I just love climbing, I can't explain it. 

When I try a route or boulder I want to do it. I don't care if it costs me one try or thousands of tries.

-Alex Garriga

BIO

 

My name is Alex Garriga. I was born in 1998 in Cuenca (Spain), where I also live. I have recently finished my university studies in building engineering here in Cuenca. Since I started climbing I have oriented my life around climbing and I have never lost my motivation. One of the things I enjoy most about climbing is travelling to new places and combining different climbing styles.

WILD COUNTRY FAVOURITES

MEET

SIEBE
VANHEE

“Climbing Destination?

Indian Creek, Yosemite, Val di Masino (Val di mello), Dolomites (Marmolada & Civetta) , Torres del Paine, Siurana, Rätikon,… It all depends on the style

-Siebe Vanhee

BIO

I would define myself as a climber and a social worker in the first place. Second, I enjoy sharing experiences, stories, and visions as a public speaker. My dreams are to discover my own boundaries, untouched ground and share and connect (with) people in all kinds of domains. A lifetime goal is to be an integer with myself and others. As a person but also in my role as a professional climber I aim to be open and sincere about my personal development process as a human being and a climber. Friends call me ‘the climbing philosopher’. I like to think and debate about life, interactions, emotions, and society. I am convinced that we can learn from each other through profound interactions, I have a hard time being superficial, although I agree this is very important as well, to just have fun and not question everything! I aim for sincere communication and motivate everyone to do so, that’s why I don’t hesitate to share personal insights about myself or showing my own struggles. I love it when people do that to me, it’s inspiring. “What is real? What is this guy really experiencing on the wall and in his life and… what can I learn from it?” The need for inspiration is increasing everywhere. My goal is to invest in open communication and transmit what is really happening ‘behind the scenes’. I want to stimulate people to do the same, be sincere with yourself and others and communicate at a deeper level. Drop the masks and be connected, we all become better of it. 

THE INSIGHTS

Why / How Did You Start Climbing: I started climbing as a gym rat in 2000. My parents send me to this indoor climbing camp during some school vacation. I was sold and kept on subscribing for all the camps possible until the climbing gym started a youth climbing team in 2001. Competition climbing became my focus until the age of 18. Between ages 12 and 18, the discovery of outdoor sport-climbing only multiplied my passion.

Favorite Climbing Destination: Tough question! A few in different styles that come to mind are Indian Creek, Yosemite, Val di Masino (Val di mello), Dolomites (Marmolada & Civeta) , Torres del Paine, Siurana, Rätikon,… It all depends on the style, I do love all climbing. Just a bit less of a boulderer (: 


THE INSIGHTS

Why / How did you start climbing:
I started climbing about 7 years ago, when I joined the climbing wall in my city with some friends. After a short time I started to go rock climbing and I fell in love with it. Cuenca has thousands of sport climbing routes, making it the perfect place to live for a climbing enthusiast.


Favorite climbing destination:
I don't have a favourite climbing destination, but if I had to choose, I would go for Cuenca and Rodellar for sportclimbing; and Albarracin and Hoyamoros for bouldering.

 

Memorable climbing achievement(s):

  • "Malleus Maleficarum" 9a+, FA in Cuenca, probably my hardest ascent
  • "Líder Ibérico" 9a+/b, FA in Cuenca
  • "Zeleputza" 9a+, First repetition in Eguino, País Vasco
  • "Ali hulk - extension" (total sit start 9a+) 9b, in Rodellar
  • "Tolmojón" 8B+, in Tamajón.
  • "Carlota and Budo" 8b+, OS.
     

In 3 words what describes climbing to you: 

Difficult question... Maybe freedom, friendship and self-improvement

How do you train: 

I try to climb on rock as much as possible, combining different types of routes and boulders. I also do hangboarding and strength training.

You whip, you slip, you blow the move... What motivates you to try again: 

I just love climbing, I can't explain it. When I try a route or boulder I want to do it. I don't care if it costs me one try or thousands of tries.

What do you do when you're not climbing: 

When I'm not climbing, I spend my time studying, so I don't have much time for other activities. I still like to play basketball, read books, watch movies, go running, etc.

 

Memorable Climbing Achievement(s): With the emphasis on ‘memorable’ these are definitely the ones:

•2008 First 8c sport climb with ‘Les Maux de la Fin’ at Gorges du Loup, France. 
•2012 First Big Wall expedition! FA of ‘Kids with Guns’, 450m, Amuri Tepuy, Venezuela. 
•2013 First Alpine climb, Divine Providence, ABO 7c 900m, Mont Blanc, France.
•2015 First Ground-Up Ascent and Free Ascent of ‘Fire in the Belly’, 700m, 8a++ on Tsaranoro Atsimo, Madagascar.
•2017 Incredible experience spending 19 days on a wall during the First Free Ascent of Big Wall Route “El Regalo de Mwono”, 8a, 1200m, Torres del Paine, Patagonia, Chile. 
•2019 Pushing my multipitch sportclimbing skills up by sending ‘Yeah Man’ / 9 pitches / Third Free Ascent / 8b+ / Gastlosen (Swiss) and ‘Silbergeier’ / 6 pitches / Free Ascent in one day without any falls / 8b+ / Rätikon (Swiss). 


In 3 Words What Describes Climbing To You: 
Flow (body and mind) – Ethics – Lifestyle 

How Do You Train: I tend to be someone that wants to achieve a lot in many different domains. This goes for my climbing as well, I want to continue developing my climbing in different disciplines. It is also motivating and enriching to change disciplines. As a big wall and adventure climber it’s hard to keep your climbing level high and still do a lot of exploration trips. Instead of only focussing on the exploration, first ascents and big walls I try to keep my climbing skills up to date by including 3 to 4 months of training and sport climbing periods every year. Basically those moments I will spend in Belgium for training and France or Spain for sportclimbing. It feels great to focus on the pure physical part of climbing for a period. My sportclimbing training programs are often focussed on fingerstrength, corestregth, antagonists, flexibility and powerendurance. I love training powerendurance on the inclination board. For expeditions I will include more cardio and volume training. For trad multipitch climbs I will just prepare by climbing a similar style in easier grades to get comfortable, in combination with the same kind of training I do for sportclimbing. But basically, I try to listen to my body as much as I can. And adventurous trad climbing, you just have to start doing, fail and try again! 

You Whip, You Slip, You Blow The Move... What Motivates You To Try Again: I just want it, I want to try my best because I become richer as a climber and person! Aiming to freeclimb (or just climb) moves on rock or on plastic has been the way I was thought how to climb, it’s been in me for so long. The game of climbing is simple, you go up. But the rules you give yourself, or that are given by a local climbing culture, can make it more challenging, more valuable and offer me to learn about myself. My rule is to freeclimb as much as possible, in any circumstance. Climbing partners have been looking at me weird if I try to free an FA in the rain, with dirt in the cracks or maybe snow on the holds. They would scream: “Just pull on that piece of gear and go on!” But that’s how I make fun, I love trying, I love not to put a bold and try to climb the moves free on the gear. So, respecting these rules, laws or principles in combination with the desire to learn and become better, make me try hard and try hard again after falling, failing, brainfarts or external and uncontrollable circumstances. You just need to make up for yourself what your values are, what are the values you want to base your climbing upon? 

What Do You Do When You're Not Climbing: Mainly I am planning climbing trips, or occupied with communicating past trips and expeditions to sponsors, magazines and the climbing community through social media. Besides my climbing life I’m very interested in human relations and interactions. I always search for other activitys besides climbing to keep developing other skills. Last two years I’ve followed a public speeching course with as a result writing and presenting my own TED-talk-like speech. Techniques of storytelling and theatre where combined and made this course super enriching as a narrator and just as a person. This year I focus on leadership and management of teams. I read books, educate myself and soon I will start working with a company offering experiential leadership training programs in the outdoors for businesses. Furthermore, I value friends and family so I love to spend time with them in Belgium. I love cooking great food, reading books, and laughing my ass off in a good social environment! 

 

MEET

ALEX GARRIGA

1998

BIRTH DATE

7 YEARS

CLIMBING

SPANISH

NATIONALITY

CUENCA

LOCAL CLIMBING SPOT

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