SLAB IS SEXY

Anna Hazlett hopes to bring new people into climbing with her upbeat and emotionally honest YouTube videos that champion climbing with style over ticking off achievements.

Aesthetics are important to Anna Hazlett, or Hazelnutt as she calls herself on social media. For most climbers the primary goal is to reach the top of whatever it is they’re ascending, but the 24-year-old slab climber from the US wants to “climb it pretty”, which, for her, means using slow, delicate movements and extended balances, as if she’s dancing gracefully up the face.

“I use the phrase ‘slab is sexy’ a lot, as the way some slab climbers move is so aesthetically pleasing to me,” says Anna. “Wanting to get to the top is totally valid, and I want that too, but I want to do it in a way that is flowy, beautiful, and strong.” She cites the rock climber Paige Claassen from Colorado as an inspiration, but there could also be a comparison with longboard surfers who prioritise riding waves with style and creativity as opposed to the more aggressive manoeuvres favoured by shortboarders.

Anna likes her body position to be almost vertical and will sometimes redo things if she doesn’t feel they looked right the first time. In part she does this “to feel good on the wall” but also – as a brown, queer woman – she wants to showcase a different, less macho side to climbing; to encourage fresh eyes on the sport, especially from groups that haven’t traditionally been front and centre.

Modern climbers are more accomplished than ever, and we don’t just mean on the wall. We’ve always valued boldness, whether that means having the vision to push highpoints into the unknown or having the audacity to demand more for our home planet. To be a strong climber means full commitment to the sport and to our communities. It means not just working towards futuristic first ascents, but working towards a better future. And we aren’t going to get there alone.