Almost exactly a year ago I went on a "Pay it Forward" tour giving speeches around the country to raise money for various organizations. One of those stops brought me to the "Yosemite Facelift" clean-up event in Yosemite National Park. After being there for a few days I decided to take a breather from the crowds and headed over to El Capitan Meadow where I knew I could find some peace and relaxation. I saw Tom Evans (who is well known for his camera and huge zoom lens to capture climbers on the rock) in his usual spot and I went to hang out with the meadow crew. While I was there, I met up with Brad Gobright and Lindsey Hamm aka “Hamminator.” At the time, I didn’t know that she was such an accomplished climber and athlete. I decided I wanted to learn more and reached out to Linsey for an interview. This is what she had to say.
--Enock
--Enock
What is something you wish people would ask but never do?
Lindsey: "Are you happy?"
I think most of my world consists of “Are you sending?” or “What grade was that climb?” I tend to do that as well, but I’ve realized that no one ever asks each other if they are happy. I try to ask that when I meet new people or see old friends. I think asking if someone is happy can be important and gives insight on what is going on with the person you are interacting with. You could really change someone’s life by asking them that question, simply because of your effort.
I think it’s important to be nice to everyone and be open-minded. I know I have my faults and don’t always follow through with what I am preaching, however, I check myself everyday about my communication and interactions with new and old friendships. We are human and make mistakes. Putting in the effort to show someone you care is HUGE, especially during these times.
Enock: I totally agree with you. I was recently watching a British show and they always greet with the question, “Are you alright?” I love that. It has so much more meaning than just, “How are you?”
Lindsey: "Are you happy?"
I think most of my world consists of “Are you sending?” or “What grade was that climb?” I tend to do that as well, but I’ve realized that no one ever asks each other if they are happy. I try to ask that when I meet new people or see old friends. I think asking if someone is happy can be important and gives insight on what is going on with the person you are interacting with. You could really change someone’s life by asking them that question, simply because of your effort.
I think it’s important to be nice to everyone and be open-minded. I know I have my faults and don’t always follow through with what I am preaching, however, I check myself everyday about my communication and interactions with new and old friendships. We are human and make mistakes. Putting in the effort to show someone you care is HUGE, especially during these times.
Enock: I totally agree with you. I was recently watching a British show and they always greet with the question, “Are you alright?” I love that. It has so much more meaning than just, “How are you?”
Photo Credit: Lindsey Hamm
What do you do for a living?
Lindsey: I am a mountain guide for Sierra Mountain Guides based out of Bishop, CA. I am working towards my International Federation Mountain Guide Association pin. This will give me the ability to guide all over the world in the rock, alpine, and ski disciplines. I really love education and teaching others the skill set for each discipline, plus I meet the coolest humans EVER. I have gained so many beautiful friendships through it.
Enock: You have been climbing for about 10 years or so and have progressed and accomplished a ton. Every time I go to California I hope to get to Bishop and just haven’t yet. This is my goal for next time.
What are your least favorite foods?
My least favorite food is cantaloupe - yuck. I LOVE CHICKEN!
Any foods you just can’t avoid?
CHICKEN. It’s the best, especially when Katie Lambert cooks it for me. Please never buy me a birthday cake - cook me a chicken.
Favorite food while climbing?
Snickers- it has everything you need for a big day.
Photo Credit: @kiersa_koepnick
Any favorite tunes to get you psyched for climbing?
I am listing all my guilty-pleasure artists - which is get you stoked for a climbing mission. I love all the music:
- Drake
- Paramore
- Beyonce
- Anderson Paak
- Kendrick Lamar
- Beastie Boys
- Britney Spears
- Chance the Rapper
- Harry Styles
- Fetty Wap
- Solange
- Mac Miller
- Childish Gambino
- Sylvan Esso
I could list you so much more! I have no shame in some of these people on my list.
Why did you decide to get into climbing?
Lindsey: When I was in college, I thought I was going on a date to the climbing gym... He was just being nice (Ha! Ha!) and introducing me to people in the community because I was new to the area. Once I tried the first couple of boulder problems, I was hooked. After I graduated, I moved to Colorado where my climbing really began.
I met my ex-boyfriend and he was getting into guiding, so I followed along and picked up the disciplines fast. Fresh off the boat from Texas, I was quickly leading trad, ice/ mix climbing, going on alpine missions, and skiing in the backcountry. I really love all of it because it has led me to guiding. I love inspiring people. I love teaching. I love climbing. I love the outdoors. It’s a good place for me. I enjoy the way it makes me try hard and be completely vulnerable at the same time. I am grateful and I see my privilege to be able to climb in the outdoors.
Enock: I love that you love the way it makes you try hard. I often tell people that when you try things happen. It is so true. You just have to try, and you really can make anything happen.
Lindsey: When I was in college, I thought I was going on a date to the climbing gym... He was just being nice (Ha! Ha!) and introducing me to people in the community because I was new to the area. Once I tried the first couple of boulder problems, I was hooked. After I graduated, I moved to Colorado where my climbing really began.
I met my ex-boyfriend and he was getting into guiding, so I followed along and picked up the disciplines fast. Fresh off the boat from Texas, I was quickly leading trad, ice/ mix climbing, going on alpine missions, and skiing in the backcountry. I really love all of it because it has led me to guiding. I love inspiring people. I love teaching. I love climbing. I love the outdoors. It’s a good place for me. I enjoy the way it makes me try hard and be completely vulnerable at the same time. I am grateful and I see my privilege to be able to climb in the outdoors.
Enock: I love that you love the way it makes you try hard. I often tell people that when you try things happen. It is so true. You just have to try, and you really can make anything happen.
Photo Credit: Lindsey Hamm
What really motivates you to climb hard?
Lindsey: What motivates me to achieve my potential is the time and effort I put in at the gym to be able to work on my outdoor projects/ goals for the year. I think the mental aspect of it all motivates me the most, because I must believe in myself. If I want to succeed then I need to work hard, put the time in, and set realistic goals. I am responsible for showing up for myself.
Enock: I think this is the best advice I have ever read for achieving things. It really is about believing you can do it. A lot of achievement is mental. It is easy to train for the physical but we often forget about the mental aspect of achieving big goals.
What person has had the biggest influence on your climbing?
Lindsey: The person who is most influential is Katie Lambert. She is my best friend. She is honest, caring, and the best belayer a girl could ask for.
I look up to her because she works hard for her goals, plus her foot technique is unbelievable. When she wants to send, she puts the time in and works super hard. I’m inspired by her. I could go on for a long time about Katie because she was the motivation for me to move to the Sierra.
I was really lost after my breakup and I felt alone. Katie called me one day to tell me I should move to Bishop, so I did (Ha!Ha!). It was the best decision I made for myself (along with her aggressive tone on the phone, kidding). I think when you have a support team, whether on the wall or off, you have more drive and confidence to work on yourself. That’s a friendship. We have shown up for each other.
Enock: I often think about the people I have met along my path in life and how that chance meeting helped me along the way. I have had friends who inspired me to do things like getting into climbing. It may not have happened without that influence. Katie is definitely a great one to have in your corner.
Lindsey: The person who is most influential is Katie Lambert. She is my best friend. She is honest, caring, and the best belayer a girl could ask for.
I look up to her because she works hard for her goals, plus her foot technique is unbelievable. When she wants to send, she puts the time in and works super hard. I’m inspired by her. I could go on for a long time about Katie because she was the motivation for me to move to the Sierra.
I was really lost after my breakup and I felt alone. Katie called me one day to tell me I should move to Bishop, so I did (Ha!Ha!). It was the best decision I made for myself (along with her aggressive tone on the phone, kidding). I think when you have a support team, whether on the wall or off, you have more drive and confidence to work on yourself. That’s a friendship. We have shown up for each other.
Enock: I often think about the people I have met along my path in life and how that chance meeting helped me along the way. I have had friends who inspired me to do things like getting into climbing. It may not have happened without that influence. Katie is definitely a great one to have in your corner.
I know you climb outside, but did you start inside?
Yes, I started at the climbing wall at my college in San Marcos, Texas, when I was 22.
What is your training routine?
Right now, it’s a lot. I am working with Tim Rose, who is a wonderful coach. The meat of my training is hang-boarding, core, and power circuits. It's important to be consistent. It’s hard to motivate when I am guiding, though, and I must train after work. But I am going for it!
Yes, I started at the climbing wall at my college in San Marcos, Texas, when I was 22.
What is your training routine?
Right now, it’s a lot. I am working with Tim Rose, who is a wonderful coach. The meat of my training is hang-boarding, core, and power circuits. It's important to be consistent. It’s hard to motivate when I am guiding, though, and I must train after work. But I am going for it!
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What’s your most excellent adventure (climbing trip) so far?
Lindsey: So far, my favorite climbing trip was to Zanskar, India to put up my first and only alpine route. That trip was a growing opportunity for many, many reasons. The trip was hard, but educational when it came to the terrain, cohesive partnerships, and how different my life is compared to the indigenous people of Aksho Village. The community, family, and hard work within the village was eye-opening about my own privilege. I found this space within me that broke prejudices I had prior to going to India. I grew up in a different world that feared traveling to remote countries, more so because I am a woman, and perceiving it to be a dangerous environment. Yes, it was dangerous on various levels, but I am very grateful to have the opportunity to get out of my comfort zone and see my skills applied on a bigger scale. I was ready for this mission, even though we didn’t complete the whole climb, it was moment of learning and trying! Enock: There are so many good things about this trip. I see so many of my friends who travel and climb learning about different cultures and countries. The one big theme I notice in other countries is a sense of community. This sounds like it was an amazing trip and not just for the climbing. |
Photo Credit: @_drew_smith_
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So, what’s next? What’s on your tick list?
Yosemite and playing in the Sierra. I don’t want to give away my tick list, yet. I have things in the works, which will be announced later. But for now, my goals are to send 5.12 trad and get into 5.13 sport climbing. For winter, I plan on continuing my love for harder ice and mix climbing.
Enock: I totally get it. I have some things in the works that I am not telling everyone about yet, too.
Yosemite and playing in the Sierra. I don’t want to give away my tick list, yet. I have things in the works, which will be announced later. But for now, my goals are to send 5.12 trad and get into 5.13 sport climbing. For winter, I plan on continuing my love for harder ice and mix climbing.
Enock: I totally get it. I have some things in the works that I am not telling everyone about yet, too.
Favorite memory while climbing?
Lindsey: Ha! Ha! Too many to choose from, but recently the time on on The Incredible Hulk with my friend Jane. We had a great in-and-out mission to climb Positive Vibrations in a day, which was RAD.
Jane and I had never roped up with each other before so this could be a hit or miss in a new belaysionship. But we climb very fluidly, our transitions were on point and we were sending. We did have a hiccup with a gentleman who was not too keen on two BADASS women CRUSHING the climb. He wouldn’t let us pass, but I finally went over his ropes…he did not like that. We had a couple words, which I put him in his place, got down to the ground, and went home. Aside from that, it was great day climbing with someone so happy and solid. Love you, Jane!
Enock: This is so cool. Jane helped carry me to my first big climb in Yosemite on Washington Column. I love how the climbing community is huge but also small. I have had my moments with people not being friendly too, but I love how you handled it.
Lindsey: Ha! Ha! Too many to choose from, but recently the time on on The Incredible Hulk with my friend Jane. We had a great in-and-out mission to climb Positive Vibrations in a day, which was RAD.
Jane and I had never roped up with each other before so this could be a hit or miss in a new belaysionship. But we climb very fluidly, our transitions were on point and we were sending. We did have a hiccup with a gentleman who was not too keen on two BADASS women CRUSHING the climb. He wouldn’t let us pass, but I finally went over his ropes…he did not like that. We had a couple words, which I put him in his place, got down to the ground, and went home. Aside from that, it was great day climbing with someone so happy and solid. Love you, Jane!
Enock: This is so cool. Jane helped carry me to my first big climb in Yosemite on Washington Column. I love how the climbing community is huge but also small. I have had my moments with people not being friendly too, but I love how you handled it.
Lindsey with Jane Jackson. Photo credit: @janejackson
How did the Titan Games happen?
Lindsey: I received a weird email from a producer looking for candidates for the Titan Games, so I indulged. They asked me to do an interview, which lead to a tryout in L.A. and somehow, I got on the show!
It was a fun time in my life, because I met some of the most amazing people! I was up against elite athletes! It was challenging and weird to be on television because you will have, maybe, a million people watching this show. I was happy to find out that I was very inspiring to a lot of people, which was the goal.
Enock: Saying yes to opportunities is one of my big things. I tell people all the time just say, “Yes!” You never know what might come out of it. It is so awesome that you didn’t just blow off the email and you went for it.
During your Titan Games bio they mentioned a lot of the places you have travelled to climb. I often dream of traveling the world to climb. I am wondering how did those trips happen? How did you decide to go to those places? Can you tell us a story about one of those trips that really sticks out to you?
Lindsey: Some of the trips were just great timing and luck.
I think one of my trips that has really stuck with me was to Liming, China, because I got to know the community. Some of the kids really latched on to me. I would try to get to know the children, since I am a woman and a climber, maybe I will inspire them to try getting on the ropes later.
I was impressed with the amount of effort my friends put in to establish those amazing routes, that are becoming classics. Liming feels like if Zion, Red Rocks, and Indian Creek had a bastard child - super wild, adventurous, and hard. The valley floor reminded me of parts out the movie Peter Pan, very lush and dreamy.
Enock: You mention community a lot. It seems like the climbing community could really be a great group of ambassadors for the world. Often are in communities sharing, as well as, getting help from those communities. It seems like there should be some sort of program for climbers to learn how to be ambassadors to help these communities while growing the sport in the process.
I recently saw people commenting about your physique during the Titan Games. I can relate because people were sometimes quite mean in the comments on my El Capitan movie. What would you say to those people who seem to go out of their way just to be mean?
Lindsey: Shhhh, I can’t hear you! (Ha!Ha!) You can’t say anything to them, because it’s a waste of time.
You know who you are and how much love you put into that mission. Fuck that noise. I am super happy to be Lindsey Rae Hamm, and proud of the person I have become. I stand up for myself and other humans that need me to pull-up. I am very comfortable in my own skin. When I am not happy about my weight, or how I am climbing, I go work on it. I’m assertive, creative, confident, athletic, beautiful, smart, happy, adventurous human in her thirties who is proud to be WOMAN in the outdoors.
Enock: Well said! I had a hard time with the comments I was getting after El Capitan, but I finally had to just stop reading them. I just wanted to thank everyone for the good things, but it became too much.
Lindsey: Shhhh, I can’t hear you! (Ha!Ha!) You can’t say anything to them, because it’s a waste of time.
You know who you are and how much love you put into that mission. Fuck that noise. I am super happy to be Lindsey Rae Hamm, and proud of the person I have become. I stand up for myself and other humans that need me to pull-up. I am very comfortable in my own skin. When I am not happy about my weight, or how I am climbing, I go work on it. I’m assertive, creative, confident, athletic, beautiful, smart, happy, adventurous human in her thirties who is proud to be WOMAN in the outdoors.
Enock: Well said! I had a hard time with the comments I was getting after El Capitan, but I finally had to just stop reading them. I just wanted to thank everyone for the good things, but it became too much.
I did a cross-country trip intending to sleep in my van but decided against it after one really hot night trying to sleep. What prompted you to live in your truck and do you have some tips for people who are thinking about it?
Lindsey: Living out of my camper wasn’t a life plan. I learned how to be this so called “dirtbag” by my ex.-boyfriend. We lived out of my van with my dog, for several years and it stuck.
Yeah, it’s a hard life at times. I am thankful that my work allows me to shower and clean my dishes at their establishment. I think the hardest part is relationships. This lifestyle doesn’t keep you in one place for very long, however, I am making Bishop, California my home. I love it here.
With that said, it doesn’t come off as someone who is responsible - more like a dirty hippie. But I have my shit together: I have a steady job; I take showers; And, I love my life in the camper. I just don’t want to pay rent right now. I see myself buying a house at some point. Trying to save that money!
My advice is to respect the city by parking in the appropriate areas. Don’t trash your campsites, or poop everywhere – pack it out. Oh, and support the local businesses! Keep your space organized and clean, and enjoy this morning views.
Get solar panels and buy a small swamp cooler for those summer months. I’ve never had a heater in my camper, even when I lived in Ouray and other cold cities during the winter months. I just bundled up.
Enock: I am definitely going to give vanlife another go at some point, but I will be much better prepared next time. I really want to thank you again for taking the time to talk to me about your life. I learned so much and I think others will find inspiration in what you are doing.
Lindsey: Living out of my camper wasn’t a life plan. I learned how to be this so called “dirtbag” by my ex.-boyfriend. We lived out of my van with my dog, for several years and it stuck.
Yeah, it’s a hard life at times. I am thankful that my work allows me to shower and clean my dishes at their establishment. I think the hardest part is relationships. This lifestyle doesn’t keep you in one place for very long, however, I am making Bishop, California my home. I love it here.
With that said, it doesn’t come off as someone who is responsible - more like a dirty hippie. But I have my shit together: I have a steady job; I take showers; And, I love my life in the camper. I just don’t want to pay rent right now. I see myself buying a house at some point. Trying to save that money!
My advice is to respect the city by parking in the appropriate areas. Don’t trash your campsites, or poop everywhere – pack it out. Oh, and support the local businesses! Keep your space organized and clean, and enjoy this morning views.
Get solar panels and buy a small swamp cooler for those summer months. I’ve never had a heater in my camper, even when I lived in Ouray and other cold cities during the winter months. I just bundled up.
Enock: I am definitely going to give vanlife another go at some point, but I will be much better prepared next time. I really want to thank you again for taking the time to talk to me about your life. I learned so much and I think others will find inspiration in what you are doing.
Follow Lindsey on Instagram: @hamminator2017