Sébastien Berthe, 27 years old, former climbing coach and route setter, graduated with a Masters in Physical Education (Catholic University of Louvain), 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 to climbing!

“What I really 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 few hard first ascents in Belgium), I love trad and BigWall 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 is more than just a fact, it is an emergency we have to deal with right now! I love travelling, 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 and not for the 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 the reason (my obvious weaknesses or a foot slip), I at least have style. And what is better than failing with style?“