Climbing
Scaling new heights: Sasha DiGiulian's journey to climbing stardom
American rock climber Sasha DiGiulian has racked up some incredible achievements over the course of her career – and is now star of a TV documentary.
Sasha DiGiulian is a climbing sensation who’s been scoring titles and first ascents for more than a decade. From high-profile indoor events to colossal outdoor walls, her mantra of ‘just keep going’ has helped her forge a formidable path to the top of her sport.
“I guess I’m constantly wondering what more I can do or what next level I can achieve,” says DiGiulian, who’s returned from hip surgery and published an autobiography in recent years. “I love and live for the feeling of that moment of achieving something that I didn’t know I could do.”
At the beginning of 2024, DiGiulian surprised her fans by signing up for a triathlon. Her participation in the Ironman 70.3 in Panama showcased her versatility and commitment as an athlete beyond her renowned climbing achievements.
In June, her documentary "Here to Climb" was released, offering a unique glimpse into her journey from child prodigy to champion. It showcases how she became the first woman to conquer some of the world's tallest and most challenging walls.
2 min
Here to Climb official trailer
An HBO Original Documentary from Red Bull Media House following professional rock climber Sasha DiGiulian as she faces obstacles in her ascent to the top and redefines success on her own terms.
Keep reading to learn about DiGiulian’s exceptional story.
01
How did Sasha DiGiulian get into climbing?
In 1998, DiGiulian’s mother threw her brother a climbing gym birthday party, an event that sparked her daughter’s love for the sport. Although she was already proficient in other sports, there was something about climbing that just clicked for her.
“I’d been skiing since I was two and I did figure skating competitively, swam, played team soccer; all these different sports,” says DiGiulian. “I was like, as good as a six-year-old can be. But then I think that when my brother had that birthday party, there was just something that I really loved about climbing that I don’t think that, as a kid, I thought much of – other than I wanted to do it again.”
Born and raised near Washington DC, she joined the local junior climbing team. She hit the gym regularly, but it was all about having a blast on those walls. Little did she know that this climbing affair would take her to amazing heights in the world of rock climbing.
Sasha DiGiulian
© Naim Chidiac/Red Bull Content Pool
02
When was Sasha DiGiulian's breakout year?
On a random and life-changing Saturday, DiGiulian’s local gym hosted a youth regional championship, and with her mother’s persuasion, Sasha got a place in the contest.
“I won my category, which was 11 and under. I was seven, and that was the start of my competition climbing,” she says. “It was just a matter of getting to the top for me. I didn’t think much beyond that – it was a nice time with no pressure. I just wanted to climb, and I was naturally, I think, gifted at it. As a little kid, I just enjoyed the celebration of winning.
Having dual citizenship with Canada, DiGiulian even competed from Canada and transitioned from local, regional and divisional to youth competitions. She took her first international win at the age of 11 in 2003. “And then, I guess, for the next decade-and-a-half, that was really what I did,” she says. “I went through the ranks of youth climbing.”
When she was 18, 2011 was her “breakout year,” as she puts it, becoming overall world champion in Arco, Italy. She won the US National Championship three times, remaining undefeated as the Female Open Pan American Champion from 2010 to 2018.
But even with those medals to her name, natural rocks were irresistible for her.
Sasha DiGiulian ascends a rock face in Greece
© Alex Grymanis/Red Bull Content Pool
03
Sasha DiGiulian's biggest achievements
After the World Championships, she set out for more challenges. “I started climbing outside more, falling in love with climbing outside and the kind of limitless potential that rock provides,” she remembers. “Slowly transitioning away from indoor competition and plastic climbing to more of the natural, what I call the roots of the sport, outdoors.”
Just as indoors, accolades on the rocks came one by one. DiGiulian’s breakthrough moment came in 2011, when she became the first North American woman to climb 5.14d (9a) and only the third woman in the world to climb Pure Imagination in Kentucky's Red River Gorge. She then sent Era Bella in Margalef, Spain, another 9a, the following year. "’Am I dreaming? Or is this reality?' I think that in those moments, you feel truly proud of yourself – that's how I felt – absolute disbelief in my own physical performance and being super surprised by my own ability,” she recalls.
“And that’s really powerful because when you realize that you can surprise yourself in that way, I think it’s informed me to think of other moments where I could surprise myself and do something that I didn’t even know I was actually capable of.”
Learn more about Sasha DiGiulian’s climbing journey
Fueled by these early sends, DiGiulian ventured onto the big walls. Reflecting on her first expedition to 1,200-foot [366m] Bella Vista in the Dolomites, she says, “I was totally surprised to do this big climb, because sometimes you look at a big wall and you’re such a small person that you don’t know what you’re capable of. It’s almost a metaphor that we may be small, but we can do big things.”
DiGiulian has over 30 firsts, and some of her big wall conquests include Rolihlahla in Brazil, The Misty Wall in Yosemite National Park and Mushroom (7c+) on the north face of the Eiger. She’s received prestigious awards like the Cutting Edge Athlete Award, the Golden Piton Award and the Arco Rock Legend Award for her incredible victories.
But her aspirations were wearing down her body and she was forced to take time off.
Sasha DiGiulian
© Naim Chidiac/Red Bull Content Pool
I feel really excited about having overcome injury and returning to my sport in such a big way.
04
Why did Sasha DiGiulian have hip surgery?
In 2020, DiGiulian faced a daunting diagnosis of hip dysplasia, an ailment she’d unknowingly carried from birth. “It was over the course of a year that I had a [labral] tear, as I had five hip surgeries,” she says. “They went in, and my pelvic bone was broken in four different places, and my femur head was essentially shaved down, and the labrum was sewn back together; then my hip was reconstructed twice – it was two 10-hour open hip surgeries and three other surgeries.”
“I’ve had to totally re-learn how to climb,” she says. “My hip flexibility was something that I relied on a lot because I had hyper-mobile hips. But now, with my newly constructed hips, I must rely on strength, it’s made my body more connected in a positive way. Because I have this new-found strength that I never knew existed before.”
05
How did Sasha DiGiulian return to climbing after hip surgery?
Just five weeks after her surgery, she scored a monumental first female ascent of Logical Progression, a 3,000-foot [914m] climb in 2021.
But that's not all – joined by Matilda Söderlund and Brette Harrington, she fearlessly conquered Rayu – 2,200 feet [671m] , 5a to 9c grade – then a 5.14b big wall route in Spain's Picos de Europa in 2022.
“I think that climbing is a really mental sport,” she says. “In the way that you never really know if you’re going to be able to do something when it’s really at the edge of your physical ability, and sometimes it can be your mind that holds you back because if you don’t believe in yourself, then you’re like your main opponent, and you’re not competing against anyone but yourself.”
I think that climbing is a really mental sport.
This feat is significant historically, marking the hardest women’s big wall climb; also a testament to DiGiulian’s return from injury. “I feel really excited about having overcome injury and returning to my sport in such a big way,” she says with pride.
Sasha DiGiulian...just hanging out
© Greg Mionske/Red Bull Content Pool
06
What happened to Sasha DiGiulian's father?
The sudden loss of her father has reshaped DiGiulian’s perspective.
“I lost my dad really suddenly and I think that definitely influenced my perspective on living a life that I feel passionate about and doing what I love, but also understanding that you can’t take everything for granted,” she says.
“I think that my philosophy is always to be as good of a person – pushing myself physically, but also staying grounded within, to remember why I love this sport.”
Despite an illustrious career, she never let her success get to her head and values her community. “Sporting achievements, I think, are important,” she says. “But one of the more important sides is knowing that I have the right people around me, that I can trust [them], and I think that’s maybe more important than anything.”
5 min
Sasha DiGiulian's Canadian trilogy
Stripped of music and slow-motion, Sasha DiGiulian makes her way up three of Canada's most gnarly routes.
07
Beyond climbing
DiGiulian has handled her own sponsorship deals and bank account since she was just 12 years old. “I was on this mission, I think, partially because of wanting to show that climbing was this legitimate sport,” she says. “I wanted to show them [her parents] that I could do it, and I could handle my own business.”
This entrepreneurial drive led DiGiulian to realize a decade-long dream and establish Send Bars, a nutritional energy snack company.
“I think that climbing in many ways has helped me with starting a business because when you’re leading an expedition team, it’s like you’re managing a group of people, and you’re on a mission to get something done,” she explains. “I really like that aspect of climbing, and I found that applying my background, which was originally from competition climbing, and then single pitch sport climbing, to then doing bigger walls, kind of all adds up and informs the other. In a way, it’s a logical progression that I feel.”
Aside from climbing, Sasha DiGiulian is a fan of everyone, from Serena Williams to Taylor Swift. She also enjoys cooking and spending time with those who are close to her. “I think that inspirations and mentors are the people closest to us,” she says. “We can have these idols that are far away and almost bigger than reality. But the people that we interact with on a day-to-day basis are always who you really learn from.”
DiGiulian has also authored a coming-of-age memoir called Take the Lead, which was released earlier this year.
08
Sasha DiGiulian's vision: Success through balance, health and empowerment
DiGiulian has a distinct philosophy on her upcoming goals, saying: “I don't think there’s an ultimate challenge for me as much as a compilation of different successes on the way. I feel really happy with what I've achieved. It's not like one moment when my history is written, it's just always going to be new things and new challenges.”
So what’s her motto? Stay healthy and” listen to your gut,” as she emphasises. “When you lose weight, it’s like a fast solution to improving performance that leads to injury and has a lot of negative consequences. So, I think in order to be an athlete that performs for a long time and has longevity in your career, you need to be healthy and fuel yourself properly, and also build strength.”
Right now, DiGiulian’s mission is to support the empowerment of women as well as climate action, always reaching new heights and “living passionately” in her own inimitable way.