DANIEL FISHER -AUSTRALIA-

Sports climbing / Bouldering

Birthday:	17.11.1992
Homeland:	Australia
Place of residence:	Canberra
Size:	170

Arm length:	177
Ape-Index:	+7cm
With EDELRID since:	2012
Sponsors:	EDELRID, La Sportiva, Expedition Equipment

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

INTERVIEW

Climbing

When and how did you get into climbing and what kept you interested / fascinated in the sport?

My dad was dragging me to the crag while I was still in nappies; however I didn't start training or competing until 2000(roughly). I think my father and older brother both played a huge role in getting me interested at an early age, however now days I love being outdoors at the cliff, my main passion and motivation come from falling off hard moves then powering up and puzzle solving my way through them.

Who was your childhood hero and do you consider yourself a role model now? Does it influence you at all that other people look up to you?

I spent the first few years astounded and impressed by my father's outdoor achievement of climbing a grade 25 (7b). In later years local climbing legends like Andrew Bull and Chris Webb-Parsons and Rob LeBreton.

Being a teacher as well as a climber I think I have the opportunity to influence the outlook of many different people, if people do look up to me as a role model I can only hope people can gauge and take positive

What were the most important milestones in your life so far, both in climbing and in everyday life? Did you immediately recognize them as such or only later on?

The day I got married was a pretty big one for me. I think climbing wise my first ever 23(7a) meant a lot, in more recent times my first ever V12 (8A+) Flash was pretty amazing, I had been saving it for over a year and on the day it come together perfectly. Making semi-finals in the 2011 Youth World Climbing Championships was a pretty special memory, but bitter sweet after slipping off very early on.

What were your greatest failures / setbacks / injuries? How did you cope with them and how did you come back from them?

I am currently 10mth back into climbing after 2ish years of on/off climbing due to a finger pulley injury. That two year break with very little climbing was a very hard time for me. Until that point I don't think I had every realised how much a part of my life climbing is. Since then I have been training every two days and loving every minute.

Training

Do you have a strict training schedule for when and how you train throughout the year?

No strict schedule, if there is a competition coming up or I have planned a trip ill train more specifically for that, otherwise I boulder in a 45degree cave every two days for about 3hrs, sometimes ill do a little extra strength and conditioning to supplement this but not often.

What advice can you give to somebody looking to improve their training routine?

Reflection is key, you need to pick one of your weaknesses and figure a way to make this one of your strengths; then pick another weakness and repeat.

Psychology of climbing

Is it possible for anybody to eventually perform a one-armed pull-up or get to the top of the Eiger/Matterhorn, or do you really have to be born for it?

I think there are definitely advantages you can have before undertaking any great journey however I think with the correct training program you can achieve all your goals.

How important is it to set goals in professional sports? What are your goals / targets you are working towards in climbing and in life?

I think everyone needs to set goals, but they are very specific to the person and their needs. My current major goal is to get stronger- which might not work for other people but that's all I need at the moment. In the future I might set specific climbs or boulders as goals, however I find after achieving these you need to have new goals ready otherwise motivation can take a large dip.

The future of climbing

Where do you see the sport going in the next years, what will change and what is your role going to be in it?

I think I enjoy climbing and bouldering to challenge myself through the puzzle solving process, so changes in the overall outlook in the sport have little effect on my motivation or engagement with the sport. I do look around and feel sorry for all the people in the world that haven't found the joy I have in rock-climbing and I can appreciate it's not for everyone. So making it more accessible can't be bad thing can it?