Katrine Vandet Salling

Name: Katrine Vandet Salling
DOB: 1994
Interview: Moon Climbing / January 2013

Moon Climbing – When and where did you start climbing?
Katrine -  I started climbing when I was ten years old. A big climbing wall had been put up in the city I live in. That was the first time I ever climbed. One week later my father and I started climbing at the climbing gym in my city.

Moon Climbing – Do you have a favourite style of climbing (traditional, sport, bouldering etc)? 
Katrine -  Since I have never tried trad climbing I cannot say if I do or do not like it. It does not appeal to me though. I am not much into the idea of placing the equipment myself. I am not able to choose between bouldering and sport. I do not have a favorite – I just like to climb it all, high as low. Even though I mostly have been climbing sport on rocks, I like bouldering just as much.

Moon Climbing – You are stuck on a desert island with just one route and one boulder. Which ones would you choose and why? 
Katrine -  Dream Catcher in Canada for route and The Island in France for boulder, simply because I think that they are some of the most amazing looking climbs I know of. I would die just to feel those slopers on Dream Catcher! There are so many amazing routes and boulders out there, and since my list of must-sees and must-be-tried climbs are endless, as long as those climbs are hard enough to keep me busy, I think I would have no problem at all staying stuck on that island for a while.

Moon Climbing – Who is your climbing hero or inspiration and why? 
Katrine -  In 2010 I were so lucky to get the opportunity to climb with Steve McClure. Even before I met him, I was already fascinated by him, and I thought of him as one of the best climbers in the world. Hearing about his life, talking to him and being right next to him while he got sunstroke was very special to me. I have always admired people who have dedicated their whole lives to climbing. Paul Robinson and Dani Andrada for instance.

Moon Climbing - How often do you climb?
Katrine -  I get to climb rock many times a year. As goes to big trips lasting several weeks, about three times a year; Easter, the whole summer and fall. We do not have any rocks in Denmark. Luckily Sweden is not that far away, and I get to go there on several weekends.

Moon Climbing – Where and how often do you train and for how many hours per week? 
Katrine -  I train at the climbing gym nearest to my home. I have got a little boulder room at home with a little wall, some hang boards and one pull-up board. I actually train quite a bit. I am in the gym about four or six times a week. Besides that I have to go to a physiotherapist once a week to ‘work on my shoulder injury’ so to speak. It is, however, very different from week to week how many hours I get to train. It varies according to which exercises I have to do – endurance or strength etc. So it varies from about 10 to 15 hours a week.

Moon Climbing – What kind of training do you do? 
Katrine -  Depends on what I am training for. A trip or a competition, bouldering or lead. Usually in the beginning of the year, I start of training powerful boulder moves, strength and campus, and about one or two month before the trip or comp I start doing hard endurance training, hoping to coordinate everything to come together right in time for that couples of dates/weeks.

Moon Climbing - Your top training tip or tips?
Katrine -  Of course you have to push yourself during training sessions, sometimes beyond your limit. My top advise is: listen to your body! If it feels sore – it is good, but if it is aching or hurting then you must stop in order not to be injured.

Moon Climbing – The climbing achievement you are most proud of and why? 
Katrine -  This is a very difficult question to answer. Everything I have climbed, easy as well as hard routes and boulder problems, all mean something special to me. Especially my onsight achievements on rock is something that has felt like great victories to me. To me, there is something very special about onsighting especially long and hard routes. So my 7th grade onsight climbs could very well be some of the climbing achievements that I am most proud of.

Moon Climbing - What is your opinion on competitions? Good, bad or indifferent?
Katrine -  I really like competing myself. I think it is a lot of fun and I like the challenge and the pressure. Even though competitions are important to me, rock climbing will always be my number one priority though. No doubt about that. Competitions is kind of an extra bonus. I enjoy it very much. Besides the climbing part, competitions are also a gathering place for people and often people you do not get to see everyday. You get to see all of your friends, even the ones living far from you.

Moon Climbing – Your goals for 2013? 
Katrine -  In a few months I will graduate from college! I therefore have many goals for 2013! The thought of finally being off school, and be free to climb all of the time make me feel as if only the sky is the limit!

I do not want to state clearly that I want to win a certain competition or climb a certain grade outdoor. At least not yet. But I do know that my primary goal is to push all of my limits. I want to try harder routes, harder boulders, I want to train as hard as I know I am capable at for competitions, nationals as well as internationals. My goals are very high for 2013 – and the following years to come if necessary.