In this episode, French climber Delphine Chenevier talks about the injury that led her to train for climbing, which led her to her first 5.14a (8b+) at age 47 and her first 5.14b (8c) at age 48.

I was scrolling through 8a.nu news headlines the other day to look for people to invite on the show, and among the slew of V16 and 9a+ ascents by teenagers and pros, there was a little hidden gem: Delphine Chenevier climbing her first 5.14a (8b+) at the age of 47. I immediately reached out to her and she was kind enough to give me an interview.

As a 45-year-old woman myself, Delphine Chenevier is inspiration embodied, and I learned throughout our conversation that her attitude towards life and climbing and her pure passion for the pursuit of excellence in climbing were even more inspirational than the grades she’s recently been taking down.

Delphine is a French climber who has a high-pressure full-time+ job and a teenaged son. She still makes it outside climbing several times per week and finds time to train on her small home wall and on a hangboard to improve her climbing. Last year, she got injured and reached out to a trainer to help her rehab and get stronger. With the help of that trainer, she was able to make her fingers and shoulders stronger than ever and learn how to be a more technical climber, leading to her first ever 8b+ send, then another, and another (in a day), her first 8a+ (13c) flash, and her first 8c (14b) send at the age of 48.

Amazing.

I asked her about how she trains, how she makes time for everything, how she stays so psyched all the time, no matter the weather or conditions, and what her hopes and dreams are for the future. We talked about what she’s changed about her climbing due to the changes she’s noticed in her body as she’s gotten older, whether she’s a competitive climber, and what advice she has for us.

I loved this interview, and I hope you do too.

• Delphine Chenevier’s Instagram @chenevierd

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