Steph Davis is one of the world's leading rock climbers, a BASE jumper and a wingsuit flyer. She was the first woman to summit all the peaks of the
Fitzroy Range in Patagonia, among other amazing exploits in her career.
B2 students can browse
her Wikipedia entry , read the introduction and "early life" sections for some background information, and they will get familiar with words like:
a BASE jumper , to free climb , to free solo , a wingsuit flyer , to summit , a straight-A [student], an asset , sheer [will ], brainy , a flawless [technique], an [English] major , a lift up , to [get] sucked in, a [school] break , to boulder , to pursue [climbing], a bacherlor's degree , the canon [of mountaneering literature], disparate shifting [reality], to decide against [it], to quit , to relate to [climbing].
If you want to listen to an old radio interview to Steph Davis, you can try
Rock climber Steph Davis on KSJD, (Cortez, Colorado, 2016) by Tom Yoder, a (17':13") phone interview without a script. The vocabulary is not particularly difficult, but the nature of the phone interview makes it harder to understand every single word at some points, so this recording is recommended for Experts, and, perhaps, for C2 students. The following list of words might help learners to follow the interview:
a venture , a memoir , an avid [reader], an infatuation , an essay , to jump [into a project], a proper [book], [all] from scratch , to accomplish , funnily [enough], to free solo , attached , to figure out , awareness , to go about [things], a sustainable [life], arguably , to highlight [the fact that], to make an attempt on [a climb], BASE jumping , [to go for] a hike , a lifestyle [really], the tagline , to pass away, to follow in your footsteps , to get into [it], to parachute , wingsuit [flying], to skydive , to blow me away , [to get] stuck [on that], to dive [down], a [climbing] clinic , she- [climbers], to see how it goes, [to learn] stuff [on my own], to live by , to take on [risks].
Rodellar, in Sierra de Guara Natural Park, is one of Europe's top rock climbing destinations -in the picture on the left you can see a view of El Delfín (F7c+), whereas in the link above, by
Climb Europe , B2 students can find details about the location, gear and accommodation to get to Rodellar, as well as interesting & technical expressions like:
a gorge , limestone , steep , stamina , to find your way [out], overhanging [caves], an arch , a tufa , a pinnacle , split , a single pitch [route], trad [gear ], a rope , a quickdraw , a multi-pitch [route], a twin rope , accommodation , self-catering [bungalows]. For further information about adventure sports, you can check the
Somontano Tourism website .
If you want to learn how rock climbers and other athletes can concentrate so sharply and overcome their fear, you can read this National Geographic article by Shayla Love: What's flow state? Here is the science behind top athletes laser focus flow state , laser [focus ], to tap into , peak [focus], slim , sandstone , grip , free solo [climbing], harness , a parachute , engrossed , a mindset , to leverage , impervious , a javelin [thrower], to accomplish [a goal], to come up [with a theory], to ramp up , [your skills] to take over , the frontal lobe , a seasoned [jazz player], to rely upon , to let go , drywall , your expertise , to tackle [a difficult challenge].
Finally, you can watch this short video about cragging in Rodellar on Jorge Packer's channel, and enjoy the incredible views of the Mascún canyon and El Delfín in the heart of beautiful Sierra de Guara:
VIDEO
