Katie Fisher is no stranger if you are a regular climber here at Highball. Having climbed for a number years and competed at an elite level, we are excited to announce that Katie will be representing Highball at the competitions she is attending over the coming year.
We wanted to sit down with Katie and ask her a few questions and she happily obliged…
Hi Katie, could you introduce yourself?
Hi! I’m Katie Fisher and I’m 19 years old. I’ve been climbing for 8 years and have been regularly climbing at Highball since I started. I live locally and work in marketing for Girlguiding Anglia.
So tell us, how did you first get into climbing?
I first got into climbing by having a taster session followed by a birthday party at Highball because this was advertised in the Spree book I bought home from school and it sounded exciting. After I really enjoyed this, I started doing NICAS with my sister which we both really loved.
What would you say is your proudest achievement to date and why?
I’d say my proudest achievement was getting selected for the GB Junior Climbing Team last year and competing for Great Britain around the world. Making the semi finals of the Youth World Championships in Dallas, Texas in lead climbing was my highlight of this experience.
If you could choose one style or discipline of climbing, what would it be and why?
Whilst I love bouldering, my favourite discipline is definitely lead climbing! I love the challenge of onsighting new climbs or completing all the moves on a hard route that I’ve been working on. My hardest onsight grade is 8A and I have also topped an 8A+ too on my second attempt.
What are your plans for the next 12 months?
I now work full time so I have to plan my training and competitions around this, but I would like to continue to climb in as many of the BMC senior lead climbing competitions as possible over the next year. There are also lots of local bouldering competitions too at Highball and other regional centres, plus the Blokfest series around London throughout the winter.
If you could climb anywhere for a day, where would it be and why?
This is a difficult one but I’d have to say Innsbruck in Austria because it’s got a huge indoor lead wall and there are so many fun routes to try! There’s also great bouldering and an outdoor lead wall which looks so good too.
With Katies powerful blend of skill, determination and experience, we cannot wait to hear her stories and watch her create unforgettable moments over the coming year.