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Tiffany Hensley
I began climbing when I was 7 in 1998, in Santa Cruz, California knowing I was starting on the same footholds and home gym as Chris Sharma. It was Chris who inspired in me the belief that it was possible to live my dream. Since the beginning, I've always been a full-scale rock climbing fanatic, learning to trad climb and experimenting with movement. And I love nothing more than being psyched about life, about traveling, about learning from the world and climbing in some of the most dramatic regions on earth with other passionate climbers. The people are amazing. Over the entire world, the climbing community is entwined by the extreme alpinist/dirtbag lifestyle.
I climbed obsessively in the gym, competed, and within two years, I made it to Nationals. Then I placed 2nd in the IFSC Youth World Cup in Imst in 2006 for both speed and rope. Last year I competed in the North American Continental Championships as the youngest competitor, and was TOTALLY PSYCHED to win first...I actually went outside to jump in the snow! Haha!
Now, after training two summers under the man I consider my sensei, Jean-Michel Casanova, who soloed the Eiffel Tower twenty years ago and stopped climbing when he reached the hardest grade of his time, I've become focused to climb even harder and have only begun to explore the world. For one year, before starting college in 2010, I am pursuing 8c+/9a projects, studying photography, and learning the cultures and languages of the countries where I climb.
I will be talking about my profession in climbing: the passion and the lifestyle, moving around other countries looking for inspiring rocks, and competing and traveling in international competitions with other inspired climbers.