Chances are you know someone who has an eating disorder. In the U.S. alone, at least 30 million people of all demographics suffer, and the statistics regarding mortality are haunting. Out of all psychiatric illnesses, eating disorders have the highest mortality rate, and the crude mortality rates are 4% for anorexia, 3.9% for bulimia, and 5% for other specified feeding and eating disorders. (Crow, SJ, Peterson, CB. et al., 2009). Rock climbing often (but not always) emphasizes weight management, and consequently, climbers take extreme measures in order to achieve success. Although this tactic works for some, losing weight for performance goals often leads to an unhealthy obsession. In conjunction with the existing societal pressures and emphasis on thinness, one could only imagine how this would affect the next generation of crushers.
Much like dancers, gymnasts, and distance runners, eating disorders span the climbing community due to the sport’s accentuation of body fat percentage and strength-to-weight ratio. Instead of training to be stronger, some climbers focus on their weight as a segway to success. Before I moved to Chicago, I found myself on the verge of starving to get lean in hopes of sending hard. Did I lose weight? Yes. But I lost much more than that.

before + after recovery
I lost my happiness, my friends, my ambition, my bone density, my period, my ability to stay warm… etc. Eating less than one-thousand calories per day, my uncomfortably pronounced cheekbones and ribs begged for nourishment. As sick as this sounds, I loved my eating disorder at one point during the depths of my illness, but deep down I yearned for help. I ended up seeking recovery and restarting my life, but this “happy ending” isn’t a reality for many climbers that can’t find themselves out of the lose-gain cycle. On the other hand, some climbers can handle shedding weight to send and ultimately find it successful, but what image does this leave for the youth climbers that look up to those potentially taking weight loss measures?
Michaela Kiersch, a 22-year-old professional rock climber, has learned to excel not only as a climber but also as a coach and role model. She sat down with me to discuss the sacrifices she’s willing to make in order to climb well while also living a fun, fulfilling life:
“For me, climbing has always been and always will be personal. I climb for myself and for how it makes me feel. Climbing makes me feel strong, confident, and joyful. As a professional climber, I feel like I am straddling the line between expectations of other people and expectations that I have for myself. Of course, I want to live up to what other people see and want for me, but at what cost? I always expect to try my hardest, and this doesn’t always mean that I will succeed. I’m okay with that. I expect myself to graduate college. Sometimes this means skipping a session or a workout, I’m okay with that. I expect myself to enjoy my life, friends, and city. Sometimes that means having a big ole burger and a beer, I’m okay with that. I expect myself to someday have a family. Eventually, I will have to put something (or a little someone) before my climbing, and I’m okay with that. It will never be worth it to sacrifice the things that I want. Sure, I admit that I may see improvements in my climbing if I decided to lose a significant amount of weight, but at what cost? I may climb 5.15 but what if I can’t have kids? What if I get hurt? What if my metabolism slows so much that I can’t have a burger and beer more often than not? If I can’t send as hard as I want to, losing an unhealthy amount of weight is not the answer. I see two options for myself: try a little harder in training OR sit back and enjoy the ride because I love climbing regardless of the grades I feel like I should climb (or other people think I should climb).”

Photo by Andy Wickstrom / @andywicktrom
Is it really worth losing the extra weight? Michaela- who has sent multiple 5.14s including Golden Ticket (5.14c), Pure Imagination (5.14c) and Lucifer (5.14c) among others- thinks otherwise. I myself can look back at my past and wish I’d thought differently regarding my decisions to lean out. I live with no regrets, but it’s something I hope to inspire others to steer away from because it’s not worth it. This is the example we should be setting for youth climbers. I love climbing, but I also love living a life outside of climbing. And those two things are mutually inclusive.
So what can be done to protect the young guns? Coaches, team members, parents, listen in.
- Education: Know what the signs and symptoms of eating disorders are so you can know how and when to intervene.
- Communication: De-emphasize losing weight for success, and instead focus on other ways to enhance performance.
- Encouragement: Lead others towards help for all mental health concerns, and take mental health concerns seriously.
We can stop the growing incidence of eating disorders among youth climbers, but we first need to start with ourselves.
cover photo by Andy Wickstrom / @andywickstrom
10 Comments
A thoughtful and well written piece Savannah. The three things you state for protecting the young guns are clear and simple. Forge on.
Thanks, Lester!
In the climbing community, I hear those comments all too often. Thank you for being a voice in this issue and offering such an insightful perspective on how to protect the young ones (and all of us). Your story is an inspiration, as I navigate my own relationship with my body.
Changing the narrative and emphasizing healthy ways to train can be the most valuable coaching a kid receives. One of the biggest setbacks to sending harder can be the mental muscle. The fear and doubt and inner dialogue are what weigh the most. I’ve found that exercising my fortitude is what really produces the results I want to see.
Hi, Taylor!
Thanks for your kind words. I am so glad my story was helpful as you try to find a better relationship with your own body. I, too, go through days where I feel like I can’t keep the negative self-talk from stopping, but when you take those days and compare them with the good ones, it makes the good days that much better.
Sending you love and light!
Savannah
Very nice text. Eating disorders are more and more related to sports and they don’t only affect the young.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I would add one more thing that can be done:
Make eating a social habit, encourage people to not eat alone and to spend a proper amount of time per meal. This can make people around you see the early symptoms of an eating disorder.
Cheers.
Hi, Alejandro!
Thanks for the kind words and suggestions. You’re right — eating disorders span over a wide variety of people from many different backgrounds. Youth and athletes are definitely not the only ones affected, but I worry about the youth only because they are the next generation. If we focus on ourselves as a community that the next generation looks up to, it becomes more obvious how we really do have the impact to change both the way we behave and thus how the next generation does, too. Eating disorders can be genetic and not just environmental, so sometimes this is not something we can control.
I like your suggestion a lot. Often times it’s easier to slip away when you don’t have the accountability, but when people are around it’s often too hard to engage in disordered behaviors.
Thanks again. Sincerely.
Savannah
Hey!
Great article!
As a mental health professional who specialises in treating people with eating disorders from tiny children aged 7/8, up to retirees, I am very pleased to see an honest, open and informative article from a sports professional.
The only things I would amend / add is that EDNOS is no longer recognised, we now use OSFED (other specified feeding & eating disorders) for eating / feeding disorders which do not meet requirements for anorexia / bulimia. Also, you could maybe add in some info actually outlining signs & stymptoms. B-EAT the U.K. Eating Disorders charity has good education on spotting the early signs (https://www.b-eat.co.uk/spotting-signs-eating-disorder), however, everyone is different and they may not match all of these.
I’d agree with the comment from Alejandro about the social side of eating, this is a great healthy idea in general, rather than sitting alone, watching TV or sat on a phone, BUT if someone has an ED then this may not work, they most likely would not want to spend time with people eating. Then again, if you are suspicious already then this may add to your concerns and prompt that difficult first conversation.
Do not necessarily expect the family or friend you are worried about to see it your way or believe that anything is wrong at all (however unwell they look) if they have an Eating Disorder. Help is out there and if you are worried then do seek it. I’ll second the comment about ED’s having the highest mortality rate of any mental health condition they are very dangerous. It isn’t a death sentence but given the cross over with physical health and the extreme affect on the body then people would be right to be concerned.
Hi, Dan!
Wow wow wow wow wow. Such an informed post. Thank you for taking the time and effort to write this comment. I went ahead and changed EDNOS to OSFED. I had no idea the DSM changed, but I’m assuming it changes more often than I realize.
I can relate ESPECIALLY to your last paragraph. When I first had to go into treatment I despised my family and my care team that sort of forced me into it. I now couldn’t be more grateful for them for saving my life, and I don’t think I would be where I am today had it not been for them. Now I am in the position for helping others, and I had to make the hard decision recently to make an intervention. I’m not sure if I will be able to be friends with this person for a while (and it’s not really my choice), but I feel so relieved to have that emotional weight off my shoulders. I hope they are able to get the same thing out of treatment that I did with my family and care team who made treatment my only choice.
It’s very honorable of you to work in such a difficult industry. You must be so emotionally strong, and I definitely admire you for that and your desire to help others.
Thanks again.
Savannah
Hey Savannah,
Thank you so much for sharing your story with us. I myself struggled with anorexia when I was younger, and recognize that there are many pressures that can lead one to fall into an eating disorder. Aside from just the pressure to stay lean, issues involving personal control (like from having wayyy over-protective parents) and stress can play a factor too. Focusing on educating the young as you’ve mentioned is so important, because that’s so often when it begins. Long before anyone could expect it. (For me it started when I was about 12.)
Herchel and I have a climber-centric website we’ve put up at UpwardBoundApparel.com, and I’m wondering if you would mind if we re-posted this article there? (With all credit given to you as the author of course). This is an important and under-acknowledged topic in the climbing community that I think would be good to make more people aware about.
Thanks again for sharing your story. ❤ You’re not alone.
Hi, Arista!
Thanks for taking the time to be so open and vulnerable. It’s not easy opening yourself up about all of thus, but it seems like you’re in a much better place! I agree, focusing on educating the young is CRUCIAL. Just like you, my started when I was young (13, I believe), so now I’ve really started thinking about how that age group needs to be targeted.
I would love for you to share my post on your site. Let me know if you need anything from me.
Lots of love,
Savannah