Tyler Kersey on Stratocaster (5.11d) in Red Rock Canyon, NV.

Q: How did you get into climbing and when? What’s type(s) of climbing do you do and/or enjoy most?
 
I got into climbing because I wanted to. The first time I climbed in a gym was February 2015, and my first outdoor climb was September 2015, which got me hooked. I was a pretty avid hiker in Red Rock, and I would always see climbers doing their thing. I thought to myself  “I’m gonna do that.” I used Tinder to meet dudes that were climbers, and I had them teach me the basics just to get me started. Of course they didn’t know I was using them, but I feel no shame. I didn’t want to be the “climbers girlfriend” so after I learned the basics and the gear I needed, I made my own friends and started consistently climbing with them. I am primarily a sport climber, I boulder occasionally when I really want to trash my body and get tendon injuries, and I have recently started trad climbing and I’m fucking STOKED on it.  ​

Kraft Boulders, Red Rock Canyon, NV. Photo Credit: Brook Anderson

Prison Gate, NV. Photo Credit: Brook Anderson.

 
Q: Is there a climb that is memorable to you and why?
 
Two routes come to mind. The first route is Glitter Gulch 5.11a. It was the first 5.11 that I tried and sent on lead, so I was pretty damn proud. I typically avoid activities that I’m not immediately good at due to fear of failure, which is why I hate board games.
 
I’m not really sure how I ended up a climber... with that said, this fear of failure regularly keeps me from trying hard, I pride myself in being a sub par lazy climber, which leads me to really underestimate my climbing strength. I decided to actually try, and I sent. Pretty big moment for the girl that uses the excuse of “I cut my toenails too short today guys, looks like I can’t climb.”
 
The second route is a multipitch trad route called Travelers Buttress 5.9 in Lovers Leap. It was just the first pitch of 5.7 with a 5.8 off width crux (I never claimed to be good at this)… anywhosies, the crux on the first pitch is reeeaallll fucking hard, and those weirdos that climb off width for fun are nuts.
 
My relationship with climbing as of late has been a bit turbulent, so my motivation to send anything, let alone even go out and climb has been in the toilet. Maybe it was the weather, or maybe it was fucking magic (probably magic), but for some reason I decided I wanted to get this pitch clean. No falls, no takes. Yeah sure, it was on follow, but I was determined. I have NEVER tried that hard on any route, ever. I got it with one fall, after chicken winging, and using every cuss word in the book. I am still determined to get the entire 5.9 route this October, including the entire second pitch crux of 5.9 offwidth, no falls, no takes. We shall see! 

Q. How did you get into climbing photography? How did you learn photography?
 
I was a birth photographer prior to being a rock climbing photographer. Yes, you read that right, birth, as in human babies being born. Yes people pay for that shit, yes I see vaginas. Naturally, my love for photography translated into my love for rock climbing, and thus Brook the rocking climbing photographer was born! Get it? Cause I do birth photography? I was born? You get it.
 
I taught myself photography for the most part. I used to work as a photographer’s assistant, so I had learned some basics from that, but I am self taught via youtube and faking it till you make it. Gideeup!

​Q. What do you like about climbing photography and what do you find challenging?
 
I like SO many things about climbing photography! I like how it’s unpredictable and you have to be ready to get the shot (much like birth photography).
 
There are no redo’s on crux moves for a climber trying to send their project, so you have to be mindful and prepared.

 I love being on a fixed line or hanging from the anchors of a route when a climber finally sends, and getting to capture those moments of relief and excitement that otherwise would be experienced alone by the climber. I’m the first to high five them, and cheer them on high up on the wall, and it’s one of the best feelings being able to support your friends like that.

Civilization Crag, Red Rock, NV. Photo Credit: Brook Anderson

Robber's Roost, Mt. Charleston, NV. Photo Credit: Brook Anderson.

 
I like all of the gear and techy shit I get to do on fixed line, and I really enjoy free hanging from a wall. I enjoy the exposure and freedom of being alone up there waiting for a climber to get to the section of the climb I’m wanting to shoot. My absolute favorite part about being a climbing photographer is the community of people that it has given me access too.
 
I have made lifelong friends because of this sport, and I get to travel to the most beautiful places that most people will never get the chance to see. For me, the most challenging aspect of climbing photography is finding balance in shooting and climbing.
 
I am a rock climbing photographer, but I am a climber first, and sometimes I have a difficult time trying to decide what to do that day, because I know if I bring my camera out, I won’t climb. Another challenging thing about being a climbing photographer is the relationship I have with social media and my online presence. It’s really easy to be perceived like I live this adventurous life of climbing all the time and living one big party, and I take full responsibility for creating that perception, but in real life, climbing is probably 10% of my life, the rest is normal people shit like trying to justify eating cereal for dinner and going to bed by 10pm.  
 
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Q. Do you have a specific tip for new climbing photographers?
 
Just be you. Take photos of what brings you joy, and if you’re at a crag shooting, be respectful of people’s privacy and always ask to take their photo first. Use your gift as an opportunity to build community and make friendships, because ultimately that’s what matters anyway. 

The Hood at Mt. Charleston, NV. Photo Credit: Brook Anderson

The Gallery, Red Rock, NV. Photo Credit: Brook Anderson

 
Q. What has been your biggest challenge with climbing?
 
Motivation, mental capacity, and finding my identity in something deeper than a sport. That sounds a little weird, but a few months ago I asked myself, “if I didn’t climb, who would I be? What would be my community?”

My motivation has been lacking due to anxiety and other mental struggles, and I was faced with the reality that I had made climbing my identity. This was a problem for me, because what if I didn’t feel climbing anymore? It called into question all of my friendships, the reason I take care of my body, and the city I lived in. So much of climbing is mental and being an anxious, heady person, getting in the right head space in order to climb has been one of the biggest challenges.

​The mental struggle and finding motivation is still a work in progress, but I have since found balance and I have a healthier relationship with climbing and what my identity is in that.  

Q. The theme of this edition is “overcoming boundaries.” What is a boundary in climbing and/or climbing photography you’ve had to overcome?
 
Anxiety. The mental side of climbing is huge and severely understated. Anxiety in climbing isn’t a boundary I have overcome, and I don’t know if I ever will. Climbing is fucking scary, and so often I ask myself “wwwhhhyy do I do this?” I don’t have an answer. I love it, but I hate it, and I’m addicted to the adrenaline and the endorphins that come after sending anything. I love the challenge of doing something that requires all of my mind and body, and I can’t really think of anything else in my life that offers me that same sensation.
 

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Photo Credit: Brook Anderson

Q. Has climbing helped you overcome a boundary in life? 
 
Climbing has pushed my social boundary and ability to put myself out there in order to build a community that’s worth having. When I first started climbing I was in transition, and healing from the death of my mom, which was a pretty traumatic experience. I was rebuilding my life when I found climbing, and trying to figure out who the fuck I wanted to be and what my values were. Climbing and the climbing community was the first place I felt like I could just be me. Because in reality, everyone fucking sucks at climbing (except maybe Adam Ondra), and we are all struggling to send our projects and we’re all failing more than half the time, and it’s totally normal, and I needed to feel normal.

​Q.  Are there any climbing dreams you have yet as a climber or as a climbing photographer?
 
You know the ending credits of Free Solo? Where Jimmy Chin and all of the camera crew are going into how they got the shots of Alex doing his thing? I want to be up there, rapping down a huuuggee face to get an incredible life altering shot of someone trying hard. I want to take shots of incredible people doing incredible things. Climbing is just one aspect of the kind of photography I want to do, and while I love it, it doesn’t stop there for me.
 
As a climber, I just want to have fun. I want to climb big long cruiser trad routes for a while, and maybe try to redpoint a 5.12 in my lifetime. I intend to keep climbing my entire life, so we’ll see how far I get.

Brook Anderson climbing and in front of the camera... Photo Credit: Harmony Calhoun