10 things we learned from Sasha DiGiulian’s AMA
On May 19, 2014, Petzl athlete Sasha DiGiulian did an AMA (Ask Me Anything) session on Reddit. She posted her introduction and redditors quickly posted questions for her-about climbing, school, fear, food, and other aspects of life. Sasha hung out online for hours, typing answers to some of the over 300 questions. Here are 10 fun things we learned about Sasha from her answers. Check out the rest of her answers here.
1. She makes her own energy bars
“I make them in my Blendtec and I use a nut and oat base, then I add other raw ingredients like chia seeds, coconut, raisons, berries, and honey/dates…”
2. She has a good philosophy on fear
“You cannot think about falling when you are afraid. You cannot be concerned with the worst case scenario. You have to have confidence in yourself and move with control. That is your only option.”
3. She’s a full-time student at Columbia University
“I am excited to get more into multi pitch climbing and mixed climbing, but a lot of this focus will begin in two years, for me, when I finish Columbia and have more time!” “My toughest struggle is maintaining and improving my shape during the school year because time is so limited.”
4. She’s serious about training
“I climb about five days a week for two to three hours, and I cross train about four days a week with an hour of cardio. When in the city, biking is my main method of transportation when the weather is nice, too-so then I can multitask my cross training! I also do ab workouts about four to five days a week, and some complex training with my coach, Alexi Thomakos, which involves strength-to-bodyweight exercises and light weights (including pull-ups, dead hangs, and medicine ball activities).”
5. She has dual citizenship
“You know, I have spent a lot of time in Canada! I am a dual citizen! I used to go climbing in Canada near Mont Tremblant with my brother and cousins. My brother had a birthday party at a local climbing gym by where I lived, and that’s what brought the sport to me!”
6. Her worst experience was also one of her best memories
“Worst experience was being stuck at the top of Tres Cime last August while it was raining, freezing, and I had no jacket! That also is one of my best memories!”
7. One of her sponsors bought her a cat named Pixie
“5.10 bought me Pixie because we are relaunching the VXI shoe and the catch phrase is “soft as a kitten!” Well, Pixie is the real-life kitten! I also have always wanted a little companion, and I don’t have enough time to look after a dog right now.”
8. She hasn’t had good luck with bouldering
“I don’t see myself getting seriously into bouldering again… . I injured my ankle three consecutive years from bouldering and that mentally affected me. I feel a lot more in my zone when I’m sport climbing, and I also tend to enjoy the consistent fluid motion, the flow, through sport climbing, which I don’t necessarily feel while bouldering.”
9. Her secret to performance is so simple…
“Sleep is my numero uno. I try to get eight hours a night. When I have a lot going on, some weeks I only manage about six hours, but I am not one to pull an all-nighter. I will always put my health before a paper. And, this is because if I try to do an all-nighter for something like a test or a paper, then what I produce won’t be worth anything anyway.”
10. She wasn’t always a climber
“Before climbing really became the main part of my life, I was figure skating. Perhaps I could have pursued that!”
Source: Petzl