Anna Liina Laitinen: A indústria tem ignorado os escaladores mais imersos para poder crescer
Num mundo onde a escalada se está a transformar num fenómeno cada vez mais massificado, é refrescante ouvir alguém que nos liga de volta às raízes da nossa modalidade.
Desta vez, falamos com a escaladora e route setter finlandesa Anna Liina Laitinen sobre o seu percurso, desde os primeiros impulsos de aventura na infância, até à criação de um rocódromo que pretende devolver aos escaladores mais devotos aquilo que a indústria dos ginásios comerciais tem roubado.
Depois de vários 8c+ de escalada desportiva no currículo, em 2023 passou a integrar o grupo de elite feminino, ao encadear o seu primeiro 9a - Escalatamàsters, em Perles, na Catalunha. Representou ainda a seleção Finlandesa em diversas Taças do Mundo e Campeonatos da Europa.
Com uma visão inspiradora e um compromisso genuíno com o desporto, ela leva-nos por trilhos de evolução pessoal e coletiva, abordando temas como a inclusão no route setting, o impacto da lesão na sua transição da competição para a rocha, e o desejo de devolver à comunidade aquilo que recebeu nos seus primeiros dias enquanto escaladora.
«Clique aqui para a versão em português do Q&A»
(© Sami Laitinen)
Could you describe how you fell in love for climbing and how it was in your early days?
I fell in love with the idea of rock climbing when I was still in preschool. Back then, it just wasn’t as easy to start climbing as it is today. Like most kids, I would climb on everything, and out in the woods, I would look for different ‘challenging’ steep spots to conquer because I loved challenges and was curious. I did a lot of snowboarding, and the first time I went to the Alps and saw the Matterhorn, something was triggered in me, and I decided that as soon as I turned 18, I would move to the Alps and start climbing. After that, I saw a climbing wall at a ski expo in Finland and immediately signed up for a beginner’s course!
(© Anna Liina Laitinen)
You’ve climbed in many different places abroad but you say climbing in Finland feels different. Could you describe what it is like to grow as a climber in your country?
At the moment, it’s great to be a climber in Finland, or at least in the major cities! In the capital region, there are almost 10 commercial climbing gyms coming up. Finland offers good bouldering and some great sport climbing crags, but the season is really short. If you want to improve as a outdoor climber and have a better variety of climbing, it’s better to climb outdoors abroad.
In regards to the Finnish climbing community I really love it. When I started climbing back then, I was given so much help - people took me climbing outdoors, taught me, and supported me with everything I needed. However, as the number of climbers has grown, there are now many different kinds of climbing communities but the picture I have of the climbing community is really warm and welcoming.
I feel the need to give something back to this community, and that’s why I’ve done a lot of charity work by coaching groups of underprivileged children so they have the opportunity to experience this amazing sport. I’m also opening a climbing gym in the next coming months with a long-requested concept.
(© Render Project Konepaja)
Could you talk about this concept?
To give you some context, I started climbing 17 years ago when there was only one commercial gym in Helsinki. I traveled there from another city, taking three different buses. A year later, a small commercial bouldering gym opened near the city center, in the same building as a private cave. Two different communities, new-schoolers and old-schoolers, interacted, and the cozy atmosphere made the gym more than just a training facility. We would spent time there, training, celebrating, playing pool, and setting routes together. After a foot surgery I even brought my PlayStation there just to hang out and spend time there.
Because of the sport’s growing popularity finding a community gets more challenging, let alone integrate into small groups. Nowadays, climbing gyms are big and impressive but most of the people go there for just one reason: get their workout done. The climbing scene has been adrift for years, and dedicated climbers have been overlooked for a long time. The industry has prioritized attracting new climbers, and training facilities have been designed accordingly for them in mind. That’s why I’m opening a gym out of love for the sport and community, and together with my partners we are aiming to create facilities for those already immersed in climbing.
I had to travel to Norway to train because there were very few steep walls or enough of good spray walls in the Helsinki area. In large, impressive gyms, I realized I could get by with very little, using only a small part of a huge impressive space. I knew a long time ago that I wanted to open my own gym, and now is the perfect time.
My partners include longtime climbers like Nalle Hukkataival, Ville Kurru, former Kiipeilyareena CEO Peter Hammer, route setters, a carpenter, and Toni Rantanen, DJ the founder of Europe’s finest festival (FLOW). Our space will be 750 square meters, a small but efficient place to meet friends, train, and spend free time. The location and atmosphere are truly magical, right in the cultural heart of Helsinki, inside a historic train manufacturing building.
In my opinion the current era has created a demand for a certain kind of concept and a return to the roots. I observed the atmosphere for a while and became convinced about the idea of building a gym. Around the same time, as I was refining my idea and searching for a space, I came across Delaney Miller’s article about the changes in climbing culture and modern climbing gyms. The article was a game-changer for me, reinforcing my vision and boosting my confidence in the project. It’s an incredibly exciting time!
(© Andy Wickström)
You are a professional routesetter and you have also been competing for some years. Do you feel like female routesetters have enough space in official comps and climbing gyms?
I definitely would like to see more women involved in route setting. Perhaps route setting doesn’t feel natural or like a viable option within female climbing culture compared to other climbing gym roles. It’s also extremely difficult to break into route setting as a profession (at least in Finland), and there’s no systematic training for it. I, however, hope that those selected for route-setting are motivated, hardworking, and come with diverse strengths and body types, regardless of gender. I also hope that I’m not chosen for a job solely because of my gender. On other hand, one positive aspect of female quotas is that they inspire girls and women and lower the barrier to considering the field as an option.
There are fewer women in setting teams compared to men in every country. I don’t know why there’s less interest in setting among women. One reason could also be the employer’s prejudices. Women are often perceived as weaker, which might affect route testing and setting efficiency. The more people in the team who can test the routes, the better. Setting is just like climbing - while it’s physical, it’s also highly creative. A diverse, strong, and well-communicating team works. Regardless of gender.
(© Ewa Strömberg)
But the qualities in which female climbers often excel can bring a lot of new aspects to setting.
In California, I took part in a couple of women’s setting festivals where we set competition problems together with other female setters. We created a diverse range of routes, and teamwork, collaboration, and communication were a big part of the process. We also supported each other through the heavy lifting.
There are strong stereotypes around female setting. For example, people expected me to set crimp-heavy problems with short moves, but soon I was told I was actually making the most morpho problems. This is often because, subconsciously, I’ve been setting my own weaknesses, as I’m curious about moves and holds that are outside my strengths. Nowadays I’m much more versatile but when setting hard problems, I still tend to rely more on my strengths.
(© Emma Isakow)
How did climbing outdoors made you leave the competitions behind?
I sustained a really severe injury to my wrist while training for the world championships. Due to internal bleeding in the wrist bone, my wrist was on the verge of gangrene and my hand might have to had a fusion surgery. Fortunately the situation eventually calmed down but I had to choose between competing and outdoor climbing. In my case, the injury has a risk of recurring so the decision was easy because I want to climb until I’m old!
Something that backed my decision was that the support for competing was virtually nonexistent. I wouldn’t get a flight ticket most of the times. One weekend in a comp could be almost as much as spending time climbing outdoors in Spain. Support for athletes is still limited but it’s slowly improving!
It’s also becoming increasingly difficult for individuals to secure support, find sponsors, or stay on sponsorship teams in the current economic climate.
(© Jan Novak)
You’ve felt closely, and for multiple times, the mental stress provoked by injuries. Can you tell us how you overcame that and what made you keep pushing even further?
To speed up the process, I asked for a lot of advice from experts who focus on the mental side of climbing. Even the smallest tips from Hazel Findlay have been helpful as well as all the podcasts where she has been.
A good approach is to compare training your mind with recovering from a finger injury. If a pulley is torn or healing, you wouldn’t jump straight onto a campus board—instead you would gradually increase the load on your finger. So don’t get frustrated if you can’t manage fear in highballs or runouts on lead as well as before. Baby steps!
After Syncro and Escalatamasters what comes next? Do you have any project? Any short term goals?
Right now I’m searching for some outdoor projects here in Finland since this gym and family issues are keeping me here. However I’m planning to do a little trip somewhere in Europe during May, right before we start route setting in Project Konepaja. Really excited for that!
(© Ville Kurru)
Remaining Credits: Cover photo - Colette McInerney
Thanks:
Anna Liina Laitinen, for the photos provided for this article.