Caroline George

CONGRATULATIONS TO CAROLINE on passing her IFMGA certification!

Born in the heart of the Swiss Alps, Caroline was immersed in mountain culture from the time she was born. Every holiday with her family was spent traveling the world, using climbing as a way to discover new places and cultures. Upon graduating from law school, Caroline took a sabbatical to compete in the Ice Climbing World cup and travel to Nepal, before returning to law. But her passion for climbing soon took over and she traded in her lawyer's outfit for one of crampons and ice axes.

As a professional athlete, Caroline travels the world in search of striking lines to climb while exploring new cultures and horizons. Recently, she put up new routes in Norway, Iceland, Ethiopia and Canada. She also competes yearly in the Ouray Ice Festival. Caroline is an athlete for Petzl, Scarpa, Julbo and First Ascent, where she works developing great products for the mountains.

Caroline has volunteered her time and knowledge to the Khumbu Climbing School, instructing Sherpas how to be safer in the mountains. She also attends events to teach clinics and share her technical knowledge with others.

Caroline is a full time guide. She shares her time between guiding in Europe, in Salt Lake City, in Ouray and in the Cascades, together with her husband Adam George. She just completed her full IFMGA / AMGA certification, one of seven women in the US to be fully certified in ski, alpine and rock.

Find out more about Caroline on her website: www.intothemountains.com and follow Caroline's adventures on her blog: www.intothemountains.com/blog.

Q & A WITH CAROLINE

What was your most memorable ascent?
"A winter ascent of the Heckmair Route on the Eiger North Face in the Alps. It was my first bivouac on a face."

What was an intimidating or scary moment in your climbing career?
"I was skiing down a 45-50degree slope when a small wet snow slide took me off guard and pushed me over the edge. I fell 1300 ft down a rock face"... READ MORE

CAROLINE'S TOP GEAR PICKS

Scarpa Omega
The secret to success on bigger mountains is to keep your feet warm and dry. Scarpa's Omega fits the bill in more ways than one. They are lightweight and offer a slim profile. The liners are worn and dry very quickly. The stiff sole makes them perfect for any kind of mountaineering or technical climbing and the low cut around the ankle offers great comfort on approaches and for flat footing.

Petzl Fuse
The Petzl Fuse is my rope of choice for...everything! Climbing alpine routes, ice climbing and sending rock climbing projects. It's dry treated so it won't get too wet in the snow or on ice, and at 9.4mm in diameter, it's light to carry in a pack and while climbing rock routes. It's also very sturdy so it won't wear fast like most of the skinny ropes usually do. The middle and end mark are great safety and efficiency assets when using a single rope to rappel. The rope comes packaged in a ready-to-use butterfly coil. The Petzl Fuse gathers all the qualities I look for in a rope: lightness, durability and "multifunctionality".

Julbo Explorer
Julbo Explorers are the only sunglasses that offer me relief from the sun and reflection on the snow and at altitude. The progressive lens adjusts to the brightness, which makes it possible to see even when it gets darker. With the antifog treatment and the air flow incorporated in the frame, fogging is no longer something that I even think about. They wrap nicely around the face and won't come off unexpectedly thanks to the adjustable cinching string. They are the ideal sunglasses to wear on Rainier!

WHAT TO EAT

"There is no one way to eat in the mountains. What might work for one person may not work for another, so it's important to figure out how your body reacts to different food and drinks before you actually start on the climb. "
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