More Than a Sport: Ben Fitzsimmons on Climbing, Purpose, and Refugees Rock

02/26/25 • 19 min

Ben Fitzsimmons from Refugees Rock shares his profound connection to climbing. Ben highlights his work with Refugees Rock, a programme that provides free climbing sessions for asylum seekers. We discuss the importance of access to climbing for diverse groups and the role of community support in enhancing the climbing experience.

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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.

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Bennett Rahn Gives a Plus-Size Climber’s Perspective On Self-Advocacy

Bennett Rahn, a plus-size rock climber and mountaineer, shares her experiences of being a plus-size climber. Bennett tells host Mel Reeve about the importance of rage confidence, navigating gear accessibility, and the need for more representation in climbing. She reflects on building supportive communities, self-advocacy, and the journey from amateur to professional guiding.

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Introduction

02:54
The Journey to Climbing: Overcoming Insecurities

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09:01
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11:52
Representation and Its Impact on the Climbing Community

15:13
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29:11
The Journey to Guiding: From Amateur to Professional

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Paraclimbing, Competing and Community with Amurta Wyssmann

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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

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Route Setting and Adaptations in Para Climbing

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Future Aspirations and the Paralympics

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Exploring Ice Climbing

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Hobbies Beyond Climbing

Not Your Typical Climber - More Than a Sport: Ben Fitzsimmons on Climbing, Purpose, and Refugees Rock

Transcript

Welcome to the podcast, Ben. I'm really excited to have you here to talk about your climbing and your work with Refugees Rock. But just to get started, could you tell us a bit about what climbing means to you and how you found the sport? Wow. You've gone forever with that, couldn't you? What does climbing mean? So what climbing means to me is I went climbing once and then I decided to do it for the rest of my life and that I would make it a very defining characteristic about myself.

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