Californian Sierra Rose Knott on V6 Offwidth and V11 Send
"I fought hard and screamed my way through the last quarter of the climb, refusing to let go or give up, and found myself standing on the top"
Sierra Rose Knott has been putting down hard problems over the past year, including Dream Tiger Low V11 in the Black Mountains and Pope’s Hat V10 in Bishop.
Her YouTube video of her Dream Tiger send has hit over 14K views, impressive for any online climbing clip, and she recently shared support for the clothing brand Escaped Co, which runs by the motto: “We’re here to promote climbing as an outlet & break mental health stigmas.” Escaped Co’s proceeds fund their climbing For therapy program. We touched base with Knott at the start of 2022.
When did you start climbing? I’ve been climbing for eight years. My college roommate and I spontaneously tried out a climbing gym on Feb. 3, 2014 and fell in love with it.
Do you train individuals or groups? I currently take individual clients for both types of training: general fitness training and rock climbing. I do not coach teams, but I am open to coaching groups.
Who’s been a positive climbing role model in your life? Lynn Hill has always been a rock climbing role model for me. As a smaller female climber, being able to see a legend like her not only keep up with the boys but push the boundaries of climbing as a sport is inspirational. There’s something about her saying, “It goes boys!” that resonates with me. Hearing some of the stories of her back in the day, coming up with alternative beta and not using her small size as an excuse to not be able to do something, just makes me want to be more creative and determined to do the same.
Where’s your favorite place to boulder? It’s hard to pick a single crag and call it my favorite because I have a unique relationship with each one. Joshua Tree will always hold a special place in my heart because it’s the first place I ever climbed outside and it’s also the place I randomly met the love of my life, Richie. I’ve spent the last seven of my birthdays bouldering with a crew of good friends, free soloing the rock formations, and camping under the desert sky in J Tree. Bishop’s epic Buttermilk Boulders is the place where I feel like I’ve challenged myself the most mentally, especially after experiencing a traumatic highball climbing injury there, so I have a significant amount of respect for it. The Eastern Sierra is also indisputably breathtakingly beautiful. Black Mountain is a crag that I have measured the most of my long-term physical growth in. I remember multiple projects feeling so far out of my reach and then returning season after season and slowly chipping away at multiple climbs that I used to think were impossible. My man also proposed to me in one of the countless gorgeous scenic viewpoints at the summit of Black Mountain, so it has a very sentimental quality to it as well.
How often do you get to climb outdoors? I try to climb every single weekend outdoors. My fiancé and I have tried our best to create a life that revolves around being able to adventure together as much as possible, with work only being a means to make that lifestyle possible. We almost never climb gym sets anymore. If we do climb indoors, it’s generally on the Moonboard or Kilter board.
What’s been your most memorable send and why? My most memorable send is not my most impressive (grade wise), but I think it was the most important to me. It’s the climb that’s taken the most energy, effort, blood, sweat, and tears from me. The Inquisition is a V6 offwidth that I first discovered in my first year of climbing and, at the time, was not skilled or strong enough to even do half of it. Multiple times a year, I would tape up my hands, knees, and elbows and prepare for battle with a rock. After about three years, I could fight my way through the first half with ease but found myself always falling out of the upper crack just before the finish. One day, almost five years later, after having convinced many of my boulderer friends to try offwidth climbing for the first time, I sent! I was calm and focused for the first 3/4 of the climb. I had it so dialed that my eyes were closed for most of it. I fought hard and screamed my way through the last quarter of the climb, refusing to let go or give up, and found myself standing on the top. It was the first attempt of the day. I was totally shocked and literally collapsed on the boulder. My man ran up the back to congratulate me while I laid down on the rock breathing heavily and trying not to throw up. That was the longest standing project I had ever had. It felt surreal.
Do you have any projects? I have multiple projects that seem attainable within the next year or so. I don’t like to have only one or two projects at a time because I want to avoid becoming too obsessive over anything, overuse injuries from doing the same moves repeatedly or losing psych when the proj doesn’t go like you hoped. I think it’s important to diversify my climbing projects to ensure I’m still growing and expanding my repertoire of hard moves and climbing styles. Instead of picking just one or two climbs to call “my project”, I set yearly goals for pushing higher grades and a quantity of each to aim for. There’s no pressure to send anything specific, just an incentive to climb more things.
Watch Knott send Dream Tiger Low V11
Escaped Co
Check out the latest buyer's guide:
