I started climbing at the age of 6 when I wasn’t that into mainstream sports. My dad had a friend who climbed so took me and from then I was hooked. I started competing from 7 years old and progressed into the National Team at 16 (back then there was no junior team). It was around the same time I started climbing outside more and found I enjoyed it just as much as competing. Now I find a 50/50 balance between the two and do as much of each as I can.
Get to know Nathan
Tell us about your successes so far?
Competitions: 1st European Youth Cup 2013 Laval, France. 6th World Championships 2018 Innsbruck, Austria. 4th World Beach Games 2019 Doha, Qatar. 1x CWIF win, 2x BBC’s wins.
Outdoors: 8B/V13 flash. 8B+/V14 redpoint. 8B/V13 first ascent.
What are you working on? What are your goals for the future?
In competitions I’m working towards winning World Cups/World Championships. Outdoors I’m getting into putting up new boulders more but I also still enjoy repeating hard and classic ones.
Why do you climb? What do you love about climbing?
I love that it’s different every time. If it was the same I would loose interest and find something else. I think that’s the same with anything in life. If I were doing the same thing in a job everyday I would hate it and move on if I could.
Which Scarpa shoe is your favourite?
The Drago LV is my go to for comps. Generally they involve bigger slopey feet rather than small edges and these do the job perfectly. For outdoors I use a variety of shoes depending on the boulder but the Instinct VSR is the all rounder that I wear for about 80% of things.
Tell us about your best day climbing?
That’s a hard one, my best day climbing is probably a day I can’t remember where I just had loads of fun with some friends pottering around at the crag. So if I can’t pick a specific day, I could pick a few best moments.
The moment I realised I had made World Championship finals. Competing in my final international comp as a junior and taking the win with a roaring GB Team behind me.
Topping out the infamous Karma in Fontainebleau after trying it for years. The weekend of my 22nd birthday. Over 2 days in Magic Wood I climbed 1x 7C+V10, 3x 8A+/V12, 1x 8B/V13, 1x 8B+/V14. The last was my first of the grade. What a birthday present!
What do you do away from your sport?
When I’m not climbing, I’m either riding my mountain bike or playing video games.
