Hazel Findlay’s Fall Picks

A few favorites from one of the world’s best trad climbers after becoming a mom.

Last year, Hazel Findlay had a child, and this fall she’s sending. We’ve recently released two new films capturing Hazel’s journey and accomplishments since becoming a new mum. In New Normal, Hazel talks about coming back to climbing after a challenging birth. In the next film, we watch her climb Yma O Hyd, an E10 trad route in North Wales, and she shares her experience and mindset while trying hard mentally and physically after becoming a mother, and the fatigue that comes with it.

Basically, Hazel’s been sending it on the rock and as a mom, and we wanted to catch up with her to see what her fall climbing plans are and get the lowdown on her current favorite apparel and equipment for climbing.

FROM TRAD IN WALES TO SPORT IN KALYMNOS

Hazel’s fall started at a local crag in North Wales.

“I had some really fun days down at the Diamond,” she said. “It's right by the sea, and you can only climb there for about four hours either side of low tide. The seals even come and watch you climb!”

For the rest of the fall, Hazel and the family are in Kalymnos, Greece, one of the great sport climbing destinations. Island life by the sea, easy access to the crags, and a plethora of steep climbing—sounds like a dream!

“My plan while I'm here is to build up the volume of climbing I can do in a day and get used to climbing multiple days in a row,” she explains. “Since becoming a mum, I've been pretty focused on individual projects, so it's nice to have a different goal for a change. I mostly just want to climb lots.”

Of course, as Hazel discusses in The New Normal, a day at the crag is different now with a child in tow, but it’s not all tantrums and snack wrangling.

“I'm stoked that my daughter is loving spending time at the crag. It means more time for climbing for me, which is a pretty exciting development!”

HAZEL’S FALL GEAR PICKS

Kalymnos hasn’t been all sunshiny island life. It’s been rainy for many days.

“I've been using the Fineline Stretch Shell—it’s great for the warmer weather here because it feels light and airy but still keeps me dry,” says Hazel.

When the weather clears for climbing, or Hazel finds a steep, dry cave, she reaches for the perfect harness for long days of sport climbing: the Zone Harness (which Hazel tested the new Zone through its many iterations and added valuable feedback during its development).

“It’s genuinely my favorite harness ever!” she adds.

Finally, Hazel is wearing the new BD staple in every fall climbing kit, the Dirtbag Pants.

“I've also been wearing the Dirtbag Pants on cooler days and rest days. They're great for climbing here because you can kneebar without scraping up your legs.”