Things are looking up
Damon Johnston
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Please allow me to introduce the very fierce and very green Steph Davis:
Steph’s climbing credentials include:
- First ascents in Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Baffin Island, Chile, and Argentina First American woman to summit Fitzroy in Patagonia and to summit all seven major peaks of the Fitzroy Range
- First woman to summit the notorious Torre Egger, which she climbed speed style, in one day
- In 2003, Steph became the second woman to free climb El Capitan in one day Two years later, she became the first woman to free the testpiece classic Salathe Wall, on El Cap
- She is known for her free solos of the Long's Peak Diamond, in Colorado, a fifteen hundred foot granite wall situated at 14,000 feet altitude, as well as for free soloing and BASE jumping Castleton Tower, in Moab, Utah (where she is based)
Steph is also a dedicated vegan and "a strong supporter of compassionate treatment of animals." Her other interests include trail running, skate skiing, yoga, meditation, photography, and gardening, and working on a second book, called Learning to Fly.
Just in case that doesn't cover everything, I asked Steph a few questions and our interview is below.
WATCH VIDEO: Successful free climbing is all about balance and patience
Steph Davis: Eiger Birds
My Conversation With Steph Davis
Planet Green: Your career seems to often have you living simply, with little more than what you can carry in a pack. How has this impacted your overall lifestyle?
Steph Davis: I am just now packing for a month in Europe, climbing and base jumping. Since on my last three jumping trips, my bags have either been lost permanently (!) or delayed for part of the trip, I am determined to make this trip with no checked baggage. It is tricky because there is a certain amount of equipment you must have, for jumping and climbing. I'll bring a base rig with a parachute, a wingsuit, helmet, boots, climbing harness and climbing shoes, camera, video and computer equipment, and warm clothing. So it has to all be super minimalistic to fit into carry-on. I have a new, custom base set up which is about half the weight of a regular one, so that alone really helps with the packing. I have learned anyway that when traveling in Europe, the less bags I have to carry, the more enjoyable the experience.
PG: Sometimes it's helpful to be put into a position where you have to decide what you do and don't need, huh?
SD: Being a climber for many years, I do believe that light is right, and less is more. I often live out of my truck when traveling in the States, and yes, many climbing styles require you to carry all you need for survival. So it does help to make you identify the most simplistic needs. And for my overall lifestyle, I find that my greatest values are simplicity and freedom. I try to make sure I have all the things I need to pursue my passions and to have a happy, peaceful home life, but no more than that. Although it is still quite a lot, in reality. I feel that material possessions can actually create more and more responsibility and lead to restriction of freedom. Once I've acquired something I will now have to find space for it, maintain it, and perhaps eventually figure out how to correctly dispose of it. Doing this, multiplied from the smallest thing like a coffee cup all the way up to a vehicle or a house, can have a big impact on my energy and freedom.
PG: How has this carried over to other aspects of your lifestyle?
SD: I make sure to keep my lifestyle as simple as possible. My house in Moab is a 1968 doublewide in a small neighborhood near Main Street. I bought it very cheap about ten years ago because it was not very appealing and probably would have not have survived much longer without repair, and I gradually renovated it myself. Now it's hard to recognize as a doublewide—actually most visitors are really surprised when I tell them. Now it has tile floors and counters, wood porches, lots of trees and plants and stone walkways and an outdoor climbing wall. It took a long time and of course a lot of work, with things like going out with my truck to find flat rocks in the desert to make the paths and bringing home sand for landscaping. But the important thing for me is that my house never put me in debt, and so it represents total freedom and security, financially. When I bought it, people commented that I was basically "just buying the lot." But making the existing structure into a good living space rather than tearing it down to replace it aligns with my philosophy of avoiding waste. That's not to say I don't acquire anything and that I live like a monk :) but I do think carefully about acquiring things. I feel most comfortable with simplicity and lack of waste.
PG: Speaking of simplicity and lack of waste, how did you come to veganism and how common is this lifestyle among the climbers, jumpers, etc?
SD: I was experimenting with different nutrition systems about 8 years ago. Finally, I did a cleansing fast, and when I started to eat again, I noticed that everything I was eating was vegan. At that time it was not considered a viable option for a climber—most people did not support veganism as much as many people do right now. But I just decided to go with it, and see how it worked out. I started to climb better than previously, and subsequently freed El Capitan in day, freed the Salathe Wall on El Cap, and made the first one day ascent of Torre Egger in Patagonia. So I could see it was definitely making me climb better. I felt strongly that my spiritual awareness increased when I stopped eating animals, and doing big committing climbs makes that aspect of reality very significant. I also started to get educated about factory farming and how horribly most animals are treated in the States when being raised for food, and honestly, that is now my main motivation, even more so than performance and health. Though being vegan takes care of all three. A lot of climbers are vegetarian or vegan nowadays, way more than in the past, but I think that's true of many people, since there is a lot more awareness of the health, environmental, economic, and ethical benefits of being vegan. I think a lot of people are making an effort to eat in line with their principals, whatever those are.
PG: I agree. I find the ethical component of veganism to be the most compelling. How has this aspect (animal rights, etc.) manifested in your everyday life?
SD: I do the best I can to reduce my consumer support of animal products, because I think that's how I have a voice in this society. For example, I never buy leather shoes for fashion or daily use. However, I do use one style of climbing shoe that is made of leather for certain types of climbing, the Five Ten Moccasym, which I have worn for many years. So this bothered me, and I talked to Five Ten about it. They make a lot of non-leather climbing shoes, and I told them I felt bad about using these leather shoes, and so they recently made me some Moccasyms out of their synthetic material. That is great! I also keep a blog, and a lot of people write me letters and ask questions about being vegan. So I like to share recipes or suggestions.
PG: I came across of webpage referring to you as a "super woman." A nice compliment, of course, and well-earned...but it creates the illusion that not everyone can pursue their dreams as you have. What can you say to those who admire your efforts and choices and are trying to find a way to express themselves and create change in the world?
SD: That's funny, because I was very discouraged as a young climber by the feeling that the "good climbers" were just natural talents, and as someone new to the sport that was kind of dispiriting. As I spent years in the climbing world, I came to see that the people doing the most amazing ascents were the people who were working really hard at them. So it has always been a goal of mine to shatter that myth by sharing all the work and effort it takes to have big adventures, not just the final result, and that is something I tried to express in my book. I have learned that whatever you work at the most is the thing you become the most experienced at. So it's a question of choice, with what you choose to focus your energy toward. The most important thing is to consciously make that choice, and know you are making that choice.
Links to Help You Find Your Foundation
Youth Rock Climbing Team Finds Community On and Off The Wall
Help Wanted: Wind Turbine Cleaner. Can't Be Afraid of Heights.
