Tell us a little about yourself.

“I work as a photographer and in recent years I have been photographing more and more climbing. When I’m not working I prefer to spend my time on different cliffs around Europe. I jokingly say that my goal is to be the world’s weakest professional climber and that’s currently going pretty well.”

Share some tips on good places in Sweden to climb this summer.

– Örnberget. “Stockholm’s largest climbing cliff. There is climbing in all grades between 5a and 8c. The main wall is quite well shaded by large trees.”

– Hyltebergen. “One of many fantastic areas in Gothenburg that is considered to be the city with the best climbing in Europe.”

– Solvik. “South of Linköping in the middle of a rolling landscape with grazing cows a high cliff rises. Fantastic trails between 6b and 8c on super fine stone.”

– Träleberget. “Right by the sea at Lysekil. Here there are trails in grades 3-8a on the famous Bohuslän granite. If you want to take a break from the climb, you can swim in the sea right next to the cliff.”

– Snipen. “In Niemisel outside Luleå a fantastic rock is towering. There are no really easy trails, but if you climb 7a + or harder, this is one of Sweden’s absolute best rocks. The cliff gets very hot in the summer so it is recommended to climb in the middle of the night in the midnight sun when it is cooler.”

 

 

 

Do you have any tips on how to get started in rock climbing?

“Beginners often ask me for tips on how to get better. My first and most important tip is always to just climb as much as possible. Indoor climbing is good for training and getting a lot of climbing done in a short period of time, but if the goal is to be good at climbing outside then you need to climb a lot on stone. My second tip is to focus on where and how to place your feet so you learn to stand on small and hard grips. My third tip is to discuss and test different solutions on the trail or boulder you try  with other climbers. It is fascinating how often you find solutions that you thought you’d never come up with yourself.”

What do you need to get started in rock climbing in terms of equipment?

“First and foremost, you need a pair of climbing shoes that fit your feet. It’s no wonder if you need to test 10 different types of shoes in different sizes before finding the right one. The shoes should fit as tight as possible over the entire foot, but not so tight that it hurts when standing on the toe tips of a grip. When it comes to equipment in general, I think you should treat yourself to things that you are comfortable in. It is meant to feel good when you are out climbing and therefore you need clothes and equipment that works otherwise the experience will be the just difficult and uncomfortable.”

Tell us about your summer plans!

“The summer plans this year are obviously affected by the Corona pandemic. I have chosen to spend large parts of the summer in Bohuslän where there are many nice cliffs and not to crowded. In terms of climbing, the goal is to make a new personal best, but not so good that it threatens my position as the world’s weakest professional climber.”