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beyond_gravity
Oct 18, 2002, 11:48 PM
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Registered: Jan 2, 2002
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eh?
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pattray
Oct 18, 2002, 11:53 PM
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Registered: Mar 26, 2002
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Shes in School.
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cragchica
Oct 19, 2002, 12:23 AM
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Registered: May 29, 2002
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Where? What school? What year is she?
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whipper
Oct 19, 2002, 1:46 AM
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Registered: May 21, 2002
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Where? what school? what year is she?
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tenn_dawg
Oct 19, 2002, 2:12 AM
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Registered: Mar 14, 2002
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She fell off the end of the world.
Travis
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paintinhaler
Oct 19, 2002, 2:33 AM
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Registered: Dec 12, 2000
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It happens...
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michaelmay513
Oct 19, 2002, 2:36 AM
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Registered: Aug 4, 2002
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Who cares!
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lilred
Oct 19, 2002, 2:47 AM
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Registered: May 3, 2002
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Someone told me she's pursuing her musical talents with the flute...
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beyond_gravity
Oct 19, 2002, 3:13 AM
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I think I heard somewhere she went lez
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mcsosar3456
Oct 19, 2002, 4:19 AM
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cool
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jmlangford
Oct 19, 2002, 5:31 AM
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Katie Brown: Setting the Standard
In this age of media hype, the term "world's best" is often overused. But Katie Brown is an obvious contender for the title of "world's best female sport climber." After only a few years in the sport, she has reset the standards and set a new benchmark for her peers. This diminutive 18-year-old climber has sealed her place among the elite, a group which includes the world renowned Lynn Hill and Robyn Erbesfield.
"'She's a very strong on-sight climber, with a very smooth and deliberate style. I look forward to seeing what she does in the future...'" — Climber Lynn Hill
Brown started climbing at age 12, when her family moved from Denver, Colorado to Lexington, Kentucky. Instructors at Climb Time, a climbing gym in Lexington, quickly realized her talent and encouraged her to compete. In August of 1995, after several small junior competitions, she won the Junior Nationals for her age group. The following October, Brown took another age group title at the World Junior Championships in Laval, France, and since then, has won several top-level competitions, both World Cup and the famous Arco Invitational.
Brown recently moved with her parents from Georgia back to Denver, where she is continuing her education at Colorado Christian College. Still settling in, she has yet to seriously attack the most challenging routes in the state, though it's only a matter of time before the crags of Boulder and Rifle succumb to her quiet, tenacious style.
But she didn't leave the Southeast without a parting gift.
On April 11, Brown made her best ascent to date, on-sighting Omaha Beach, a route in the Red River Gorge of Kentucky. It was on her third consecutive day of climbing after having already done a couple of 5.13 routes when Bill Ramsey, who did the first ascent of the route, suggested she try it without cluing her into its difficulty. With little hesitation, Brown hopped on to give it a go.
"I just thought, well, since I'm tired, I might as well just try it and see how I go," she said. "And so I just started climbing it and the higher I got, the less I wanted to fall, like the more I wanted to do it. So I just got more and more determination as I went."
When she reached the signature move of the route, she found out why it's called Omaha Beach, "because it's such a struggle to get off it. It's like a big shelf that you kind of have to climb over." After puzzling out the moves, she did a dyno to overcome the gap — a divergence from her characteristic smooth, static style. When she reached the top, she achieved something that no other woman has done, an on-sight ascent of a 5.13d. The rating of the route has since been confirmed by fellow Red River Gorge wunderkind David Hume, who recently did a very quick redpoint of Just Do It, 5.14c, in Oregon. Only two men, Swiss Elie Chevieux and Australian Garth Miller have on-sighted harder, both having sent 14a routes.
It's just great what she did," says Lynn Hill of Brown's ascent of Omaha Beach. "She's a very strong on-sight climber, with a very smooth and deliberate style. I look forward to seeing what she does in the future and believe that she's capable of redpointing a very hard route." This is strong praise from someone who Brown considers a role model and admires "because she has such a strong mental aspect of climbing." Brown also looks forward to having a career similar to Hill's; she hopes to one day retire from the competitive circuit and concentrate more on natural rock.
This year has been one of competitive ups and downs for Brown. At the Leipzig World Cup, she climbed off route and finished a disappointing seventh. She rebounded at the next World Cup in Besancon, where she topped an all-star field that included Muriel Sarkany and Elena Choumilova. At the X Games in July, her three-year winning streak was snapped by a switch in format from lead-route difficulty to bouldering. She was foiled by the long reaches and lack of intermediate features that are usually available on natural rock; she is not enthused about trying any more indoor bouldering comps.
"Bouldering, a lot of times, is more reach-dependent than route climbing. And on plastic, there's really nothing they can do about that, like you have to use the holds that they put up. But bouldering outside you can usually use the little dinks in the rock and all kinds of weird things to still get up the boulder problem. And so, I just don't see myself pursuing competitions in bouldering."
Brown plans to take fall quarter off from school in order to return to Europe and spend as much time there as possible. Aside from competing in the World Cups in Italy, Slovenia, and England, she hoped to climb at Ceuse in France and several limestone crags in Spain. She and 19-year-old Beth Rodden, another up-and-coming US climber, will also compete in a unique team competition in Italy, where the duo will attempt to climb as many difficult routes as possible within a set time.
"'Right now I'm really focused on sport climbing...I'd like to get into trad climbing and doing multi-pitch free routes and stuff. I don't have any desire to aid-climb....'"
— Katie Brown
Justifiably known as an on-sight climber, Brown plans to spend some of her time in Europe redpointing a difficult route. "I've never really spent any time in any — any length of time in an area — where I've been able to work a route," she says. "Usually I'm just in there for a couple of days. So I'd rather do more routes that I can on-sight instead of one route that I might not be able to get in two days. But this fall, hopefully I'll be able to stay for a length of time, I'll be able to work a route. I think it will be fun — good for me." Given the fact that she has climbed 5.13d without falling, it is likely she will be able to redpoint a very hard route, indeed.
While she is currently focused on sport climbing and indoor competitions, Brown plans to try more crack climbing and long free routes and has already spent some time working on placing natural protection. "Right now I'm really focused on sport climbing, I think, and I'd like to get into trad climbing and doing multi-pitch free routes and stuff. I don't have any desire to aid-climb. But I see that being quite a ways down the road right now."
Whatever she decides to focus on in rock climbing, one thing is certain about how Katie Brown will do. With her focus and natural talent, she will continue to push the limits of the sport, and not just in comparison to other women, but in the sport as a whole.
— Matt Stanley, MountainZone.com Staff
Click here for links to video clips of Brown. This interview posted today.
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paintinhaler
Oct 19, 2002, 6:50 AM
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Registered: Dec 12, 2000
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that's alot of info......
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jmlangford
Oct 20, 2002, 3:05 AM
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B_G asked for it. I am here to serve.
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camhead
Oct 20, 2002, 3:34 AM
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Registered: Sep 10, 2001
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I heard that she was a christian fundamentalist.
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jmlangford
Oct 20, 2002, 3:49 AM
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Well good. More people need to be as wise as she is.
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lightboi
Oct 20, 2002, 5:37 AM
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Registered: Apr 27, 2002
Posts: 109
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First a bit of disclousre.....
I am not christian and never will be.
Now on to Katie:
Just tell me how she chooses her spiritual path affects the skill that she has. In the videos that I have seen of her climbing she moves with a smoothness, strentgh and flow that I have been striving for over 10 years now in my own climbing. She may spend her sunday mornings in one way, I tend to spend them at the crag.
josh
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jmlangford
Oct 20, 2002, 5:48 AM
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"First a bit of disclousre.....
I am not christian and never will be."
Ah, my friend....never say never.
Now, on to Katie...you are right. While watching her climb in the video "Masters of Stone" it was amazing how easy she made everything look. No wasted motion at all. Of course, it helps to only have 95 lbs hanging on your arms instead of the 235 I pack around.
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lightboi
Oct 20, 2002, 7:05 AM
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Registered: Apr 27, 2002
Posts: 109
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jody, I think the same thing about christians. This is not meant as a flame. Faith is the most powerfull force for us humans. I have studied as many belief systems that I can come into contact with and they all fascinate me. I am as grounded with my spiriuality as I believe you to be, but I have a question. Why do many christians believe that I can be changed? I do not ask for others to belive as I do. I just ask people to live a just and moral life. Why the need to try to convert? This idea of christ caused genocide on my race.....I am Native American. Now I am not complaining about losing a culture, unfortunaltly Indians lost a war and the victor of that war gets to define what culture will remain. But that does not change the fact that my most of my ancestors were killed in the name of christ. I am thankfull that all of my ancestors were not killed, because then I would not be writing this now. I can still see and talk to them. They are part of the rock that you and I love to climb. They are in the wind as I face a sunset. The earth is a closed system. Nothing new is created, and nothing leaves. We drink the same water that the first fishes in the sea swam in. And my descendants will eat food grown from the same soil that grows your food. And someday I and you will be part of that soil.
Back to on topic, Katie Brown
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edgelounger
Oct 25, 2002, 5:51 PM
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Registered: Aug 19, 2002
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Strangely, my friends were looking into purchasing a truck in Colorado and found out their saleman was KB's dad.
from what i gathered KB has/had been sick and was/is improving. I have no details other than this.
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tylerphillips
Oct 29, 2002, 7:42 PM
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Registered: Feb 20, 2002
Posts: 132
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Me thinks Jmlangford has something for Ms.Brown
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climberchic
Oct 29, 2002, 8:07 PM
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Registered: Apr 24, 2000
Posts: 2077
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Her "sickness" had to do with what was ailing a lot of competition females in this sport. The need to be lighter, faster, and stronger turned a lot of girls toward eating disorders (anorexia and bulimia).
Same for Katie Brown and when the public was enlightened with this knowledge, that may have been enough for her to take a break and get better. Although she didn't admit it outright, Beth Rodden hinted that she suffered from the same affliction.
I hear she (Katie) is doing better and getting back into the public eye. By these posts, she seems to be. Good luck to her!
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