Angie Limbach
I started climbing at age fourteen in an effort to stray away from “traditional ball sports.” Let’s just say if you throw something at me, it better not be breakable!
As any good little sister would do, I followed in my older sister’s footsteps and joined our high school climbing club. Despite how difficult it felt, as soon as I scaled my first route, I was hooked. Since then, climbing has become a lifelong commitment and one of my strongest passions.
I have always valued the collaboration of exerting both physical and mental strengths to overcome any challenge life throws my way. I love that climbing always offers something new to take on- a taller climb, a harder route, a more remote location.
In a continued effort to grow as a climber, I joined the Hoofer Mountaineering Club when I started college in 2008 at UW-Madison. Nearly every weekend for years was filled with climbing at either Devil’s Lake State Park (where I also picked up seasonal summer shifts with the Wisconsin DNR) or in Kentucky’s infamous Red River Gorge. Anytime I had a break from class, I filled my calendar with climbing trips: trad climbing in Red Rock Canyon, Nevada, alpine multi-pitch in Wyoming’s Wind River Range, ice climbing on Lake Superior, and mountaineering adventures to Grand Teton National Park.
I gained tremendous tenure and sharpened my climbing skills during my time with Hoofers. It was also where I learned how beneficial and important the climbing community is, and many of my best friends and mentors were made through being tied in together on a rope. Because so many people have genuinely invested in my growth as a climber, it’s time for me to return the favor. Climbing has changed my life for the better and I want to do whatever I can to help it brighten yours. Whether it’s your first time strapping on a harness or you’re a veteran climber looking to learn something new, I want to help make it happen. Until we meet, I’ll leave you with a favorite quote from John Muir: “The mountains are calling, and I must go.”