Climber Story: girlswhoCCliMb

To start, tell us a little bit about yourself

If you didn't know, we are three sisters who can't get enough of climbing! Our Instagram handle girlswhoCCliMb is a play on our three names with the C, C, & M.

Mal — Hi! I’m Malorie, I’m 32, I’m a tax accountant and live in sunny Florida. I really believe that you’re never too old to try something new!

Carlie — Hi! I’m Carlie, I’m 28 and I’m a resident physician and live in Pittsburgh, go Penguins! I like Type 2 fun!

Chrissy — Hi 😊 I’m Christina, I’m 25 and I’m a 4th year graduate student getting my PhD in biology and doing cellular neuroscience research. I live in the Albany, New York area and am a big fan of climbing in the dacks!

How did you start climbing?

Mal — A friend first introduced me to climbing with a Groupon deal for a trial membership to a small gym in NYC. The funny thing was at first I didn’t think I would commit and took so long to buy a pair of my own shoes. But I quickly fell in love with climbing.

Carlie — Mal introduced me to climbing! And she even gifted me my first pair of climbing shoes to get me going.

Christina — I took an intro to rock climbing PE class in college and was immediately hooked! At first I was only climbing a few times a year but when I started grad school I began climbing more regularly bc it was such a great way to meet new friends & a fun stress reliever from work and school.

What impact has climbing had on your life?

Mal — For me, climbing has been a journey of self-discovery and growth. There have times I could see a progression in grades, and then there were times when I couldn’t climb consistently and felt like I took a step backward. At one point, I realized that I started to value my self worth by the grades and compared myself to others. After reflecting on my climbing journey, I realized that growth does not necessarily have to be a stepwise pattern and can’t always be defined by numbers just like in life. I love looking back at my old videos and comparing to my present climbing and realizing how much my technique has improved. Most importantly, I’ve made some lifelong friendships with people I’ve met through climbing and climbing has been something special that I get to share with my sisters!

Carlie — For me, climbing has been a stress reliever and the gym provides a haven from the everyday chaos. It makes me feel strong and gives me confidence.

Christina — Climbing is a huge part of my life. I love being outdoors and spending my weekends in the mountains, and I’ve actually found that I’ve been able to increase my school/work productivity by developing a better work-life balance & preventing burn-out.

What are some other things you do that you find most fulfilling?

Mal — I feel most fulfilled spending quality time with the people I love

Carlie — I love baking. My favorite go-to recipe is chocolate cheesecake, and I love an excuse to bake it.

Christina — I am super passionate about my research, studying protein trafficking in neurons. It’s really important to study the underlying mechanisms of cells so that when things go wrong (oftentimes in diseases), we can find new ways to develop treatments.

If you could tell the world one thing, what would it be?

Mal — Be kind and empathetic to everyone you meet. You never know what someone could be going through, so give generous assumptions.

Carlie — Don’t be too hard on yourself and remember to laugh and have fun!

Christina — Life is too short to be anything other than happy.

You can find the sisters on their shared Instagram account at @girlswhocclimb or reach out individually to Mal (@malorie.gallery), Carlie (@carlie.climbs), & Christina (@chrissy.climbs).

Want to get to know more of the climbers in the amazing Dynamite Starfish community? Check out our archive of Climber Stories here.

We hope you have enjoyed these sneak peeks into climbers' lives. We're on a mission to share diverse stories about rock climbing. Let's push the boundaries of who we know as climbers. Let's use our energy and passion for the outdoors to love our environment and inspire one another.

Have someone you think we should feature? Send us a message and let us know!

Until next time!