Monique Forestier

ROCK CLIMBING

Clinging to a rock face with only your fingertips and a touch of rubber sole might not be everyone's cup of tea, but for Aussie Bodies champion rock climber Monique Forestier it's the place she feels most at home.

For Monique, there are a number of reasons why rock climbing fascinates her.

“It presents such multi faceted challenges, apart from the obvious physical challenges there is an element of puzzle solving,” said Monique. “Your mind must be sharp, in a split second you have to work out and visualise the sequence of moves that will enable you to get to the top and then hope that your body will follow suit. Then there’s the beauty of being at one with the environment. There is no better feeling than sitting on a ledge hundreds of feet above the valley watching the birds, the sun, just being an observer, there’s a sense of peace and correctness with the environment; climbing takes you to some beautiful places,” she said.

What else? “I guess I love the buzz when you take that whipper (fall) from the crux hold, as you’re falling you’re free and then when the rope takes up the adrenalin fills your veins and your mind becomes crystal clear.”

In sport climbing, they say if you’re not falling, you’re not pushing yourself hard enough

All climbs are graded with factors such as the size, spacing and orientation of the holds, the steepness of the rock face and the length of the route contributing to the grade of the climb. The combination and severity of each factor determines the degree of power and endurance required by the climber to complete the route. Grades range from 1 to 34 where 1 is a moderate scramble and 34 is an extreme gymnastic undertaking so far only managed by three Australian climbers.

Over the last few years Monique has traveled extensively to Europe, China, Borneo, USA and of course in Australia. She has caused a few ripples in the Australian climbing scene with her ascents of hard sport climbing routes. These ascents include three routes with a difficulty rating of grade 32 and several others graded 30+, putting her at a level of perhaps 15 women world-wide. In Australia no other women has climbed harder than grade 31.

Monique says, “These are only numbers, what’s really important is believing in myself, I know that I can climb harder still and I won’t rest until I’ve given it my all. Some people must think I’m crazy climbing rocks, but climbing keeps me honest, humble and extremely focussed on something I’m very passionate about.”

Austrian-born Monique, 34, lives 1044m above sea level in the historic Blue Mountains village of Mount Victoria. At 5am she makes a two-hour drive to Sydney, swims before work and does weights and indoor climbing sessions after work. Her elite gymnastic background has provided her with the mental toughness and fighting spirit to pursue her rock climbing.
Her motto is: "Since I let go of my fear of failure I had nothing to lose."

Monique uses Aussie Bodies protein to ensure she can keep up with her hectic training regime. She loves Protein Revivals for that post-training pick-me-up and of course when she's stuck half way up a cliff with the munchies, nothing beats a Choc Malt Protein FX bar!

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