And what about you, Anna Stöhr?
After 14 years of competition, the media hype surrounding the Tirolean has died down. But that doesn’t mean she’s taking it any easier.
Anna Stöhr brought her competitive career to an end shortly before the World Championships on home soil in Innsbruck – a decision she made for the sake of her health.
Nevertheless, a sense of wistfulness was evident on her face when she made the announcement publicly. Who’s surprised by that? After all, the Tirolean was the most successful competitive boulderer of her time.
Fortunately, retiring from competitive climbing doesn’t mean you have to say goodbye to the sport – quite the opposite, in fact. We met up with her and talked about her new climbing lifestyle.
Interview: Martina Scheichl
In February 2018, you suffered a disc injury. Shortly afterwards, you announced your retirement from competition. Do you ever regret that decision?
Anna Stöhr:Actually, I don’t regret it. I’d already been thinking about ending my career even before my injury. The fact that the accident happened before I’d made up my mind simply sped up the process – the decision was clear and rational: if I want to keep climbing for a long time to come, which I do, I have to stop Bouldering. This discipline is poison for my spinal discs.
Anna Stöhr:Since my injury, Bouldering has changed a lot for me. In competition in particular, you often have to make moves that push you to the absolute limit. Risky moves at great heights or jumping off the top – my back simply can’t cope with that anymore. Of course, I do miss the competitions – especially because of the people you keep meeting there. I also miss the feeling of being in the final; that was something really special. But after 14 years, I had to draw a line under that chapter, and that’s fine too.
At the moment, you’re spending a lot of time on the ropes – not just sport climbing, but you’ve also left your chalk on the Multi-Pitch Climbing routes at Aiglun in France and on the Rote Wand in Vorarlberg. Is sport climbing, perhaps even alpine sport climbing, your ‘true’ passion?
Anna Stöhr:Every discipline demands very different skills. Alpine sport climbing, for example, is challenging on a completely different level – one that’s new to me. There’s much more of a thrill involved – it takes on a whole new dimension when you’re standing metres above the last protection point.
Anna Stöhr:I’m absolutely delighted that my Multi-Pitch Climbing project ‘Ali Baba’ (8a+) in Aiglun went so well. Even so, I’m still a long way from being like Babsi Zangerl, who seems to stand above the pitons completely fearlessly. Ali Baba was an incredible challenge for me, and right up until the very end I didn’t know whether I’d be able to complete the project. So I won’t be focusing exclusively on this discipline – but I’ll definitely be going climbing in alpine areas a few more times.
„My passion is climbing in all its forms. It’s precisely this versatility that has always appealed to me – it simply never gets boring.“
“Ali Baba” is a long-term endurance project with lots of difficult pitches. Are you still training to plan now, without any competitions?
Anna Stöhr:No! I just get out and about a lot and go climbing. But as I’ve been training to a plan for years, I know pretty much exactly what I need and where I need to improve. I don’t do any more abdominal exercises and I don’t hang on the campus board – but I can feel where something’s missing and can compensate for it in a targeted way.
What are your goals in climbing and Bouldering?
Anna Stöhr:At the moment, my only specific goal is to do as much climbing as possible. Projects tend to come about naturally anyway. I don’t want to commit to a single route, but rather to travel a lot and spend time out on the rock.
As part of your teacher training, you worked as a teacher. Do you think you’ll go back to that – or do you have other career aspirations alongside being a professional climber?
Anna Stöhr:Teaching as part of my teaching placement was a huge challenge for me and very exciting. Having a ‘proper’ job is, of course, completely different from the life of a professional athlete. Making a living as a climbing athlete will come to an end sooner or later. Having a solid foundation gives me a great sense of peace and allows me to live – or rather, climb – even more in the moment. I really appreciate being in this privileged position and being able to enjoy climbing so much.
Thank you very much for talking to us, Anna.
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