Paraclimbing, Competing and Community with Amurta Wyssmann

Amruta Wyssmann shares how she went from a new climber to proud member of the Swiss paraclimbing team. She tells Mel about the importance of community in climbing and her training plans. Amy also shares her aspirations for the future - including hopes for the 2028 Paralympics - her newfound passion for ice climbing, and her hobbies outside of climbing including cooking and reading fantasy novels.

NOTE: apologies, the audio quality for the final moments of the episode is slightly less than optimal - no, it's not just your headphones!

Chapters:

00:00
Introduction

02:51
The Community and Competition in Climbing

05:46
Training Regimens and Overcoming Challenges

09:04
Route Setting and Adaptations in Para Climbing

11:58
Future Aspirations and the Paralympics

15:08
Exploring Ice Climbing

17:57
Hobbies Beyond Climbing

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About your host:

Mel Reeve is an experienced writer, casual climber and enthusiast, bringing her knowledge and passion to the podcast. With a background in writing, copywriting and content creation, Mel is dedicated to sharing the diverse stories and perspectives that shape the climbing community.

Transcript

Welcome to the podcast, Amruta. I'm really excited to speak to you today. Could you maybe just share a bit about yourself and your climbing for our listeners? Hi all, I'm Amruta Wyssmann I'm a paraglider on the Swiss paraclimbing team. I started bouldering in autumn of 2018 and I started competing in 2021. That's quite a short time to go from starting the sport.

to then being part of the power climbing team in Switzerland. Could you maybe share a little bit about that journey? Yeah, that was quite fun because Switzerland hosted the 2023 World Championships in climbing. And one of the rules were that power climbing is included. That was from the IFSC and Switzerland didn't have a power climbing team. So they knew me in the climbing gyms and so they asked me if I would be like the testimonial for them.  to build the team. And I was like, yay. I haven't done anything in six months because of COVID, but yeah, I'll try that for sure. And yeah, now I'm still here. 

What is it about climbing that you love? I always loved how bouldering especially is like you can go alone. You don't need a lot of equipment and you meet so many fun people there. And when I started with the competing, I really fell in love. 

community in climbing. Not only para, also the whole climbing scene is very giving, I would say. I mean, the sport is amazing. You need everything. You need your brains and you need your whole body. it's like one of the coolest things I ever tried. just out of curiosity, I guess, were you kind of into any other sports at the same time or was it just like, no, climbing is the one for me?

I did a lot of sports when I was younger and then I stopped because I had very bad knee problems and then I started climbing and since then I'm into climbing and I don't do a lot of other stuff at the moment. You have been very successful in your climbing career. So you finished sixth at the World Cup in Salt Lake City in 2022 and obviously are part of the paraclimbing team for Switzerland.

 (02:21.846)

What is that experience like when you're preparing for competition and also when you're actually competing, how does that feel? I'm always really nervous. And I mean, I would say I'm not very successful. I'm mid-fuel. I think competing is fun because you have routes that are specially made for you. In training, we train on able-bodied routes, normal routes. And I mean, ours are as hard as those, but more fitting for our field. That's pretty cool. And also.

Yeah, you make friends over time. You see those guys like three months of the year, you see them once a month and then it's over again and you're missing them. And then you're very happy to go on and on the next competition and see them again. And that's what's all about. And also it would be cool to be bit more successful, but we'll see. We're working on that. I'm interested to hear about your training and how you approach it and kind of.

how it fits into your life as well. Yeah. Um, I mean, I think it's hard for everyone to start something new. I started climbing with a 27, I think, and didn't do sports for a lot of years before. And so it was completely new. And from being a couch potato to train four to six times a week was, um, quite intense, but

Actually also pretty fun because you can see the progress you're making. Yeah. And I, at the moment I try to train four to six times a week, but with work, I work like 80%. That's on five days that I can fit the trainings in. And that's sometimes challenging because you're tired from work. still should go train and it needs a lot of motivation, but I have very good people around me that help me and.

aren't mad when I say, I cannot come out tonight. I have to go train or something like that. That helps. What you've described there about finding it hard to feel the motivation, I think is something that everyone can relate to. know, like we all have days where we can't be bothered to do something even if we know, or we feel too tired, even if we know it's, going to make us feel better, we're going to enjoy it, or it's important because we care about keeping up our strength and things like that. And obviously for you, that's, guess, kind of turned up to an even more extreme degree because, you know, you're climbing competitively.

 (04:48.738)

And you mentioned the community aspect as well and how the people around you support you. But I guess I'm thinking internally, like inside your own head, what drives you, what keeps you focused on your goals and making sure that you do go out and train even when, yeah, maybe you're really tired or, you know, busy and things like that. Can I tell you that when I know it? No, that was a joke. It's fair enough there. Some days I don't go when I know I started listening to my own body.

very well and that helps a lot. And I often know I will feel better after training, even if I don't feel like going to train, but I know most of the time I know I will feel better and it helps me concentrate more in my daily business life and it helps me calm down. And normally I can motivate myself with the knowledge I have that it helps. Now that's a great point you faced there as well.

that rest and not always going and listening to your body is just as important as making sure that you do go and train as well. know climbers as like a sport or people who do a sport are particularly bad for sometimes not listening to our bodies and kind of pushing through even when it's maybe not the right time to do that. So think it is definitely important to recognize that yeah, we should be also resting sometimes too and listening to our bodies. Yeah, that's the point where I think it helped that I started when I was

older. When you start a sport from a young age and you're totally into it, you're like, yeah, but it worked out last time. So I do it again until you're like sick or injured. And I was injured and before I started climbing. I tend to listen more. Yeah, I that sounds a really good perspective to have. And do you think, is that quite different to the people you kind of climb with in terms of competition having started later or are there kind of a good mix of people? Most of the

Paraclimbers started later or started early, had an accident, had to start again, but in Paraclimbing. So there's a mix of people who were initially like very sporty. And then you have people that started doing sports after, after the accident or after quite some time, because they didn't know maybe that there are possibilities for.

 (07:12.238)

for disabled climbers. that's quite the mix, I think. Yeah, yeah, definitely. Going back to something you said earlier about the route setting in power climbing specifically, so for less than maybe aren't aware, and this is something I was watching your video with Hannah Morris to kind of refresh it in my mind earlier and something she touched on and that was the difference in kind of the approach to route setting for power climbers. And I guess I'm curious to hear from your side as a climber doing those routes.

How does that work? obviously they're making decisions in their route setting to ensure that it's more accessible to people with limb differences or different disabilities and things like that. So how does that work for you? Are they consulting with you directly as an athlete or is it kind of more of general process? They have like a guideline what they have to do that it works for the different categories. And I think they always try their best, but it's quite hard. mean, I'm someone with a...

fairly short stump on my left arm. And then you have others that have the arm until the wrist. And so they have to make it difficult for everyone. And most of the time, the ones with the shorter stumps are a bit disadvantaged in this case, but we give direct feedback to the root setters after the qualifications and after the competitions in general. And they are working on optimizing and

They are very, very nice people that listen to us. So I think it's a progress and it's a learning process for everyone. And also we as athletes have to adapt to the new, more dynamic style. I don't like dynamic style, but we have to slow down. learn a lot. Everyone is learning a lot. That sounds like a really great collaborative process. And you mentioned not liking dynamic climbing. I'm also not the biggest fan of dynamic moves. Like I love bouldering, but I'm...

probably a lot happier doing something kind of with control in a static way than throwing myself around. I think it's super cool when people can do that, but I find it personally quite difficult. What kinds of things do you enjoy most in your climbing? What kinds of things do you look for, I guess, when you're at the wall and you're looking for a route that you know you're really going to enjoy? I really like very strong moves. I think I'm more of the, I like bouldering a lot and I also like overhanging stuff, but...

 (09:32.48)

Most of the time I'm not struggling enough for it, but I really love it. So I really like the overhanging stuff with lots of power and I just have to get stronger to be good at it. But I also like slabs, but if you fall on a slab, it hurts more than when you fall in overhang. Yep. That is also my philosophy. Like I'd rather land on my back, falling off an overhang than slide face down a slab. Definitely yes.

My shins are very happy when I don't do slabs. With your training, you mentioned there about kind of gaining strength and stuff. Do you have like specific goals that you work towards when you're training and preparing? I mostly train on the wall. it's like overall technique training and even spray wall training, like getting stronger in that overhang. But I also train in the gym to build the muscles that I don't usually or don't use as much in climbing as I

would need them like leg training, more core training, yeah, stuff like that. And so it's good mix of everything. And I try to do a bit of everything every week. Thinking about your experiences as a power climber, do you have any kind of words of advice or I guess just your perspective for anyone listening who maybe has a disability and is looking to explore climbing or is kind of early on in their climbing journey? I think if you're interested,

Just try it, go with friends. started going with my able-bodied friends. If you don't have friends that climb, just reach out to the National Federation. Maybe you find a contact on the IFSC or on parklimbing.org where you can find contacts and reach out to the athletes. mean, when I started, I reached out to Mo Bek.

And she helped me a lot during the first time. So we're a very open community and we're, we're happy to help. Yeah. Thinking about that, do you have anyone who inspires you specifically or who you maybe climb with that you're like, yeah, you really enjoy climbing with? I think all of, all of my fellow athletes are very, very cool and I love climbing with them. I love competing with them. Not only my category, I mean,

 (11:58.572)

The whole park climbing circuit is a bunch of very, very cool people. And what are you kind of looking to do in future? You know, are there any projects or kind of competition goals that you've got that you're kind of working towards? Yeah, as you may know, park climbing will be Paralympic in 2028 in Los Angeles. So that's the main goal, I think, for every one of us. But.

That's in three years. So that's a good time to train for it. And we still don't know how the format will be, which categories, et cetera. But is it possible? I really would love to climb on the Paralympics. And for more personal goals at the moment, I started ice climbing. I fell in love. It's so fun. And so I really would love to do that more. So, and just keeping the fun in climbing. That's what I.

what my goal is. It's so important, I think, isn't it, to remember why you're doing something to find that fun? And do you have, mentioned obviously the Paralympics in LA, which is super exciting. Do you have kind of hopes for what that will look like or are you just kind of, guess, at the whims of what they're going to dictate? I don't put my hopes too high because you never know how it's going to be and we will just see. And I hope it's good for everyone or it is like

It's the first step in the direction. So we have to take it as it comes. And then we can hope for changes afterwards. I think we have to be a bit open and a bit understanding, even if it's hard for some categories that maybe won't be featured, but we don't know yet. So we have to be open and give our best in every comp and all around. And you mentioned ice climbing. It's just super exciting. I've never tried ice climbing, but.

I'd look super cool and I'd like to one day. Could you maybe share a bit about what that experience has been like for you? I nearly froze my toe. No, it's super fun. I loved winter sports for all my life. I was a skier, a snowboarder. I played bit of ice hockey with friends and I love winter and I love snow. So it was the perfect combination doing the two things I love the most, being outdoors in snow and climbing.

 (14:15.946)

So it was so cool and it's so much fun. I can just tell everyone, try it. It's so cool. you have a specific place that you're kind of looking to go at some point to try it there or like a specific location that you'd be keen to try and climb there? I think I just try to get stronger and learn techniques and learn what it takes to read the eyes and stuff.

I mean, it's still outdoors and it's a material that changes from morning to evening. It's different. So there's a lot to learn and that's what I'm looking forward to at the moment. It must be quite a big difference, as I say, someone who's not tried it, but you're quite a big kind of different mentality compared to when you're bouldering and thinking about all the things that you might be thinking about when you're bouldering and that you say to be thinking about how the ice changes, know, you're climbing on something that is different all the time, which is exciting, but also quite scary, I would imagine. I'm not.

I wasn't scared. I scared. love that. Quite right. Do you find, yeah, guess fear is part of climbing. Obviously, as you said, they're not scared in that situation, which is super cool. do you find that you have times when you are scared when you're climbing and how do you manage that? I feel really uncomfortable on boulders where I can fall from far up. And I don't think I'm scared, scared, but I'm just very uncomfortable because I'm 32 and my knees are not 20 anymore. So.

I feel every fall feels a bit harder. And how do you manage that feeling? Like, it's great, as you said, that emphasize the difference between fear and discomfort. So you're uncomfortable rather than like really scared. But yeah, how do you manage that feeling? Do you have any strategies for kind of dealing with it when you're up high and you start to feel that kind of sensation coming on? Sometimes it depends with who I'm there. Some people give me more courage than others. I have a group of boulders that are pretty strong and

They are always like pushing, pushing, pushing. And then I think I try to be more, what's it called? Brave. Yes. Then when, when I go with others, I can be more like, yeah, I watch it from the mat. no, I climbed back down. So it depends on who I'm with. Yeah, no, that makes sense. get that. And then there are days where I feel like I can do everything. And then I have days where I feel like, no, not today.

 (16:34.998)

So I tried from day to day. And outside of climbing, what do you get up to? Obviously working you mentioned, but do you have kind of other hobbies and interests that you're passionate about? I'm a bookworm. I love reading and I love cooking. What have you cooked most recently or enjoyed cooking most recently? Yesterday I made my first ever tortellini. Ooh, nice. I tortellini. What was the filling? What did you go for? I put spinach and cream cheese and Parmesan and

some herbs in it and then I folded like three hours of cannele, tortellini and I cooked them and put them in brown butter with sage. my goodness and was it worth all the hours and effort? It was and I still had some leftovers to put in the freezer so win-win. Amazing that sounds so good. Because cooking is also therapy for me. And

You mentioned you love books as well. Do you have a good book that you've read recently that you'd like to share? At the moment I listen to a lot of audiobooks because I don't have too much time to sit down and read a book. But I listen to the fourth thing. I heard that, yeah, with the dragons, nice. And the new one will come out tomorrow so I will be listening Oh my goodness, I didn't know that. Okay, thank you for telling me that. That's exciting. I'm very into fantasy because I love dragons and yeah.

I also love fantasy books. What other favorites do you have? Yeah, classic Lord of the Rings. I grew up with Harry Potter, so it's a bit sad what J.K. Rowling does. Really opposition. And I really like the Percy Jackson franchise. I love mythology in every form. I love the Greeks, the Norse, all of them. I really, really like reading and fantasy and mythology is like going into another world.

and then helps to blend out the real world sometimes. Do you ever listen to audiobooks while you climb? Because I know for some people that's quite a controversial thing if you have headwinds in when you're climbing or not. When I have to do endurance training, I tried it with an audiobook, but it doesn't work that well. I rather listen to Taylor Swift. Me too. That's like my number one. Hike music. Yes, absolutely. I was on the concert last year in Zurich.

 (18:56.968)

wow, was it good? Yeah, it was. Amazing. Did you dress up? Yeah, of course. What did you get for? I had a gold sequin dress with a very nice back slit. Yeah, yeah, lover's theme. Nice, that's super cool. Well, thank you so much for coming on the podcast. It's been so great to hear more about your climbing and your love of tail-swift and fantasy books and pasta. So yeah, thank you so much. Thank you for never meeting me.