Hi, I’m Mal and I like to climb.
I’m not terribly picky about it.
I like to climb:
Trad. Mountains.
Sport. Ice. Boulders. Plastic.
Whatever I can get my hands on.
But mostly trad.
I live in Bellingham, Washington.
I’m 23 and 5’1″ (aka small.)
Graduated from Western Washington University.
Squamish is my favorite place to climb.
Fred Beckey is my hero.
Alpinist is the best magazine there is.
I like Rainier beer. I think it tastes best on summits.
Climb with me sometime.
Jason Pon took this photo of me at the Squamish Rampage! Boulder Comp in 2015. He’s pretty awesome.
Quickly learning that skis make the downhill part of mountaineering way more fun. Props to Tim Black for documenting my try-hard face while balancing on a log.
That one time I summited Shuksan with a couple of half-naked dudes from the pizza place I was working at in 2015. It’s chill.
Here, I demonstrate terrible ice climbing form but I assure you that I enjoyed every moment of it. I love climbing Marble Canyon waterfalls.
After getting my first V3 send in the dark in Squamish, I decided bouldering wasn’t that bad.
Not even joking: this was a candid capture. Yeah, I’m ridiculous.
Still waiting on a certificate or something for Miss America 2016. This photo was taken after I summited Mount Baker the first time via the Boulder Glacier route.
Tired of looking at photos of me? I don’t blame you.
Shenanigans aside, I love climbing more than anything else there is.
While I love cracking jokes and having fun, I know that I’m young and dumb and have a lot of learning to do when it comes to climbing, mountaineering and living sustainably.
I’m really fortunate to have had several mentors along the way.
Especially Jim Thompson.
Especially the Skagit Alpine Club.
Especially Jonas Fung.
Especially Stefano Nunes.
Especially Laurel Fan.
Especially Lizzy VanPatten.
I want to say, “I can’t even articulate how much you guys mean to me,” but I know that I’ve either told you, written about it or tried to articulate it.
Just know that you guys mean a lot to me and that I’m really, really thankful for your contribution to my climbing career thus far.
Moral of the story:
This girl just wants to climb cracks.
I love your Instagram page! I just found it and I am so inspired. I currently attend Eastern Washington University and love reading your page to get inspired. Unfortunately, I have not been able to go outside and climb but your photos give me a great idea of where to go. Rock climbing saved my life and your page reminds me of that. Thank you so much!
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We love your site, thanks for sharing your experiences! You are a rock star!
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Thank you! I appreciate it. 😊
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