Chris’s Wild Idea: To establish and climb the most challenging routes in the world.
Chris Sharma is one of climbing’s most accomplished athletes. He started climbing at the young age of twelve in gyms in his native Santa Cruz, CA and now searches out the most difficult, beautiful, and seemingly impossible climbs known to man. He continues to push the limits of what’s possible in the sport, and isn’t afraid to pursue routes that can take him years to accomplish.
In 2013, he opened a gym, Sender One, in Los Angeles. He now lives in Barcelona, Spain with his wife and daughter, where he just opened his own climbing gym, Sharma Climbing.
I recently had a chance to sit down with Chris at a friend’s dinner party and got to ask him about his climbing and life philosophies, his passion for deep water soloing, the evolution of the sport, being a stunt double on the movie Point Break, and so much more.
Listen to this Episode if:
- You’re a climber.
- You want to try deep water soloing.
- You love travel and adventure.
Key Takeaways
- 2:30 – What brought Chris to San Diego.
- 3:30 – The explosion of climbing as a sport around the world.
- 5:30 – How Chris ended up in Spain.
- 6:15 – What deep water soloing is.
- 9:30 – How projecting routes prepared Chris to build a climbing gym.
- 11:40 – Why there has been so much progression in climbing.
- 12:30 – What it was like filming Point Break.
- 15:40 – How yoga and meditation altered the course of his career.
- 19:00 – Why climbing is more of a lifestyle for Chris.
- 22:15 – How Chris deals with failure.
- 24:40 – Lessons from climbing to apply to parenting and vice versa.
- 29:20 – Appreciate the little moments.
- 30:00 – What Chris would be doing if he wasn’t a climber.
- 31:24 – What is Chris’s favorite part of climbing.
- 35:00 – You can climb for your whole life and go through highs and lows.