5 questions for majka burhardt

i recently had the chance to chat with majka burhardt. majka is an AMGA certified rock guide, climber and writer who toils away in boulder, colorado. she has been guiding for over a decade and was the 4th woman to be certified in any discipline by the AMGA. majka penned the feature article "vertical ethiopia" in the january 2008 issue of climbing magazine.


for those who aren't familiar with your awesomeness, who is majka?

Is awesomeness a word? Guess so... it didn't spell check. I'm a woman trying to shot the gap between three different identities and jobs and create a career out of the combination. I grew up with four parents (two regular, two step) who all went to work at standard jobs and long ago decided I wanted something different. What I have, now, is the synergy of writing, climbing and guiding. I started with guiding when I was twenty-one and went after that profession full time. I added in writing later, and the climbing has been present throughout. Presented the best way, I get to travel the world and climb and explore, and then come home and write about it.

you are just getting ready to release your book vertical ethiopia: climbing towards possibility in the horn of africa. why the book? why africa? why now?

Vertical Ethiopia arose from my first visit to Ethiopia when, while staring at the bucolic landscape dripping with bright red, wild coffee cherries, I realized that Ethiopia was nothing like I expected. I became interested in what our presuppositions inform, and what they limit, in the world. I'm a climber and it didn't take too long until this thought pattern turned to climbing--or rather until I decided to see how climbing intersected my view of Ethiopia. I became obsessed with the possibility of adventure in this country that has been iconic for famine, drought, and communism. The book came out of this. In reality, the book came to me-- I was approached by an Ethiopian publisher to do the project once I'd already committed to an article. By giving myself over this larger project I was able to really probe at what it means to climb from several different perspectives. Why now? That is an interesting question for me. Now because Ethiopia is on the bring of becoming eclipsed by muslin-christina tension or becoming a fully operational African industrial player. The potential of Ethiopia is staggering on innumerable fronts. But the risks are just as big. I found a way to get involved and learn more about this country at its time of transition and, I hope, contribute to its move towards a more viable nation. If the question is Why Now for Me? Then I would say that I'm at a place of self-collaboration. I finished my MFA this past July and want to move forward integrating writing and exploring (in this case climbing). It seems like the perfect timing for a book.

as a guide, what advice would you give newbie climbers out there?

Keep learning. It seems simple or trite but it is true. I try to do the same every year. I think what is great about being a newbie is that you get to admittedly not know about things. If you can keep this attitude and be open to learning new systems and ways of climbing, your climbing will benefit and you will learn how to be safe. If you keep learning, you also keep asking questions and pushing those around you to be informed. I went through a stage when I was learning to climb when I hated to admit my lack of knowledge. I was obstinate and 20. The result was a lead fall that I had no business taking. What was that saying my volleyball coach had in high school? oh yeah. "do as I say and not as I do."

you are a hot climber chick - i just want to establish that for our readers. what's the one thing testosterone-driven hetero men should know about women at the crag?

One thing? (they might need to know 100 times that if they are looking to get a date... ). We're out there to climb, just like a guy is. But most likely, we also do more than climb with our lives. Figure out how to talk about all of these potential passions and see what happens.

what's next for you?

I'm traveling around the US and Canada for the book tour through the summer. I'll be everywhere, from climbing festivals to IMAX theaters to independent bookstores. I'll spice that up with a trip to the Bugaboos in August and then a return to Africa shortly thereafter for more new routes down south. Then there is another book project in the works as well...

thanks for the time majka.

photo: courtesy of majka burhardt