The woman conquering the world's toughest mountains one by one: Sasha DiGiulian, Series 1 Episode 11

05/11/20 • 29 min

Boundary-pushing big wall climber, Sasha DiGiulian, holds multiple first ascents and more than 30 female firsts for some of the world’s most revered and difficult big wall climbs. In this episode, Rob Pope chats to Sasha about her journey from six-year-old indoor climber to world-renowned pro and free soloist - touching on her historic ascent of the Rocky Mountains Trilogy as the first woman (and only second person ever) to complete the trio of climbs in one season.
From unexpectedly having to free solo one of her earliest big wall first-ascents as the holds crumbled away in her hands 1,000ft up without any protection, to experiencing the exhilaration of climbing in a flow state whilst conquering the 5.14-grade Rocky Mountains Trilogy in 2018, Sasha chats about the risks and rewards that come with climbing when the ground is way beneath her feet.
She describes the moment she thought she was paralysed, and reveals the method she sometimes uses when she’s feeling scared of falling mid-climb by discussing her relationship with fear.
“Even after 20 years of climbing, I don’t think fear ever goes away.”
Listen to all episodes and discover more about How to Be Superhuman at http://redbull.com/superhuman

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The man who rolled across America: Gabriel Cordell, Series 1 Episode 10

Gabriel Cordell became the first person to roll across the United States in a standard wheelchair - giving Rob Pope a lot to chat about with him as they shared tales of their incredible journeys travelling the width of North America.
Supported by a team of volunteers, the 3,100-mile journey from California to New York took 100 days to complete, and saw Gabriel pushing his chair for an average of 30 miles a day.
In the episode, Gabriel lays bare just how torturous this journey this really was, describing everything from the savage terrain he faced in Pennsylvania, as he rolled for 450 miles across the Appalachian Mountains (losing 15 pounds along the way), to the agonising shoulder pain he experienced as he reached mile 650, leaving him temporarily unable to roll his chair another metre.
But, as he reveals to Rob in the episode, it was such a willingness to withstand pain that saw him reach the finish line in his hometown of West Hempstead – and something, he says, we are all capable of. The difference, he says, in somebody accomplishing something extraordinary or not, is simply about overcoming the 'threshold...'
Gabriel also reveals the series of life events that later culminated in him seeking redemption through this Herculean physical and mental challenge – a journey that began 20 years previous when a car accident changed the course of his life forever.
Listen to all episodes and discover more about How to Be Superhuman at http://redbull.com/superhuman

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The woman who climbed El Capitan with a broken back: Karen Darke, Series 1 Episode 12

Paralympic hand cyclist Karen Darke was just 21 when she set off on a climbing trip that would change her life forever. Leading a climb on a sea cliff outside Aberdeen, she fell as the last bit of secured protection came away. Three days later, she woke up in intensive care to the news she’d broken her neck and back, paralysing her from the waist down.
In this episode, Rob Pope chats to Karen about her climbing accident and the achievements that followed it – from hand cycling across the Himalayas on a specially made tandem and spending a month in minus 30°C temperatures crossing Greenland on skies, to the highs and lows of Paralympic training, and a punishing schedule that took her to London and Rio...
Karen also reveals how she was forced to confront her fears and past trauma head-on when she agreed to climb the revered and unforgiving sheer granite behemoth of El Capitan in Yosemite, California. Twenty metres up and petrified, Karen shares the mental process she used to overcome her fear and take control of her mind, as she physically took on the equivalent of 4,000 pull-ups to scale the kilometre-high sheer granite rock face.
Listen to all episodes and discover more about How to Be Superhuman at http://redbull.com/superhuman