. In the winter I often boulder at Flagstaff and Morrison. Every year I travel for climbing when I have the chance. Some of my favorite destinations are Yosemite, Zion, the Virgin River Gorge, and Red Rocks in Nevada.

FRB: have you done any FA's? (first ascents)

Chris: Yes. I’ve done over 100 new routes of all kinds: ice and mountain routes, big wall free climbs, sport, trad and boulders.
My favorite FA this year was a new Diamond free route that I did with Bruce Miller, called Hearts and Arrows, 12a.

FRB: Do you train for climbing?  How do you train?

Chris: I usually focus on real training just a few months per year. I boulder indoors, campus, use a system board, lift weights, etc. The rest of the year I climb outside and do my best to try my hardest. I think of my outdoor climbing as training.
It’s important for me to identify my goals, the ones that truly motivate me. That way training comes naturally.

FRB: Got any 'projects' right now?       

Chris: I always have projects.
Perhaps my biggest project right now is a 50-meter line I bolted at Rifle this summer. The first 20 meters climb Simply Read, an existing 13d that has the reputation of being hard for the grade. The next 8 meters easily bring the grade to 14a … and that’s just the halfway point. Another long crux section comes right near the top. It’s beautiful, hard, and likely the hardest route I’ve ever tried.

Chris on Cracked Open Sky 13d, Rifle, Colorado. Photo: Celin Serbo

FRB: What are some of your best sends?      

Chris: For pure difficulty I’d say the sport routes Badman, 14a at Smith Rock and Horse Latitudes, 14a at the VRG, and for trad I’d say Sphinx Crack, 13b and Musta Been High, 13c in Colorado.
Alex Honnold and I freed Zion’s Spaceshot, Grade V, 13a and Moonlight Buttress, Grade V, 12d in 12 hours in April, 2008.
Some of my best mountain routes include the Greenwood-Locke on the north face of Mt. Temple, the Northeast Buttress of Howse Peak, both in the Canadian Rockies, and Mt. Foraker in Alaska.
My favorite first ascents include Hey Kool-Aid, Grade VI, 11d on the west face of North Howser Tower and Lost in the Talus, Grade V, 11b on South Howser Tower, both in the Bugaboos. And this year’s Diamond route Hearts And Arrows, Grade V, 12a.

Chris leading a 5.11+ pitch high on Lucifer's Lighthouse, 12c, newfoundland Photo: Celin Serbo	Chris leading the crux pitch on Lucifer's Lighthouse, 12c, Newfoundland Photo: Celin Serbo

FRB: You're a writer.  Who do you write for?

Chris: I do regular work for Climbing magazine as a Senior Contributing Editor. I also write Wicked Gravity, a bi-weekly climbing column in Boulder’s Daily Camera newspaper. I write for spadout.com, a gear-related web site, and I freelance for other publications like Alpinist magazine.

FRB: You write about climbing.  Some might say that's a 'dream job'.
           Is it as cool as it sounds?  What are the pros and cons?

Chris: I say it’s a dream job, to be sure. Yeah, it’s as cool as it sounds. The best part is that I design my own schedule. I climb when the weather is good and write on rest days, in bad weather, and at night. I love it. It’s sometimes difficult to manage my schedule so I get everything written on time. The biggest con is that it’s tough to make a living as a writer.

FRB: What would you tell someone who might want to have
          a similar lifestyle? (writing about climbing)

Chris: I’d tell them it’s a wonderful lifestyle. Just don’t expect a lot of income.

FRB: What advice do you have to be a successful climbing writer?
          How do you define success?

Chris: The best writing comes from the heart. Find a way to write about things you feel passion for. Success is happiness, and happiness stems from loving others.

FRB: What are your long term goals and dreams in your writing career?

Chris: My main goal is to keep improving as a writer. I want to inspire others in the same way that I’ve been inspired by good writers.

FRB: What's a 'typical day' for a climbing writer?

Chris: Depends on the weather.
On rest days I try to write for two hours at home in the morning. I take a break to get other work done, like emails and story ideas. Then, I write at a café for another two hours. It’s tough for me to be truly creative for more than four hours a day.

FRB: How would you define a good climbing day?

Chris: A good climbing day involves lots of laughter with my partner and a safe return. Anything beyond that – adventure, performance, conquering fear – makes a climbing day extra special.

FRB: What are some of your long term goals in your climbing career?       

Chris: I’d like to continue climbing new routes with fun and motivated partners. Whether big walls, sport routes, alpine rock – hopefully all of it.
I’ve been focusing on bouldering a bit more, and would like to be consistently climbing double digits. I hope to climb V11 and 14b in the next year or two.

FRB: What are some of the sacrifices you've made
          to live a life of climbing?

Chris: I don’t own much. I have a nice van, a good road bike, and lots of books and climbing gear. That’s about it. Of course, it really doesn’t feel like much of a sacrifice. I try to keep things simple. In the past I gave up a long-term relationship because for her, climbing was getting in the way. But again, there were other issues, so it didn’t feel like too much of a sacrifice.

FRB: how do you want history to see you?

Chris: I want to be remembered as a kind, motivated person that people wanted to spend time with.

FRB: What about the other parts of your life.
          What do you like to do, Chris?

Chris: I like running, road biking, and skiing. I love to go salsa dancing. I love hanging out with friends on Pearl Street.

FRB: Best road trip?  Explain please.

Chris: My best road trip was in 2000, when I left Seattle in the autumn and climbed in a bunch of places I’d never been before: Maple Canyon, Rifle, Indian Creek, Mill Creek, Mt. Potosi, the VRG … That trip ultimately led me to Boulder and a life that I’m choosing now.

FRB: Worse road trip? Explain please.       

Chris: Not exactly a road trip, but last summer I was on a climbing exchange in Siberia for three weeks. It rained almost every day, the living conditions and food were horrible, many of us got sick from contaminated drinking water. And, the climbing sucked. But hey – it was Siberia. What can you do.

FRB: thanks for the interview, Chris.

Chris: You're welcome. Thank you.

Chris on the summit of Mt. Foraker with Bill Serantoni on the left. Photo: Chris Weidner

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