Friday Feat: Feet First! Jenny Fischer Inverts for the Send
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Jenny Fischer, on Life Without Parole, V4, in Vedauwoo, Wyoming.
Fischer got her start in climbing seven years ago in Tucson, Arizona. She’s since become a connoisseur of the craft—with skills for every terrain, from multi-pitch granite to sandstone pillars to ice. But Fischer’s primary passion is crack and offwidth climbing.
“The same crack can be a much different experience depending on your size of hand, foot, knee, etc,” she told Gym Climber. “I love the problem solving of figuring out what body geometry is going to fit to make progress.”
Fischer’s preferred pastime might scare most, but she deals with her fears with reason. “For me, coping with fears is all in the logic,” she said. “How dangerous something is in reality vs. how nervous my mind is about it. Some falls are high risk but low probability, or high probability but low risk, I keep my sense of control by thinking that through and deciding if I’m ok with the likely outcome of any given situation.”
For gym climbers looking to break into crack climbing, Fischer recommends trying the sport with a beginner’s mindset. “It’s a bit like learning a new language, jamming technique is a completely different set of skills and it can be healthier to learn in a low pressure situation, like on an indoor crack or on top rope as opposed to lead,” she said. “Getting some visuals and explanations from a more experienced crack climber, in person, in a clinic, via articles, YouTube videos, books even, will help a lot in understanding the physics of how to make a jam work. Don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t click right away! The movement can feel counter intuitive to other types of climbing, but once you get your first solid hand jam it will all start to make sense.”
Happy Friday everyone!
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