COOLMAX® Jersey — A Conversation with Rasmus Holm

11.03.2020

Rasmus Holm is a 21-year old Danish bouldering champion hailing from Aarhus, Denmark. He sits with Norse Projects to discuss his lifelong passion for the sport of bouldering, the on-going competition with the self and how scaling walls has informed his approach to life.

How did you first get introduced to climbing and bouldering?

I was introduced to climbing when I joined a boarding school. Here I met a climbing instructor who was 100 % committed to the sport. He showed me the way into the environment and I joined the local climbing gym and since then, I have spent a lot of time there. Two and a half years later I won the Danish Senior Championship in bouldering even though I was still only a junior climber.

How has the sport at large, and your dedication to it informed your approach or even your outlook to life?

When you are so dedicated to a sport as I am, it becomes a lifestyle. Training has to fit into a busy everyday life with a full-time job etc. But the sport also provides the opportunity to travel the world, experience many different places, get to know a lot of people, to build up a wide social network and have a ton of good times.

There are different disciplines of climbing; whether it be bouldering or free soloing. Where do you land on the spectrum?

I am quite fond of bouldering because I think it is the most fun to climb a few very intense, hard and difficult movements rather than making a lot of easy movements where it is more about endurance. Like rope climbing for example. Free solo has no interest for me cause I value my life too much (laughs).

Who inspires you?

Many big names inspire me and I have many idols. When it comes to outdoor climbing, it’s definitely people like Adam Ondra from the Czech Republic and Alexander Megos from Germany. When it comes to competition climbing, Tomoa Narasaki from Japan inspires me a lot; he has a very dynamic style.

Climbing is truly a competition with ‘the self’. In that sense, how do you stay focused and tune in to the moves in front of you?

Well, it’s also extremely difficult. When I’m in a competition situation it’s all about feeling the movements and then making your deliberate decisions.

What are your current climbing goals?

Last year, my goal was to climb hard boulders outdoor rocks. I planned a big trip to South Africa. Here I met some of the best climbers in the World and after struggling for several weeks I managed to climb the classic boulder “Monkey Wedding”. This boulder is graded 8c which is at high international level.
This year, I think it’s time to change focus and focus a bit more on competition climbing again. I have a Nordic Championship as well as a Danish Championship in front of me. I look so much forward – it’s gonna be great.