“Learning to Speak the Rock’s Language”: Noted Author Anna Fleming Once Revealed How Rock Climbing Changed Her Perspective on Life

Published 01/25/2023, 8:15 PM EST
For most professional Rock Climbers, climbing rocks is not only a sport, it’s a way of life. With a sport this difficult and taxing, it is impossible to maintain an indifferent attitude. Professional rock climber and author, Anna Fleming, totally agrees. Climbing changed her life in ways one can’t imagine. Fleming has shared her experiences and perspectives in a book authored by her titled “Time on Rock: A Climber’s Route into the Mountains”.
In an article for the Guardian, Fleming once talked about how rock climbing changed her life, and how it gave her a fresh point-of-view on everything.
Anna Fleming Was Born Anew After She Started Rock Climbing
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At first, Fleming was of the opinion that climbing was like any other sport- you vanquish the sport, you create records, and you become famous. However, once she actually got on to a rock, she realized that climbing was much more. She found out that during a climb, she was more aware of everything and more attuned to her surroundings as well as herself.
She wrote, “Climbing has taught me to play with risk… while also developing strengths I never had before. Alongside the enhanced physical and mental dexterity, I have gained an insight into the movements between people and stone. Learning to speak the rock’s language is a movement between body and stone, muscle memory and tactile desire. Looking up at a cliff, an inexpert eye will soon glance away, for all it can see is a barren expanse of dead rocks. But to a climber this is a living face, alive with opportunities, possibilities and intrigue.”
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According to her, a climber’s view of the world is a distinctive one. In fact, climbing gigantic rocks and staying high up above the ground has made Anna Fleming appreciate the environment and the processes of nature that we are not that aware of in our day-to-day life.
Fleming’s Rock Climbing Journey
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Anna Fleming does not come from a professional rock-climbing family. However, she has dabbled a lot in the sport. Fleming completed her undergraduate from Liverpool, and that’s when the climbing bug bit her. She learned the basics of climbing by joining the mountaineering club of her college, and they practiced on the mountains of UK.
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In fact, rock climbing gave her a new passion for reading geology as well, so that she could identify the different kinds of rocks that she was learning to climb. Her understanding of rocks gave her a new stance about rock climbing. She started to learn how to mold her body according to different kinds of rocks. And she hasn’t looked back since.
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