Thomas Brandt Kjaer

My name is Thomas, I am 25 years old and have been rock climbing for 16 years.

How did you get into climbing?

I love sending hard climbs, but my main long-term motivation for rock climbing is definitely the adventurous aspect of the sport. Thus, since i was 16 and went on my first big solo trip out in the world, i have tried to live by the phrase “Just say yes” to never miss out on a good experience or adventure.

My passion really took off, when my dad brought me on a climbing trip to beautiful Chamonix in France, where I was completely astonished by the enormous scenery and the incredible joy of scaling hard challenges in the midst of it (in this case 6a sport). Since then I have tried to sample as much rock as possible combined with sends and adventures. This has brought me to more or less visited places all around the world - like eastern Asia, northern Europe and western USA.

Through my studies as a mechanical engineer, I have become more and more knowledgeable about the environmental impact of the climbing Industry, especially the dirty production of vast amounts of unrecyclable polyurethane and polyester holds. Therefore, there has been a clear correlation between my technical knowledge and my admiration for people trying to take the climbing Industry into a more sustainable direction. So, when Nature Climbing reached out and asked if I wanted to work with their High quality, environmentally friendly products, there was no doubt in my mind towards my answer.

What is your favorite thing about Nature Climbing?

With that in mind it is clear that my favorite item from the Nature Climbing product portfolio, is the holds they make. Especially the Originals line draws my awe, as they are uniquely innovative and, in my opinion, a work of art, all while addressing one of the darkest sides of our beautiful sport… Another strong contender is their beautiful brushes!

I hope I will be able to take part in the sport for the rest of my life, but it is obvious that at some point anyones athletic level will degrade. So, before the inevitable happens I have set myself some goals, that I have to achieve before I will allow myself to relax my athletic training. These include the grade 8c in bouldering, 9a in sport climbing, freeing El-cap but also the more experience-related goals of doing War and Poetry on Greenland, multipitching on Madagascar and climbing on the Taipan Wall in Australia. (if anyone is motivated for a potential team-up last 3, feel free to reach out!)

I don’t consider myself an especially talented climber, but I think I can safely claim that I am on of the top climbers in Denmark. The main explanation is probably found in the fact that throughout all the things that life throws at you like, tough work, hard school, injuries etc. I have always prioritized to put plenty of time into climbing and training. Therefore, on a last note, I would like to stress to any ambitious climber reading this Consistency is Key.