2025 Theme - More Real by alpha climbing director and mentor Aaron Hjelt

For the past two years, our unofficial theme has been “let’s go climbing.” In many ways, this has been a poetic sentiment because we have always gone climbing, we do go climbing, and we will go climbing. This slogan has been a reminder to keep our intentions simple. Since we still have a bunch of glitter stickers that say “let’s go climbing,” we’ll keep saying it. To be more simple in an increasingly complex world is an endeavor, and we think this theme will forever be part of alpha’s mentorship.

Looking towards 2025, my concerns around the threat of complexity are that we’re also quickly escaping reality. Initially, I thought the phrase “keeping it real” could be appropriate. But for many of us, that ship has sailed. A disturbingly large percentage of our day-to-day existence has been co-opted by algorithms, artificial intelligence, heavily processed food, and radically reduced time in nature. Our senses and intuition are left wondering what is real when increasingly, we’re informed what is real through our screens.

I make no pretense about how we are becoming “less real.” Humans are a vulnerable bunch. Our existence is and forever will be a paradox: we are remarkably strong, resilient, and intelligent, while being weak, fragile, and foolish. Greed and power make us the worst versions of ourselves. We’re threatened by our impulses and indulgences but yet we continually learn how to overcome our shortcomings. Sort of.

It’s easy to say that the less realness that technology offers is escapism. It’s really, really hard to coexist with complexity, discomfort, tragedy, and suffering. None of us will ever have all of the answers, let alone solutions. Technology delivered through capitalism is convenient. It feels good. And it often keeps feeling good. If we can afford it, we can buy things that are less real that make us feel good. Good is being used very relatively here.

I won’t digress into why or how I think this is happening. But I do want to make the point that we need to return to real, or have more realness, or keep whatever realness we have. More real. That’s it.

But why more real?

Because in order to adapt, in order to grow, in order to thrive, and develop empathy for others, and to be the best version of ourselves, we need real experiences. We need to put ourselves in situations that are stressful, uncomfortable, challenging, physically demanding, and make our brains hurt as we try to find solutions. We need to observe and listen and smell and taste. We need repetition with our bodies.

The cow pasture adjacent to Villenueva de Valdegovia in the Basque Country — Sitting in a cow pasture at the Villenueva de Valdegovia crag in the Basque Country last summer was very real.

Less real is allowing and paying a person or entity to make decisions for us, whether it’s by algorithm, dominion, artificial intelligence, wealth-generating formulas, or sinister motives.

More real is autonomy, adaptation, self-determination, critique, reflection, creativity, reason, and growth.

Rock climbing is a phenomenal way to be more real. Fundamentally, the connection we make to the earth while we’re on the rock is tremendously grounding. How often is it that any of us in the developed world actually touch the ground? We mostly step on pavement, grip plastic things, and keep ourselves protected with advanced clothing. Less and less, we’re touching dirt (or “grass” as is the common parlance). Getting on rock brings us to nature and a direct connection with the earth.

When it comes to our identity, being more real allows us to find authenticity. Climbing isn’t easy. It’s very good at showing us our weaknesses. For those of us who continue to do it, we have no choice but to accept this. And thus comes humility. When we are forced to examine our weaknesses, and to escape ego, we get a really good look at what we are and what we aren’t. Enough of these experiences, and we become who we really are. We become authentic. We accept that we can’t have everything and life isn’t fair. But it is what we make it.

With authenticity comes confidence and belief in what we are capable of. We build self-determination.

More real brings us closer to truth. While the less real previously mentioned bombards us with fantasy, conspiracy, doubt, and just plain lies, living with more realness helps us decide what truth actually is. When we climb, we get a better sense of the world around us. If we are fortunate enough to be able to travel to climb, we meet strangers, we visit rural areas, and we observe how life goes on outside of our bubble. We might be inspired to read more about history, or the science of how things work. Our curiosity is stimulated. We also learn that we will never know everything, and yet there are passionate individuals who devote their lives to learning about specific things in order to help others. We learn to trust these people instead of holding opinions being predicated by the less real.

Finally, it’s our emotions that get the most real when we attempt to leave the less real behind. After 25 years of getting youth into nature and on rock, the profound range of emotional experiences is probably the singular reason I keep doing this. Delighting in the highs, wallowing in the lows, and being okay with the in-betweens, reaching a spectrum of emotions is what truly provides joy in life. The more we are able to exist in variety and depth of emotion, the better we can understand each other. I think it’s an understatement to say that humanity needs more empathy right now.

So let’s go climbing and we’ll be more real.