CVL: Do you like mixed climbing more then rock climbing?

IP: I love rock climbing in the summer and ice climbing in the winter. I could never climb the whole year just on the rock. I couldn’t get the motivation for the hard moves. After ice season I feel really psyched about rock. I’m used to having each season packed with climbing — there is no rest in the whole year. I start training in fall, climb ice and mixed in the winter, and after the last competition of the season, I start training on a campus board.

CVL: What about your elbows and shoulders? 

IP: Ice climbing is a little bit dangerous.  If you don’t take care of your shoulders you get hurt.

GL: What do you do for cross training?

IP: I train before ice season, but don’t ask how much [laughs]. It’s not that much!

GL: Do you do push-ups? 

IP: Yeah: push-ups, pull-ups, and I used to do indoor training on the weight machine. This season, because of my accident, I lost a lot of power.  Before [the accident] I was like, “Oh, who would do this?” It is absolutely stupid! But in a very short time you can do a lot of training. Like once I did 100 pull-ups.

CVL: You did 100 pull-ups!?

IP: Just once, and I couldn’t climb for a week! I’ll never do that again!

CVL: What got you psyched for climbing?  How long ago did you start?

IP: I just started climbing six years ago.  At first it was more mountaineering and long routes [she has climbed Aconcagua, for example] and endurance training.

CVL: You were a mountaineer for a long time?

IP: No, only for one year and then I got pregnant.  I started sport climbing because it was the only thing to do with a little kid.  You can take it  [children with you] and you can train.

CVL: Do you want Emanuel to be a climber?

IP: I would love for him to like it, but I don’t kick [push] him. He’s tried laybacking in Indian Creek. When he was a much younger kid, I took a lot of care that he didn’t fall — it’s a little dangerous in the mountains, you know — now he’s so safe (he’s five!). He feels very safe on his feet, and that’s a good thing for the trips we are going to do together.

CVL: Do you want to climb a high-grade sport climb?

IP: No, I want to do high-grade sport climbing in the mountains. I have a project in the Dolomites called Candachima (8b, 13d), which is 500 meters high; two pitches very hard, two pitches 8a, one pitch 7c+, 7b+, and one pitch 7b. Last year I was close to doing it. Then I had a bad accident and couldn’t redpoint it. 

CVL: All bolts?

IP: No. All pitons.

CVL: Pitons in limestone?

IP: Yeah, I love it. The rock is a little loose but you get used to it. I’ve done one long route every year for three years, so hopefully I can finish this project this year, because I lost last year.

GL: Where are you going after this?

IP: Back to my project.