It鈥檚 3 A.M. and I鈥檓 hugging my knees on the cold tile of the bathroom floor. I don鈥檛 want to wake my climbing partner, Brette Harrington, who is asleep in the hotel room we鈥檙e sharing. I feel like I can鈥檛 breathe. I鈥檓 drenched in sweat and focusing on boxed breathing. Breathe in鈥攐ne, two, three, four, hold鈥�. Breathe out, hold. Repeat. I need to wake up in three hours because we鈥檙e hiking two and a half miles to our base camp, where we鈥檙e going to spend the next month trying to climb a big-wall route.

I have my doubts: What if I鈥檝e just built this whole team and I鈥檓 not ready? What if I can鈥檛 even do the first pitches of the climb? What if someone gets hurt? What if I get hurt?

My head is spinning. I feel claustrophobic. My heart pounds. I feel like my throat is swelling. This is the first panic attack of my life, and I鈥檓 terrified.

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In September, the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC), the governing body of competitive climbing, of the season to 23-year-old Austrian climber Johanna Farber. During the World Championships in Moscow, Russia, on September 18, the IFSC live stream on Youtube included a close-up, lingering shot of her butt. The incident followed the first apology IFSC issued after broadcasting similar footage of the athlete during the World Cup in Innsbruck, Austria, on June 26.

鈥淭he video is disrespectful but even worse is the part afterwards. Everyone has something to say about this, and not for my climbing,鈥� Farber told me. She received social media comments suggesting that if she was upset by the coverage, she should wear more modest clothing and not 鈥渁sk鈥� for attention to her body in the posts on Instagram.

These messages were coming from strangers who read about the story as it unfolded in , , and . 鈥淚 feel like every message I received was about what women shouldn鈥檛 do,鈥� said Farber.

Before Instagram suspended her account, which Farber speculates was due to users reporting her photos, she called the situation disrespectful and upsetting. 鈥淚鈥檓 an athlete and here to show my best performance,鈥� she wrote in a post. 鈥淭o be honest, I do feel so embarrassed to know that thousands of people saw this. We need to stop sexualizing women in sports and start to appreciate their performance.鈥�

Unfortunately, the Farber incidents are not isolated. They鈥檙e two examples of an undeniable pattern of objectification and sexualization of women athletes across all sports.

Women鈥檚 participation in sports has grown exponentially since the ratification of of the Education Amendment in 1972, which ensured equal opportunity for all American citizens to pursue education and activity. Girls鈥� early participation in sports leads to higher self-esteem, academic success, and likelihood of graduating high school, according to a study by the Women鈥檚 Sports Foundation. (I sit on the board, and the foundation funds research, advocacy, and community-based programs to empower girls and women through increased access and equality in sports.) But elite women athletes are repeatedly analyzed for our appearance, sexuality, dating life, and demeanor instead of our performance.

I鈥檝e experienced this first-hand. I鈥檓 a professional climber with a world championship title and over 30 noteworthy first and first female ascents. Yet I鈥檓 often fielding questions in interviews and on social media about my weight, what I wear, and the fact that I like pink. 鈥淎re you single?鈥� and 鈥淲ho are you dating?鈥� are common questions I sometimes听receive at the end of interviews, or in my messages on social media. I rarely see men asked about their love life, but myself and my fellow woman athletes get these questions regularly.

Luge athlete and Olympic gold medalist Arianne Jones recalls an announcer at a World Cup race describing her as a 鈥渃utie of the circuit.鈥� 鈥淭he announcement focused on the trivialities of my looks rather than my accomplishments in the sport,鈥� she told me. 鈥淭he men鈥檚 commentary at the start in contrast, was, 鈥楬e came in sixth last week and is a strong contender today.鈥欌€�

The biggest issue in women鈥檚 sports right now is a visibility one: both a lack of it and how women are portrayed, according to听Hilary Knight, a professional hockey player and a part of the Women鈥檚 Sports Foundation. When you see a photo of a male athlete, it鈥檚 often an action shot of him performing his sport. But when you see a photo of a woman athlete, it鈥檚 often a glamour shot.

A evaluated the language used to describe men and women athletes across sports media, including written articles and commentary during broadcasts. Researchers found a real disconnect between how men and women are portrayed. Some of the most common words used to describe women athletes were 鈥渁ged,鈥� 鈥渙lder,鈥� 鈥減regnant,鈥� and 鈥渕arried鈥� or 鈥渦nmarried.鈥� Meanwhile, words depicting male athletes included 鈥渇astest,鈥� 鈥渟trong,鈥� 鈥渂ig,鈥� and 鈥済reat.鈥� The study also found a disproportionate focus on women鈥檚 appearance, clothing, and personal lives.

Portraying women athletes in the media in a positive way will help inspire younger athletes. 鈥淎 lot of times you need to see something if you want to go out there and do it,鈥� said Knight. 鈥淭hese young girls need to see professionals.鈥�

Athletes themselves are starting to lead the conversation. During the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, women openly called out sexism. The fought for less-revealing uniforms than the required bikini bottoms, which they were fined $175 per player for refusing to wear. The German gymnastics team chose full-body unitards instead of the traditional high-cut ones as a statement that their talent, not their appearance, should be judged.

As women, we must be afforded the agency to choose when, if, and how we want to display our sexuality. If a woman wants to showcase her hard-earned body in swimsuit shoots, for magazine covers, or in marketing campaigns, that鈥檚 her choice. When I participated in the it was about empowerment and the idea that strength is part and parcel of femininity, rather than exclusive of it. The issue isn鈥檛 with women expressing their own sexuality鈥攊t鈥檚 that often, this is the only way public-facing women are perceived or discussed, without their consent.

鈥淥n social media, I can choose what I post. For example, I do like to post pictures in a bikini. I feel like this is empowering, and I love to see other women proud of their bodies, too. But in the professional capacity鈥攐n the mats, when I鈥檓 doing my job鈥擨 don鈥檛 want this,鈥澨� said Farber. 鈥淭hat is a point that people just don鈥檛 get. It鈥檚 something totally different.鈥�

Want to learn how to climb from a top-tier expert? Check out our 听online course on , where 国产吃瓜黑料+ members get full access to our library of more than 50 courses on adventure, sports, health, and nutrition.

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When I was nine years old, my mom drove me to Boone, North Carolina, to a place called Hound Ears.听We stayed in a little log cabin and woke up early the next day. Climbers from all over sat on crash pads, sipping steamy beverages from their thermoses. People gathered around vendor tents trying to warm themselves against the chilly morning air. Still others听flipped through a听paper topographic pamphlet,听planning their climbing day. This was the first-ever听Triple Crown event,听a competition and festival in the Southeast in which participants aim to do their best ten boulder problems in a day. It takes place in three locations: Hound Ears, Stone Fort in Tennessee, and Horse Pens 40 in Alabama. But Hound Ears is located on private land, so climbers can听only come together to one day a year to recreate there.听

That day, climbers ran up and down the mountain, looking for specific problems听and trying their hardest to complete them. People from all over pulled pads together to create safe landings and cheered beta and encouragement to each other. I was young and new to the sport, and while my mom was there to support me, she wasn鈥檛 a climber听herself, so we relied on other participants to help听me locate boulder problems听and spot听me as I made my way to the top of them.听

Walking along the crunchy fallen leaves, biting into my cold PB&J, and feeling the grippy sandstone under my skin and听the camaraderie in the air heightened my听love of the outdoors. It was just plain fun. I returned to school the following Monday and听couldn鈥檛 wait for Horse Pens 40,听the next Triple Crown event.

Jim Horton founded the Triple Crown series in 1994 with one purpose: to raise money听to keep one of his favorite climbing areas open. Climbing in Hound Ears, like many areas, faces access issues, because听landowners do not want the sport听happening on their property, often听due to liability concerns. Coalitions like Access Fund,听the Southeastern Climbers Coalition, and the Carolina Climbers Coalition purchase land to maintain and to develop the sport in these hard-to-access areas.

I have traveled to over 50 countries听throughout my climbing career. What I cherish about the outdoors is what makes America so unique to people globally: our public lands. So听recently, I went to Washington, D.C., for my fourth-annual Climb the Hill听event, where听Access Fund and the American Alpine Club team up听to lobby on Capitol Hill.听

Lobbying means听highlighting an issue for your elected officials听or introducing a policy that you would like to see supported by听representatives. It鈥檚 important to note that every American citizen has the constitutional right to lobby on Capitol Hill.

For me, protection of the places I love to climb听is high on my lobbying list. According to Access Fund, nearly 60 percent听of our climbing areas are on . There are听a growing number of bills, executive orders, and resolutions to transfer and diminish our public lands from public to privatized, and often they result in an extreme threat to our environment and wildlife.

As a听climbing community, we may be politically diverse, but we all share the same passion. In this, climbing has the power to unite us and inspire all of us to protect America鈥檚 public lands.听

Here is an overview of our lobby efforts this year:

• We supported the听听(CORE), which aims to听protect more than听40,000 acres of public lands in Colorado听as well as withdraw 200,000 acres at Thompson Divide, near Snowmass and Aspen, from future oil and gas leasing.听Want to tell the Senate to pass the CORE听Act? .听
• We also rallied around the听, which offers commonsense solutions to unite outdoor enthusiasts. It outdoor recreation on our public lands.
• We fought legislation and executive orders undermining听the Antiquities Act, including rescinding Bears Ears National Monument听in Utah.
• We discouraged Congress and the president from prioritizing commercial interests over conservation.
• We pushed to maintain听regulations that protect the integrity of our public lands, including responsible public-land uses, environmental protections, and development.
• We argued against cuts to the public-lands budget and supported maintaining the authority of those charged with protection of those lands.

My hope听is that,听together, we can respect the integrity of what sets America apart. A large portion听of this comes down to protecting and advocating for our lands. While they cannot speak for themselves, the beauty of the land听we all share听should speak for itself.

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I train for climbing six days a week. It鈥檚 tough on my body. Traveling constantly takes a toll, too. In order to progress athletically, one of the most important pieces of听the puzzle is staying healthy and injury-free.

There are a lot of different recovery practices out there, but these are the six things that have worked best for me.

Cryotherapy

I first found out about cryotherapy at the in Santa Monica, California. (Full disclosure: Red Bull is one of my sponsors.) The technique is sort of like a concentrated, intense ice bath. Essentially you stand in a deep-freezing chamber filled with liquid nitrogen for three to five minutes. The tank reaches temperatures as low as minus 200 degrees. During this process, your blood vessels constrict, which alleviates inflammation and pain throughout the body. I do this before or after every workout.

I live in Boulder, Colorado, so I听go to 听for this therapy.听

Graston

I see my physical therapist, , once a week when I'm home. He鈥檒l use tools like Graston鈥攁 manual soft-tissue release technique that鈥檚 sort of like a massage鈥攐n my forearms. I鈥檝e always felt that if a massage doesn鈥檛 feel painful, it鈥檚 not really productive for recovery. The body works like听a chain:听if there is tension in one point of your body, it鈥檚 probably related to an issue elsewhere.

Dry Needling

Dry needling is a specific听localized treatment that uses鈥攜ou guessed it鈥攏eedles to relieve pain. Unlike acupuncture, dry needling pinpoints inflamed problem areas in your body. Charlie inserts the needle into trigger-point areas of my muscles to treat myofascial pain. He will also hook these needles up to an electromagnetic stimulator to enhance blood flow. I do dry needling when I have a specific muscle inflammation or tension, usually in my lats, upper back, and neck.

Infrared Sauna

The infrared sauna doesn鈥檛 have much solid research to back it up as a recovery tool, but I like it after a hard workout. I鈥檝e also found it to be a good remedy to combat a cold or post-travel jet lat. These saunas heat the body from the inside out via infrared light waves, instead of warming through surface heat听like a traditional sauna. Typically听I鈥檒l spend about 30 minutes in one. Most high-end gyms or recovery physio centers have these.

Foam Rolling

Foam rolling is a really easy form of recovery. I bring my foam roller when I travel and use it in my hotel room after long flights, after climbing outside all day, and sometimes before climbing. My back gets really stiff, and听I find that when I roll my spine it releases a lot of the pressure. Using a foam roller can be effective if used for just for a few minutes intermittently, but it is a healthy and easy habit to develop. I use the from Pro-Tec Athletics, another one of my sponsors.

Rest

Climbing is a year-round sport. If you can travel, there鈥檚 always a place to climb that鈥檚 in season. But you can鈥檛 expect peak performance out of your body year-round. You need rest. Typically, I take the month of December off. This isn鈥檛 to say that you won鈥檛 find听me in the climbing gym, but more than likely听I鈥檒l be on the ski hill or with ice axes, mixing it up. Time off from training is important to enable your body and mind听to recharge. When I鈥檓 in season, I typically go through two-to-three-month training blocks with a goal in mind. At the end of this concentrated period of training, I set off for my project. Afterward听it鈥檚 important to take time to appreciate what you have put your body and mind through.

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People I meet who don鈥檛 know climbing often ask me, 鈥淒o you ever fall?鈥� At first, it seems like a ridiculous question. I fall every day, countless times, sometimes off the same pebble sticking out of the wall.

I beat my hands up until they bleed, torn from unsuccessful efforts. I squish my feet into downsized rubber shoes to heighten sensitivity and control. I go through this process repetitively, fighting for the slight chance that, this time, I won鈥檛 fall. And when I finally don鈥檛, I feel this unparalleled, overwhelming sensation of personal satisfaction. On some trips, that moment never happens.

But really, how much does that send matter? Is the successful climb that much more significant than the climbs of the previous days, when I fell and fell?

Recently, I returned to Spain to work on a specific personal project: a climb at a crag called Oliana. I spent the first half of the year there, first training with , then climbing outside with friends. I kept falling, and the send eluded me.

I had graduated from Columbia University in 2016 and was starting my first year with no school commitments. Earning my degree is one of my proudest achievements鈥攊t even trumps winning the world championships鈥攂ut once I took off the cap and gown for good, I felt aimless. I didn鈥檛 know what would come next. It didn鈥檛 help that my transition back into full-time climbing was rocky. I nursed a bad back injury for the first few months, and though I traveled and climbed in many incredible places, I felt uneasy. I like to juggle a lot of responsibilities鈥攅vents, business opportunities, work with nonprofits鈥攚hich at times may be a self-defense mechanism. There鈥檚 less pressure to do just one thing superbly. While in school, wearing a lot of hats gave me built-in excuses: if I failed at something, I could blame the workload.

Those circumstances prompted me to think deeply about what climbing means to me and what objectives I should consider noteworthy in the future.听

I have no concrete answers. But what I have learned is that the challenges that fire me up don鈥檛 need to have significance to anyone but myself. Moving forward, this is what I want to prioritize: test myself on terrain that I鈥檓 passionate about, try my hardest, and have fun. I want to seek the elusive flow that comes when I鈥檓 climbing my best.听The point is that the reason a personal project is significant鈥攔egardless of what boundary it does or not break, what definition of success it meets鈥攊s because it matters to me.

Oliana, for whatever reason, mattered. I didn鈥檛 want to fail on this rock. After dedicating August and September to a focused training plan, constructed by , I returned to Oliana. My first day back on the route, I broke past a point that I had always fallen on throughout the spring. The moves felt like they were flowing together, and the burly cruxes felt well within my range.

On October 31, after just over a week of trying the climb, rehearsing sequences, and refining my beta, I sent it. When I started off the ground and climbed through the second main crux sequence, midway on the route, I had a smile on my face. I felt like this was my time. I didn鈥檛 know how I knew that, and I still had almost a hundred of feet of climbing to go. But something felt right. I tapped into this flow, hitting all the holds exactly how I wanted to. When I clipped my rope into the chains at the top, I actually thought I might be dreaming. As I lowered myself to the ground, everything felt perfect. I felt proud of how I climbed, motivated by the progress that I proved to myself was possible, and genuinely excited.

I climb because it鈥檚 the space in my life where I feel the most in control. My world is still when I鈥檓 on the wall, and my worries are about whether I鈥檓 going to hold onto that next little crimper. Whether I can accurately twist my body into the position it needs to be to make the subsequent move possible. The subtleties that make all the difference between success and failure.

And that feeling when I get to the top, it's like a hit of self-confidence-boosting dopamine. I听feel good about myself when I听climb something that I've worked hard on; there is this sense of confidence that comes with clipping the chains that has nothing to do with how anyone else in the world thinks of me听or how I听look at myself听in the mirror. It feels damn good.听

Good enough to convince me to enjoy that fleeting high, then move on to the next project. And keep falling.

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I travel about 300 days of the year, and it鈥檚 not unusual for me to visit three continents in one week. Once, I went to Beijing for a weekend, returned to New York City for class at Columbia University, then flew to Germany the next day.听

Over the years, I鈥檝e learned how to dial in a routine that gets me through TSA quickly and minimizes the stress and the exhaustion of long hours in a plane seat. There are obvious things that most people bring on a flight鈥攍ike a laptop, headphones, and ear plugs. Here are the other items you might overlook but that I've found to be totally essential.听

Hydra Molecular Hydrogen Tablets听

These are concentrated additives that you put in water, where they release tiny bubbles the company claims hydrate you better. I put these into a water bottle, but you can also take them in pill form.听

Graston Tool

My physical therapist introduced me to graston as a way to release tight muscles and break up scar tissue. I use this kit together听with the argan butter, below, to loosen up after hours in a plane.听

Argan Butter听

I bring a small jar of this stuff to apply with the graston tool on my hands and forearms.听

Face Lotion听

Air planes鈥� dry air makes my skin feels like sandpaper if I don鈥檛 keep it hydrated. I like听this water-based formula from Isdin because it鈥檚 light and absorbs into my skin quickly.听

Massage Ball听

Use this (or just a tennis or lacrosse ball) to massage out trigger points in your back and shoulders to keep from getting stiff in the plane seat.听

Compression Tights and Arm Sleeves听

These increase your circulation and will keep your feet and arms from swelling.听

Tea听

While traveling, I avoid coffee and its caffeine high, so I can get some real rest on the plane. Most airlines offer听free Black Lipton, though I usually bring my own non-caffeinated听herbal variety.听

A Good Book. Or Three.听

Here are three books that I've read recently and really loved.

Ayn Rand鈥檚 鈥淎tlas Shrugged鈥澨�

Garth Stein鈥檚 鈥淎rt of Racing in the Rain鈥澨�

Arianna Huffington鈥檚 鈥淭hrive鈥�

Snacks

Air plane food sucks, so I bring my own.听For snacks, I bring Perky Jerky, some of my homemade nutrition bars, fruit, and听carrots with Justin鈥檚 peanut butter.听

Perky Jerky听

Justin Peanut Butter听

Stasher Bags

For packing, I recently discovered 鈥渟tasher bags,鈥� which are basically reusable Ziplock bags that I use to store my snacks, toiletries, and other small essentials.听听

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As a professional athlete, my career depends on a diet of nutritious, whole ingredients.听When I do need to satisfy my sweet tooth, though, I opt for non-processed treats, like homemade cookies, made up of ingredients I already have in my pantry.听I also need food that鈥檚 calorically dense: when I鈥檓 climbing a big wall, I haul all my provisions with me, and I don鈥檛 have much space to store my meals. When I鈥檓 sleeping on a tiny portaledge, I focus on nutritional efficiency.听 听

Over the years, I鈥檝e found one food that consistently checks all those boxes: homemade energy bars. I don鈥檛 have a single recipe. Instead, I mix and match ingredients depending on my cravings and fitness goals. If I鈥檓 in a recovery period, I up the amount of protein (more nuts). If I need quick, fast-burning energy, I add more sugar and carbs (fruit and grains).听

Once I settle on a recipe, I dump all the ingredients in a blender. I鈥檝e had a lot of luck with my , but a would serve just as well. My blender, with its 3.4-horsepower engine, has the power to liquify berries and turn nuts into paste. It鈥檚 powerful, versatile, and I use it almost every day.听

For my bars, I always start with the same basic foundation: a one-to-one ratio of oats to nuts. (You can also substitute the oats for cooked quinoa or brown rice, depending on your tastes.) I use honey and/or dates as the glue. Then I get creative.听Here are some of my favorite recipes that you can also easily make at home.听

Raw Macadelicious Bars听

• 2 cups oats
• 2 cups macadamia nuts
• 1 cup dates
• 1 cup honey
• 陆 cup coconut flakes (medium)
• 陆 cup dried cranberries
• 2 cups coconut flakes (small)
• 2 cups chocolate chips听

1. Place the macadamia nuts and oats into the blender. Blend together on Pulse until you get a flour-like consistency.听
2. In a separate jar, blend the dates and the honey together with a spoon. Add to the oat-nut mixture, then blend together.听
3. Add the coconut flakes (medium) and dried cranberries to the blender. Pulse till smooth.听
4. Empty contents into a large bowl and mix in the small coconut flakes and the chocolate chips.听
5. Dump the mixture into a cookie sheet, then pat down evenly so that the bars are roughly two inches thick. Cut evenly into rectangles, then cover with tinfoil and place in the freezer to harden.听
6. After a few hours, individually wrap the bars in aluminum foil and have them anytime.听

Saharan Bars

• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 cup almonds
• 1/8 sea salt
• 2 tablespoons flaxmeal
• 录 cup coconut nectar
• 1 cup dates
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 4 tbsp chia seeds
• 陆 cup chopped ginger

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a cookie sheet.听
2. In blender, ground the almonds to a fine paste, then add the quinoa and blend together.听
3. Add the flax and salt.听
4. In a separate jar, blend the coconut nectar, dates, and vanilla. Combine this wet mixture with the dry ingredients. Then, mix in the chia seeds and chopped ginger.听
5. Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool, then cut into rectangles.听

Peppy Paradise Bars

• 陆 cup Brazil nuts
• 陆 cup walnuts
• 1 cup oats
• 1 cup honey, 1 cup dates
• 4 tbsp chia seeds听
• 1 cup diced dried pineapple chunks
• 陆 cup dried wild blueberries
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 2 tsp ground lemon rind
• 1 tsp ground paprika

1. Place the Brazil nuts, walnuts, and oats into the blender. Blend together until you get a flour-like consistency.听
2. In a separate jar, blend the dates and the honey together. Then, add to the oat-nut mixture and blend.听
3. Add the chia seeds, dried pineapple, dried blueberries, coconut, and lemon rind. Pulse a few times to mix.听
4. Empty contents into a pan and pat down evenly so that the bars are roughly two inches thick.听
5. Sprinkle paprika evenly over the top. Cut evenly into rectangles and then cover with tinfoil and place in the freezer to harden.听
6. After a few hours, individually wrap the bars in aluminum foil and have them anytime.

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Before starting as a freshman at Columbia University, I already had a full-time career and a global community.听I had deferred a year and traveled to over 30 different countries, competing and climbing. Yet when I arrived on听campus, I felt anxious about meeting people, nervous about the rigor of my classes, and intimidated听by the game of Tetris I was playing trying to fit all my听personal belongings听into my tiny dorm room.

Here are some of the lessons I learned鈥攕tarting on that first day and countinuing for four years until graduation鈥攖o get the most out of听freshman year鈥攁nd the rest of college.听

#1. Diversify Your Community

Your campus is so much larger than school grounds. Explore the surrounding area and think of whatever city or town you are in as your extended campus. Volunteer at a local shelter, help a special interest group, join the nearby climbing gym. Explore opportunities on campus, as well. Hang out with people beyond your dorm mates. Go on a run with someone you just met who likes to work out, too. Or have dinner with some of your classmates.听I joined the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority despite having no interest in Greek Life prior to college, but it was here that I have met some of my lifelong best friends.听

#2. Eat Well

Your college experience will help your brain, but don鈥檛 forget your body, too. Ever heard of the Freshman听15? Prepare for long class schedules by bringing听healthy snacks, like听trail mix or fresh fruit. Avoid vending machines and fast-food traps. As a professional climber, I needed to be super conscientious of this. I read about healthy eating and learned about healthy cooking. Since I was living in New York City, I did not cook often, but I knew how to prepare quick, healthy meals that were simple yet satisfying, like wild rice and chicken, and salads. Grains are easy to prepare in advanced and store in a small fridge for ready-to-go听meals. Surround yourself with healthy options so that when you are in a pinch or a rush, your quickest option is a nutritious one.

#3. Prioritize Fitness

Make time to move. Sometimes the list of assignments you have will seem like they take up more hours than there are in a day. Stay on top of a workout routine and don鈥檛 compromise your daily movement. When you can, make time to get outside and breathe fresh air. You will feel a lot better and your study time听will be more productive. When I was living in New York City,听I walked or听biked everywhere. I went to yoga clubs and took kickboxing and SoulCycle classes. It was an easy way to bridge the gap between fitness and socializing.

#4. Sleep for Success听

If it鈥檚 past midnight and you鈥檙e cramming for the extra hours of studying before the test, just go to sleep鈥攊deally for eight hours. When the night before the exam comes, focus more on a wholesome meal and a restful night than staring at the textbook.听The hour before going to sleep, I turn my phone to silent and stash it away from the bed. Before going to sleep, I鈥檇听write out my schedule for the next day on a note pad. Then, I鈥檇听dedicate some time to writing in my journal: I found that by听doing this, I wouldn't end up tossing and turning,听with endless anxious thoughts running through my mind.听

#5. Be Open to the Other

Be kind to yourself. Everyone is different. Home in on your talents and diversify your experiences. Think about what it is that you want to get out of your college experience and remember your own values. Your decisions and values define you.听

I think back to my time after high school. Prior to going to college, I鈥檇听taken time off to focus on climbing and听traveling. My passion was my sport, my community, and my job. At Columbia, I realized that,听while I love the climbing community, expanding my network sparked other passions. In college, I got听more involved with the nonprofit world and started dedicating听time to organizations like Right to Play, Up2Us Sports, and Women鈥檚 Sports Foundation鈥攁ll of which were based in New York City. Community outreach programs like these enabled me to see the broader significance sports have had on my life; beyond the听pursuit of personal goals, I learned that climbing could become a听platform for听broader change.听

In short, say yes to new opportunities, follow up with new contacts, and open all the doors you can.听

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When was the last time you went a day, maybe even a week, without your phone?

Before this month, I would鈥檝e had to think hard to answer that question. I use . I post a photo every day, whether to communicate where I am, share my mood, or bring back a fond memory. It鈥檚 crucial brand building.

Late last year, I noticed a new habit: When my alarm clock went off in the morning, my thumbs would automatically migrate to Instagram or . Minutes听after my alarm,听I was already adjusting brightness and contrast filters on a photo or scrolling through a feed of others鈥� photos, windows into their lives.

This New Year鈥檚 Eve, I made a resolution to myself: One day a week I would unplug from my phone and the internet for a full 24 hours. It shouldn鈥檛 have been hard, yet I found myself dumbfounded when听choosing which day to dedicate to this cleansing. During the week, my emails piled up. On weekends, I wanted to make plans with friends. My resolution fell through the cracks, week after week.

Then, involuntarily, I went three weeks without my phone on a big-wall climbing project in Madagascar.

The climb, , an 8c in Tsaranoro Valley, is situated in the heart of the island. Here, life is as the route is called in English鈥攕low and steady.

Upon landing, my phone read 鈥渘o service.鈥� Having traveled around the world with an international cell plan, I figured it would just be a matter of time before the phone got online with the local provider. I turned the device off, reset it, and waited. During this time, my climbing partner and I boarded a bus to ride 16 hours toward Mora Mora. My phone never found service.

At home, my phone is how I tell time. Yet as we spent days on the wall, from sunrise to sunset, I learned to gauge the time by the sun鈥檚 relation to the wall. All we were doing was eating, sleeping, hiking, and climbing. Our focus was on what exactly we were doing each moment. The specific hours became less important.

Free from any sort of electronic device, I didn鈥檛 stress about posting on social media or responding to emails, and I didn鈥檛 fall prey to any sort of FOMO. On the portaledge, we lay in our sleeping bags and counted shooting stars or listened to animal noises thousands of feet below as we sipped whiskey.

When I got back from Madagascar, I bought a watch to preserve some of this independence. Now I don鈥檛 use the phone as my alarm clock, and I don鈥檛 have to check it constantly to tell the time, though it is still my connection to work and friends. It鈥檚 a baby step, but hey, it鈥檚 a start.

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