NEWS
Caroline Winstel prepares to scale another wall. P H O T O : K AT I E G R I F F I T H
Climbing to the Top Wheelchair-user Caroline Winstel’s stellar performance at USA Climbing’s Paraclimbing National Championships confirmed a new chapter in her athletic life BY K AT I E G R I F F IT H
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n any given day at Climb Time Oakley, Caroline Winstel can be found surveying the gym’s
40-plus-foot walls, studying colorcoded routes, or checking tags at the base of each climb while noting its
difficulty level. Like many rock climbers, she might plan out a few moves before she even touches the wall; head up, neck cranked to one side, chalky hands above her head mirroring movements required for the sequence above — like climbing an invisible ladder. There is one thing about Winstel that sets her apart from other climbers at Climb Time, but when she’s on the wall, you’d never notice. Below her ascent, where daisy-chained ropes hang and chalk scatters, a wheelchair waits to meet her. Depending on the day, her descent could mean a skillful
and controlled downclimb or an unexpected, muscle cramp-induced fall. Winstel unclips from the auto belay system and unties a figure-eight knot from her harness. She often retreats to the center of the massive gym, where everyone congregates between climbs. Sharing “beta” (climbing jargon for tips and tricks) with friends or just taking time to rest, Winstel typically lays down and props her legs up on her wheelchair to regulate blood flow. “Sometimes I’ll come off the wall and you’ll see my legs are full noodles. It CONTINUES ON PAGE 06
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