Climbing with a toddler: the unexpected often happens

Climbing with a toddler has its challenges. What does a successful day out look like? A day on the rock high above Imst with Austrialpin athlete Cathy Laflamme and her daughter Laura.

There are many life events that have a significant impact on a climber's career. A serious accident, a move to the Dutch lowlands, the unstoppable brutality of ageing. And then there is by far the most beautiful turn of events in a climber's life: the birth of a child.

It was no different for Cathrine "Cathy" Laflamme. Born in Canada, she has lived in Innsbruck for more than ten years and has been a member of the Austrialpin athlete team since 2014. She came to climbing in a rather unusual place: "There was a climbing wall for children in a shopping center in Calgary while the adults were out shopping," she says with a smile. "From then on, my parents had to go shopping quite often!" She still remembers the feeling she had on the small wall back then - she was immediately fascinated.

Then came her teenage years, her physics studies and her interests shifted. Cathy came to Innsbruck for her doctoral thesis - and the memories of the climbing wall in the shopping center came flooding back. Albeit against a much more beautiful backdrop, the Tyrolean mountains. In any case, Cathy was highly motivated and, in addition to the physical exercise, climbing was also a vehicle for social contact for her, who didn't know anyone here in Europe. "It was a great time during my studies, with few commitments and as often as possible on the rock," she recalls. She was out and about a lot, especially with Peter Manhartsberger, who is now in quality management at Austrialpin. He was also the one who recommended her for the athletes' team in 2014. She has climbed routes up to difficulty level 8b/8b+ on the rock, but she describes her greatest success as: "Learning German in Tyrol, where the dialect is very pronounced!"

The supreme discipline: climbing with a toddler

Cathy now speaks Tyrolean as fluently as she does on the rock. And she has arrived: She has completed her doctorate, has an exciting job in quantum research and has found a partner in Christoph who is also a mountain enthusiast. And together they have been mastering what is probably the biggest challenge life has to offer for one and a half years: Daughter Laura.

Since Laura was born, the two mountain enthusiasts have naturally shifted down a few gears. But you get the impression that it doesn't bother them in the slightest that they're spending less time on the rock at the moment. On the contrary: "We've bought two e-bikes and are simply out and about a lot with the children's trailer, which works great," says Chris. The main thing is outside.

Because of course, one thing is clear: climbing with small children is a lot easier, but not simpler. Starting with the right packing (diapers! toys! pacifiers!) to the approach (please short, please flat!) to the climbing garden itself (flat wall base, beautiful surroundings, no falling rocks!), there are various layers of additional requirements on top of the planned climbing day. Realistically speaking, the majority of the crags have to be omitted. Then the routes also have to be suitable and attractive. But at least there are still over 40 certified family climbing gardens and bouldering areas in Climbers Paradise Tirol.

And you always need at least one other person or rope team to take turns climbing and looking after the children. "The ideal person here is actually a single person who is also good with children and doesn't want to climb quite so fanatically," jokes Cathy. Because even if you are traveling as two families and all four have a high motivation to climb, it will be difficult for everyone to get their money's worth. This is because young children usually have other motivations than cheering their parents on while rope climbing.

Ergo: It's complicated. But not impossible. The "easy way out" with a small child is definitely the climbing gym, which is why Cathy and Chris have been bouldering a lot more on plastic holds in the past year. "It works really well, one looks after the little one, the other boulders. That way you get your training and pump in a short space of time," says Cathy. It's also clear that this has an impact on their performance on the rock. Chris is as honest with his partner as an old married couple: "I have the impression that you've gotten a little better in the gym, but a little worse on the rock," he smiles.

Outside at the Latschenturm

But still: the real climbing takes place outside in nature. Like today at the Latschenturm tower above Hoch-Imst: With the help of the cable car, the ascent is easy despite a small child on your shoulders, and the path leads idyllically through a fairytale forest. After 20 minutes you reach the huge boulder, with well-bolted routes on all sides. The stream babbles beside it, which is the biggest attraction for Laura: feet in, stones to throw! While dad Chris is busy at the water, mom Cathy slips into the climbing harness and clicks the colorful Austrialpin Express slings onto the harness, rainbow edition. And off we go, belayed by a friend, to the warm-up route.

Even the easier routes here are tough, you don't get anything for free on the Latschenturm. But it's fun to decipher the technical puzzles of the compact limestone block. Then it's soon lunchtime and after a leisurely snack, it's time for Laura's nap - she's still allowed to have one. While Cathy straps the little one around her stomach with the stretcher, Chris climbs his routes. Then the decisive moment: will Laura lie down, will she continue to sleep on the sleeping mat? It works, "success", Cathy smiles contentedly. And then something happens that hasn't happened for a year and a half: The two parents are allowed to climb together as a rope team, perhaps for one route.

To celebrate the day, we head to the steep north side of the Latschenturm, Cathy swings into the holds, the name of the route: "Unexpected often comes", 7a. A perfect motto for the day in particular, and perhaps even for the life of a young family in general. And who knows: perhaps the unexpected will happen more and more often in the future. Back on the ground, Cathy says something great: "You have to adapt your ambition to the circumstances. Otherwise you'll only make yourself unhappy."

But much more important than every route climbed at the end of the day is Chris's happy observation: "Laura just loves being out in the forest, she really enjoys it!" And of course the parents are happy too. And that's exactly the beauty of climbing: everyone, from young to old, has fun simply being out in nature, together. Collecting pine cones, throwing stones, climbing a few routes. To each his own.