In many ways Carlie LeBreton has felt like family to Mountain Equipment for years. She's been so heavily involved in the Sydney climbing scene and has influenced many people we know, helping them grow into the well rounded people they are. So we are completely stoked to have her as an official ambassador. The impact of Carlie on Australian sport climbing cannot be summed up quickly. So to make it easy we'll give a few key points in list form:
- Australian National Sport Climbing Champ 6 years in a row
- International Junior Champion
- X Games competitor
- Part owner and director of Villawood Climbing Gym
- Her gym hosts NSW and Australia's biggest climbing comps
- Australian National Head Route Setter for lead and boulder
- Selected for IFSC Paraclimbing World Championships route setter
- On the board of Sport Climbing Australia for 7 years
- Coach for Sport Climbing Australia
- Mentor to many
- Has climbed grade 31 outside
- Has bouldered V9 outside
- Mum to Remy
- All round legend
Now if that has you intrigued and you want to find out a few of the finer details, here's a short bio:
Carlie has been climbing for about 25 years. Growing up in Wollongong, she started as a Year 8 student choosing climbing for school sport, progressed to working at the gym and was soon setting routes. Carlie quickly found herself involved in competitions and climbing on rock at Nowra. From the age of 15, She was National Champion for 6 years. As a young competitor she travelled to the USA to compete in the International Juniors which she won in 1999. She also attended X Games events in the USA and Asia, winning in Thailand in 2000.
Following on from Australia hosting the World Youth Championships in 2008, Sport Climbing Australia was pretty burnt out. Carlie and her husband Rob joined the board and really lead the way for the SCA for the next 7 years. They each put in a huge effort over a long period to continue developing the sport in Australia including coaching for that time too.
Over the years, Carlie has climbed many of the classics at Nowra and in the Blue Mountains. Climbing up to grade 31 and bouldering V9. Cheesemonster 30 is one of her best sends and Ain’t No Sunshine 28 is one of her favourites. She recently just sent Double Adapter (31) and Middle Earth (30) in the one day!
In the last 10 years she has become a National Head Setter in Lead and Boulder. Setting at nearly every National Championship apart from taking a short break when her son Remy was born. She currently is also an official IFSC route setter and has set at a number of international competitions including being head route setter at the IFSC Paraclimbing World Championships in Russia.
At age 40, with a family and busy job managing Sydney Indoor Climbing Gym Villawood, Carlie still keeps getting better and better. Over the past year, she has climbed some Blue Mountains classics including Don’t Believe The Tripe 29, Bernie Loves Tofu 28 and Green Eggs and Ham 28. Returning to Nowra for the winter season, she sent Non-Dairy Cheese-Like Substitute 30. She then went on to climb her goal grad of 8b (31) with Double Adaptor as well as Middle Earth at the Gateway Blue Mountains.
Carlie is stronger, healthier and more passionate about climbing than ever. Juggling her many commitments isn’t easy and doesn’t always go smoothly but she and her husband Rob made the decision that climbing would be part of their family life. Carlie is driven by the physical and mental challenges of climbing, the beauty of being outdoors and creative challenges of designing routes for competitions and in her gym. She wants to share her love of climbing and inspire other people, particularly mums, to choose the path of following their passion.
To find out more about Carlie LeBreton