Elite climber Sasha DiGiulian shares her struggles and breakthroughs in Training, Nutrition, Tactics, and Mental Game

Sasha is one of the most accomplished climbers in the world. She has been Female Overall World Champion twice, the undefeated Pan-American Champion for a 10-year span, and 3-time US National Champion. Sasha was just the third woman in the World to climb the grade 9a (5.14d), and she has more than 30 First Ascents and First Female Ascents to her name. Some of her sport FFAs include 14d/9a Era Vella in Spain, 14c/8c+ Southern Smoke and Pure Imagination at the Red River Gorge, and she has onsighted multiple 5.14a / 8b+ routes. She is the first woman to free the north face of the Eiger by way of Magic Mushroom, a technical 2,000 foot climb; she was the first woman to free Bella Vista, a big wall in the Dolomites with difficulty up to 5.14b / 8c; and Sasha was the first woman and only the second human to free the Trilogy in the Canadian Rockies - three separate climbs that feature 5.14 pitches and total 9000 vertical feet. With all of those groundbreaking wins one might assume things come easy for Sasha but let me assure you that she is no stranger to struggle. Just a couple years ago Sasha underwent double hip surgery where doctors cut through muscle and bone to such an extreme she had to learn how to walk again… and that’s just one example of many struggles that we explore in our chat. Sasha is as dedicated as they come, both on and off the wall, and is a tireless voice for climbing access, women’s rights, and the environment.

CHAPTERS:

Struggle: 0:16:20
Training: 0:19:23
Nutrition: 0:31:53
Tactics: 0:47:25
Mental Game: 0:56:12
Purpose: 1:07:16

Follow along on Instagram @sashadigiulian and @thestruggleclimbingshow

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This show is produced and hosted by Ryan Devlin. The Struggle is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective, a diverse group of the best, most impactful podcasts in the outdoor industry.

The struggle makes us stronger! I hope your training and climbing are going great.