Sára šimeková
the first Slovak woman to climb 8B, a competition climber and a coaching student
ABOUT SÁRA
I was born in Žilina and started climbing when I was 12. Before that, I tried a wide range of different sports. For many years, I trained in stage dance and competitive trail orienteering. Besides climbing, I'm currently studying Sports Coaching at Masaryk University.
My biggest achievements include winning the silver medal at the European Youth Cup in Lead Climbing, becoming the first Slovak woman to climb an 8B boulder, and earning the title of Czech Vice Champion in bouldering.
SHOOT A QUESTION
- Warm up or warming up by climbing? A proper warm-up and an easy warm-up climb are essential parts of every training session for me. Sometimes they take me more than an hour.
- Coffee or matcha? I love the taste of coffee, but I don't tolerate caffeine very well, so I usually go for decaf.
- Climb in silence or with music? It depends on my mood. Silence has its own charm, but when I do listen to music, it can be anything from pop and indie to Eminem.
- Pull ups or hanging? Tough choice, but I'd probably go with hanging.
- Favourite snack in the crags? Fruit, a protein shake, or an energy bar.
- Lead or boulder? Honestly, I really love both. It's hard to choose because each discipline offers something different. What I enjoy about bouldering is the process of piecing together a problem that seemed completely impossible at first. From a competition perspective, I also like having multiple attempts to solve it, whereas on lead you only get one chance. With lead climbing, I love that feeling of total exhaustion—when you think you can't make another move, but somehow you still find the strength to keep going and squeeze out a few more. That experience of pushing beyond your own limits has always fascinated me. I love discovering where my true limits really are.
- Alone or with a group? I spend most of my training sessions with my coach, but I also really enjoy climbing with a group—especially a smaller one.
- Static or dyno? Static.
5 QUESTIONS FOR SÁRA
1. What's your biggest f**k up in your climbing life?
Honestly, nothing much comes to mind. Maybe the time I fell while climbing down from a boulder after topping it and dislocated my elbow... Coincidentally, it was just a week before a competition.
2. If you could pick anyone from the climbing history or the present climbers, who would you love to go climb with and why?
I don’t have one specific person in mind, but it would definitely be interesting for me to go climbing with someone from the world elite. I’d love to see how they approach individual moves, how they deal with failure, and how they think about climbing – basically, to get a glimpse into the mind of a top-level climber.
3. What is your dream line?
I’d really love to try the TERRANOVA 8C+ boulder in Moravian karst. I really like the moves visually, and I’m curious to see what they’re actually like in reality.
4. What's your favourite part of being in the Rafiki team?
I really enjoy wearing Rafiki clothing, and getting the opportunity to model the new collection was an absolutely amazing experience for me.
5. What's your advice for the climbers of all levels?
Above all, don't forget to enjoy climbing and the joy of movement! No climbing grade or route defines your worth as a person. 🙂
