Babsi Vigl

Babsi has always been fascinated by climbing; it’s also always been about more than summiting (though she has bagged plenty of those, too). Raised in the Austrian Alps, she’s been climbing since she was a child and went on her first expedition at the age of 20. In the years since, she has explored the Himalaya, Patagonia, Yosemite, Alaska and countless other ranges around the world.

As impressive as her long list of objectives, however, are all her other roles in the climbing community: She’s also an occupational therapist who specializes in healing injured climbers; an instructor who teaches young mountaineers and mentors women in the alpine, and a professional writer who captures stories that make up the sport she loves.

“I think I’m a really curious person, and I feel there’s still so much to discover in my sport,” she says. “Even a route you’ve climbed 100 times, you can go back and find something new: it’s a different season, or you have new skills. Our planet is really big and there are so many places and communities to discover. Too many for one life.”

Watch Babsi’s welcome video on YouTube