Climbing Outdoors
Climbing in US Competitions
Youth World Championships in Arco, IT
Youth World Championships in Moscow
Pan American Championship (Montreal)
Youth World Championships in Innsbruck, AU
Climbing in the Moment
The way I feel when I climb is often a reflection of the rest of my life. When I am on the wall, succeeding at a routine climb, I am relaxed and at peace. But when the climb seems undoable, my mind sometimes drifts into the future and into the past…two undesirable places to be while climbing.
“What if I fall? What if I lose?” These are not good questions to be asking myself during a competition. I SHOULD be thinking about how to solve the problem in front of me and how to execute the climb. How do I get up this wall…right here…right now?
Like many of us, my mind is filled with an unprecedented “COVID uncertainty.” Where will I go to school? Will schools be virtual, or even open, for that matter? Will I get to see my climbing friends, anytime soon? Has the world gone crazy with all of the protests and division, or will these things brighten our future? While these are important questions to think about, they have to be reserved for times when I can put my energy and attention towards them, and not during a stressful situation that demands my complete attention and focus.
I aspire towards leaving thoughts about the future and the past for a time when I can focus on them, whether on my own or while sharing thoughts with my friends and family. However, while I am on the side of a rock, I need to be thinking about the rock.
Whether I am on a mountain or doing anything, for that matter, I find that being “in the moment” helps me find contentment and happiness. As I get older, I have begun to understand that there are always going to be issues in life that cause stress, that tempt me to worry about the future and dwell on the past. However, being present and focused during these stressful times allows me to deal with them, effectively, and I define that as success. This philosophy is crystal clear to me, and I practice living in both on and off the wall.
Ethan Freudenheim Rock Climbing 