Nate Lanza

I started climbing when I was 5 and joined the BCT when I was 16. I’ve always enjoyed climbing for the places it brought me and the people I did it with, and the latter motivated my original decision to join the BCT. However, I quickly realized that pushing myself to send harder climbs brought me far more enjoyment than any other aspect of climbing, and that’s the part that still has me hooked, 4+ years later. I don’t believe in any inherent purpose to life- I think we as humans get to create our own purpose, by doing the things we love. In that sense, climbing has given my life purpose- along with skiing, hiking, photography, and all the other things I’m passionate about.

Where are you now and what are you doing?

I’m a sophomore at the University of Utah, in Salt Lake City, studying Computer Science. When I’m not studying, I’m climbing, skiing, or hiking, preferably while traveling.

What’s your 5 year dream?

Graduate college, then seasonally work both ski patrol and as a climbing guide.

What do you like best? Indoor or outdoor climbing?

Outdoor > indoor any day of the week- indoor is the training ground, outdoor is where the real fun happens.

Trad, bouldering, or sport?

While I love all three disciplines, bouldering < sport < trad in my book. I prefer the complexity of working out a whole sport climb and fine-tuning the beta for each section to maximize the efficiency, and I find that the whole process becomes a lot more engaging when I also have to place the gear that keeps me off the ground.

What’s your most memorable ascent?

Crescent Crack Direct to Final Link, in Little Cottonwood Canyon- biggest sandbag of my life. The “5.7” 2nd pitch starts off with a brutally flared 10’ squeeze chimney, which I spent 30 minutes stuck inside on lead before finally wriggling my exhausted body out the top & continuing upwards. The last pitch, known as Final Link, is a perfectly smooth 120’ slab, with a whopping 6 bolts to protect the entire pitch. My partner and I had a hilarious back and forth of politely offering each other the lead, until finally I got on the sharp end and tiptoed my way up the pitch, fully aware of every foot placement as 25’+ runouts gaped beneath me. We rapped down in the dark, and as much as the day had been difficult and tiring, it left us both tingling with happiness and excitement.

Where is your favorite place to climb?

City of Rocks, ID, with honorable mentions to Little Cottonwood Canyon UT, Indian Creek UT, and Yosemite CA.

What was your favorite competition moment?

At my last regionals, there was one slab problem that spat most of the field off on the last move- a delicate, no-hands reach to match the tiniest little chip. I got destroyed by the rest of the climbs in the competition, but topped that slab in two tries. Knowing that I could out-slab most of the one-arm pullup, mega strong dudes in that category was a real confidence booster and totally made up for the thrashing on the other problems.

What was the hardest moment for you as an athlete?

I’ve had two times in the last four years where I couldn’t climb for multiple months- once when I injured a finger pulley, and then during the initial pandemic lockdowns in March-May 2020. Both situations presented their own unique challenges, but I kept my psyche up by getting as close to climbing as I could (limited outdoor bouldering during the pandemic, training other muscles while my finger was injured) and pursuing my other passions in life. Both situations eventually passed, and in both cases, I was able to come back to climbing with renewed psyche and motivation to take advantage of all the access to climbing that I have.

Is there anything else that you want the world to know?

Everything, or nothing, but preferably not an amount in between.

Social Media links
Instagram: @natelanza