Brette Harrington is an American professional rock climber and alpinist based in Lake Tahoe, California and British Columbia, Canada. She was featured in the film 'The Alpinist' alongside, Marc-André Leclerc. Her versatility in the mountains is seemingly endless: bold alpinist, accomplished 5.13+ traditional climber, calculated soloist, expert ski mountaineer, big-wall sender and graceful mixed climber. In 2015 Brette gained recognition when she free-soloed Chiaro di Luna on Aguja Saint Exupery, Patagonia. She was the first climber, male or female, to do so without the aid of any equipment or protection. The climb was ranked as one of the ten most legendary free solos to date. According to Gripped Magazine in 2016, Brette was "one of the world's leading crack and alpine climbers". In 2017, she was named one of the top women in sports to watch by Forbes Magazine.

Each climb presents different challenges from preparedness, logistics, conservation and expenditure of energy, organization, and mental toughness. Winter and summer climbing differ in with challenges due to climate. Last winter I soloed the north face of Mount Niblock in the Canadian Rockies.

This was mentally challenging because I had to commit to climbing a large face in snow and ice, using only my intuition of the snow conditions to decide if the passage was safe. I had to use complex rope systems to self-belay, and once I got to the summit, I had to navigate the descent on my own through steep snow and ice.

Risk taking is part of the game and is always an unknown. It is smart to refrain from taking too large of risks and over time you learn to take smaller risks to improve.

Each climb brings a new experience and requires improvisation in unforeseen ways.  For example, while climbing the East Pillar of Torre Egger in Patagonia 2019, I had a gear malfunction and I lost my mountaineering boots to a crevasse. My partner and I then needed to devise a plan to continue on, but not put ourselves in danger and adapt to the lack of footwear.

I love being outside and moving my body and mind in unison. Climbing is a natural movement that I have refined over the years, so it feels healthy and energizing when I'm out.

Each climb differs with the feeling of being high based on a factor called Exposure. While one climb may be 50m off the ground, it could be overhanging into space and the explore can feel great. In contrast, a climb may be at 3000m but a large snowfield planes the mountain making the climb feel less exposed. Many times, however, a face will be at high altitude and have exposure. These are the climbs that make one feel very small.

Mixed climbing is a style of climbing that combines rock climbing technique, with ice climbing. It is often very fun, but sometimes it requires a fair bit of suffering. Mixed climbing is done in winter, when temperatures can drop to –30 decrees. These days may not feel fun, but the memories are often vivid and moving afterwards.

My mental state is always in flux. Some days I feel fear more than others. I like to evaluate how I am feeling each morning to decide whether or not I am up for certain climbs. When I feel fear on a climb, I calm myself by taking slow, deep breaths to lower my heart rate.

In a certain way, soloing does help me connect with nature more than when I am with a partner. This is because nature is quiet, and when I'm out on my own I am more attuned to the sounds and motions of the natural world, and I am simply moving through it.

I free solo climb on occasion, but not as much as I climb with partners. I keep a list of mountain objectives in my mind, saved for the times when I cannot find partners. The climbing community generally accepts free soloing as a passion that attracts certain people. I think non-climbers have a harder time understanding the attraction to it. 

I enjoy ice climbing for a number of reasons. The beauty of climbing frozen water in a snow-covered environment is incomparable. I also like the mental challenge of evaluating the stability of the ice, and the physical challenge it requires of the body.

With your ice tools over head, you swing the pick into the ice like an arch to get the sharp tip to cut into the ice. For the feet, you kick the crampon straight into the ice using the crampon point as a step.