Chris the Rock(er) Spreads Climbing Love

When God created rocks, huge boulders and caves, he must have thought of Chris Lindner.

Two weeks after he was born, Chris Lindner was at Joshua Tree, California, in his cradle, watching his parents Tom and Elke Lindner rock climb. His parents were hardcore rock climbers, and considered rock climbing as their way of life. Chris inherited his parents’ love for rock climbing and has eventually rocked the adventure scene twice as his parents did.

Start ‘Em Young

By the age of three, Chris already started climbing at a fairly advanced level for his age. A year after, he was featured in catalogs and posters; and by the age of six, he already had sponsors and had climbing magazines exposures. He grew up across the street from Mt. Woodson in San Diego, California. Chris’ childhood was concentrated much on camping and climbing. When he reached 8th grade, his father home-schooled him as they were already traveling around the country, living in the back of their pickup truck, all for the glory of rock climbing. “By the time I was a teenager, I figured I had slept in a sleeping bag, under the stars, more than one third of my life!”

Because of his early training, Chris became a professional climber at the age of 22. At a very young age, he has traveled in different corners of the world to participate in different competitions, putting his skills to the test, to be well-versed with the thousands of routes of the globe. He further wants to explore the world to develop his character, to be able to see a bigger picture of life by getting immersed on the diverse cultures, experiencing Mother Nature at its best!

His passion took him to Canada, Mexico, Argentina, England, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Greece and Korea for international competitions, excluding his tours in other parts of the United States.

As Sanuk’s (in Thai, meaning for pursuit of happiness, an adventure-type footwear) brand ambassador, Chris came to the Philippines to spread the love for the extreme sport and share his Sanuk experience, as well. Upon his visit to Cebu last October 8, The FREEMAN Lifestyle had an exclusive chat with the 2006 Western US Bouldering champ. Here’s an excerpt of the interview:

The FREEMAN: What’s the difference between mountain climbing and rock climbing? 

Chris: Mountain climbing and rock climbing are two different things. The former is more on hiking towards the top of the mountain while the latter is climbing individual rocks or big boulders that use ropes in order to reach the summit of a route. We call this sport climbing.

TF: What are the risks of this outdoor sport? Have you already broken a bone? Any major accident so far?

Chris:  Everybody thinks rock climbing is dangerous because they associate it with mountain climbing. I tell you, it’s not! It’s very safe for everybody. You have the bolts in the rock that can hold the ropes. It’s a whole lot safer and harder, as well. However, you have a harness and sturdy ropes, and you must have good climbing shoes with sticky rubber soles (a special formula rubber for climbing). The bolts are permanently locked on the rocks every two meters. These bolts have metal loop hangers where you clip your carabiner that holds the rope. We developed a system of ropes so when you fall, you hang there on the rope. We also keep safe by knowing our limitations. When climbing 10-feet tall boulders, we don’t use a rope, we lay a foam on the ground instead, so when we fall, we land on the pad. I have been climbing for 21 years now and I haven’t had a broken bone (knocks on wood). It’s a very calculated risk as opposed to skateboarding, you can break your ankle in an instant. In rock climbing, you know when you’re going to fall. It requires common sense, though.

TF: What are things to consider when you rock climb?

Chris: Find a local gym, start up there. Get an instructor to teach you on your footwork (it is the hardest part). There’s Vertigo in Metrosports (along Salinas Drive, Lahug). You’ll get to meet a community of climbers there particularly from the Sportsclimbing Association of the Philippines, Inc. (SCAPI). They are nice people who love the outdoors. They’ll show you how to rock climb. When you start going outdoors, look for good quality rock, it can’t be dirty, the steeper the better. A vertical rock that’s getting steeper and steeper is the best. At first you’ll find it easy then afterwards, when it gets steeper, it gets physically hard, the degree of difficulty increases.

 Trivia: Each route has a name of the person who first climbed it, then he gives the grade for that specific route. Every single rock is different from the other. There is limestone, sandstone, granite, among others. “You never get bored because every single (rock) is different,” enthused Chris. He has established thousands of routes worldwide.

TF: What’s the most difficult climb you had?

Chris: When I started, of course I started with the beginner’s level. Then I reached 7, 8, 9, 10A-D. Now, I reached 14-C. My friend Cris Sharma, who is also a Sanuk athlete, reached the hardest level: 15D. My proudest accomplishment is having been climbing for 21 years now, and to be more psyched to rock climb than ever before. It shows that there’s always room for improvement.

 TF: Can you name some sports climbing destinations in the world?

Chris: Europe (France, Italy, Germany) is a hotspot next to US, Australia, China and Japan! They have the major rock climbing competitions. They have big caves, more on overhanging walls. They have the steeper walls with smaller holes. 

 TF: How was your Toledo (Cebu) climb?

Chris: It’s my first time here in Cebu and so far, climbing here in Cebu was great! It was beautiful!  The rock was just a 10-minute walk from where we stayed, in Spring Park Resort. It was a limestone wall with about 40 bolted rocks. It’s a nice rock! I was with the local climbers from SCAPI.  

While in Toledo, Chris got his hands (and feet) on the local rock climbing landscape as part of the Department of Tourism’s “Adventure Philippines” campaign.

TF: Is this sport limited to men?

Chris: No! Aside from being safe, rock climbing is good for people of all ages, as long as the person is able to climb using his or her hands and feet. Women are as good as men. Some of the best climbers in the world are female! Females are light, flexible and have a sense of balance – these are good qualities of a climber. My mom is in her late 50s and she still climbs.

 TF: How was your Sanuk experience?

Chris: I’m very lucky to get the Sanuk endorsement. I have been with Sanuk for about three years now. I became good friends with the owner who is also from San Diego, California. I’m getting a lot of exposures in magazine advertisements. They brought me here in the Philippines and after here, I’m heading to Indonesia and Singapore. I had a great climb in Montalban. I’m fortunate to be with a good company with a positive message.

 Chris shared his rock climbing expertise and Sanuk experience to adventure-loving Filipinos. Lindner will conduct a rock climbing clinic at the Recreation Outdoor eXchange (ROX) in Bonifacio High Street in Manila. Open to the public, the event will allow local climbing aficionados to meet the world-class athlete, as well as acquire useful tips that will help them improve their techniques. A goodwill climbing competition, featuring the country’s top rock climbers, will also be held. “Spray,” a rock-climbing documentary film which features Lindner as one of its subjects, will also be shown to the public.  

This trip will help stir interest in the country as a prime rock climbing destination among both local and foreign extreme sports enthusiasts.

TF: If you were not addicted to rock climbing, what would you be?

Chris: I’m a surfer. Surfing is my second love. I’ve been into it since I was a kid also.

As of press time, Cris is on an eight-day surfing adventure in Siargao Island.

TF: What’s next for Chris Lindner? How do you see yourself in the future? What are your goals?

Chris: I did high school for two years. Then, I stopped since I was making more money with my sponsorships. I had a lot of opportunities and I can’t pass on to that. I thought that maybe for 10 years I would be a rock climber and see the world, get the big picture of life. Then, I can go back to school and be a professional, get a real job. I just felt that life is too short to be behind your desk and stare at your computer. I want to see the world, become a nomad/searcher and try to educate myself with things that school can’t educate me.

 Chris had volunteered at 3 HERA Climb-4-Life (Women’s Ovarian Cancer Foundation) events. He’s an ambassador for the Access Fund and had participated in fundraisers that advocates on preserving climbing areas.

 TF: What’s the greatest lesson behind your success/endeavors?

Chris: The greatest lesson is just to be happy with what I have. Learn from different cultures and the way they live and just to be happy. It’s not all about what I want but it’s the happiness that counts a lot. That I have to be appreciative of what I have and be very appreciative of where I am now and look around and enjoy the beauty around me.

 TF: Any message to those who might be interested in the sport?

Chris: Go out and give rock climbing a try. I think you’ll like it. If you are an active person, I can guarantee that if you go to a climbing gym, they will give you a full body workout. You won’t get gigantic muscles, just toned muscles, nice and even. It’s safe, fun and very healthy. And when you start to go out and climb in different areas, you get to appreciate the beauty of nature and the natural world.