Sebastien Berthe

Former climbing coach and route setter who graduated with a Master’s in Physical Education (Catholic University of Louvain), he is one of the most polyvalent and passionate climbers of his generation (a passion that can sometimes lead to obsession). He recently decided to invest 100% of his time in climbing!

“What I love about climbing are all the possibilities that sport can offer you. I could not imagine doing only one discipline of climbing. I love bouldering (climbed up to 8B boulder), I love lead climbing (climbed up to 9A+ and a few hard first ascents in Belgium), I love trad, and big wall climbing (free climbed El Cap a few times with Freerider in a day, the second ascent of the Free Heart Route and the first ground-up ascent of the Nose more recently), I love competition (former national coach and member of the Belgian climbing team, 3rd in the 2019 lead Belgian championship, 2018 and 2014 Belgian lead champion).

Environmental protection and the ecological fight are really important to me. Global warming and its consequences are more than just a fact; it is an emergency we have to deal with now! I love traveling; I love climbing; I love nature, and discovering new places. I know that if I want to keep climbing outdoors, if I want the playgrounds, we have to remain the same; we need to change the way we live. Scientists make it clear: if we don’t fight against global warming by reducing our greenhouse gas emissions as much as we can, things will change, not for good. I am not talking about climbing conditions and friction! Our entire lives will change and leisure as well – including climbing.

I’ve always liked the adage: ‘Style first’ or ‘style is more important than the performance.’ The good thing with these words and my pink tights is that if I can’t perform for whatever reason (my obvious weaknesses or a foot slip), I at least have style. And what is better than failing with style?“

This biography is cited from: http://sebastienberthe.com/palmares/