Thank you so much, Lors, for your time and ideas!
Liam: So, how did climbing come into your life?
Lors: I moved into a house with seven people, and five of them were climbers. They took me outside to climb, and it was absolutely terrifying, but I loved it. I almost killed myself when I got to the top because I freaked out and climbed over the edge.
Liam: Like past the anchor?
Lors: Yes! I unclipped something, I guess it was part of the anchor, I don't know, but no one died!
Liam: Wow! Were they yelling at you?
Lors: Oh yeah, like don't do that!
Liam: Holy crap! And then you stuck with it after that?
Lors: Yeah, so the philosophy is to go with people who are slow and explain things.
Liam: Yeah, because they hadn't explained anything about what to do at all?
Lors: No, not at all!
Liam: Sometimes those experiences galvanize you because it's so scary and intense it becomes really important and significant to you, you know?
Lors: Yeah, that's one of the things I like most about climbing. I get really scared, and then I keep going, and then the fear goes away, and I'm like, "Wow, I did the scary thing!" And I got through it.
Liam: Because sometimes you just have to be scared, and there's no way of doing it without being scared.
Lors: Yeah, or you don't have that part of your amygdala functioning.
(Laughter and joking about Alex Honnold)
Lors: I think it transfers into the rest of your life. If you have to stand up in front of a whole bunch of people and do something professional, you're like, "Oh yes, I know this feeling of abject terror."
Liam: Yeah, and you know you're not going to die.
Lors: Yeah, and I need to breathe and find that zen feeling of relaxation and make my little hind brain calm down.
Liam: So, why do you keep doing it?
Lors: I keep doing it because it's fun to be strong. I was never strong before. I could run faster in the zombie apocalypse and climb up things.
Liam: So, did you do any sports before climbing?
Lors: Not really, no. I didn't really hike or anything before. I don't really even like hiking very much, but I like hiking when you get to climb afterwards.
Liam: I've heard climbers call a hike without climbing the long approach to nowhere.
Lors: Also, I move around a lot, so you have an instant community anywhere you go. Climbers are generally really nice people, so you can show up somewhere, not know anyone, and they'll look after you. I've rocked up in the south of Spain, hoping to find climbing partners, and discovered a ton of people who had done the same thing. I got to climb with people from all over the world there, and that's super cool. All these different perspectives on life and stuff.
Liam: Like I've climbed with people where we haven't spoken a word of the same language and had a fantastic time!
Lors: Yeah! Except there is a word in German that sounds like "up" but actually means "down"!
(Laughter)
Liam: How would you describe the style in which you climb? Like your approach to climbing?
Lors: I have injured myself so much, so my approach is to show up and see what my body wants. If parts of me hurt, I'll be gentle and think about getting stronger outside. Sometimes in the gym, I try too hard. But outside it’s more of a puzzle, because you have to find the right hands, the right feet.Liam: What do you think was your worst moment while climbing?
Lors: Ohhhhh, there was this one time when a rope broke.
Liam: What happened?
Lors: Well, it was the second time we had used it, and it was just a freak accident. There was this guy we had never climbed with before, and he was trad climbing and his gear kept popping out. Eventually, the rope broke, and if he had hit the bushy ledge, he would have hit the ground.
Liam: Wow, did he rip three pieces?
Lors: Yes, he did. It must have been the way he hit the third one that caused the rope to snap. We sent the rope back, but we never heard anything.
Liam: That's crazy that the rope broke.
Lors: Yes, it's very rare. Also, there was a time when my sister was belaying me, and she's scared of bees. When she saw some bees, she panicked and let go of the rope, but the guy next to her caught it.
Liam: You mentioned Lebanon earlier. Did you do a lot of climbing out there?
Lors: Yes, I did. The climbing community was amazing, and it was a small community, so you got to know everyone immediately.
Liam: How is climbing perceived in Lebanon? Are people into it?
Lors: From my experience, even the people whose property we were climbing on were very friendly and curious about what we were doing. They thought it was insane but were very supportive.
Liam: Speaking of traveling and climbing, has there been anywhere in climbing that has stolen your heart?
Lors: I really liked the south of Spain. El Chodo has some beautiful multi-pitches and a huge amount of climbing routes. The rock there is sandstone and limestone, but the ones closest to the climbing areas are like glass. The community there is great, and you can rent a tent for five euros a night. There's a big shared kitchen, and people from all over the world come to climb there.
Liam: What was your happiest moment while climbing?
Lors: I think my happiest moment was also in the south of Spain. It was my first major multi-pitch climb, and when we reached the belay station 350 meters off the ground, it was just me and my climbing partner, and we sat there in awe, enjoying the view.
Liam: It's a pretty special feeling when it's just the two of you up there.
Lors: Yes, it was amazing. We were hanging out on the side of a big rock, and everything was so beautiful. There were people with goats running around, and we got to speak Spanish with the locals, which was lovely. But I also love taking people out climbing for the first time and seeing their excitement when they conquer a climb or when someone sends their project.
Liam: Thank you so much for sitting down with me, Lors.
Lors: Thank you for having me. Oh, and by the way, I'm looking for someone to practice Arabic with. If you're interested, let's chat!