On top of the world

In 2007 Natalija Gros had the best climbing season of her life. In an interview the dainty Slovenian talks about her World Cup title in combination, the pitfalls of math, and why she was successful in the wrong discipline.

On November 29 you’re celebrating your 23rd birthday. What were your sporting and personal highlights in the past year?

From a sports point of view it was my World Cup title in combination. And personally? The best memory I have from last year would be the holiday I took to Croatia with my boyfriend.

The title of 2007 World Cup champion in combination is the biggest success in your career to date. What did you feel the moment you heard your triumph had been secured?

Strange ... I can’t remember this moment at all. That was because this success seemed so unreal. I first believed that I was really the overall winner when I was on the podium and they called out my name.

You’re one of the few athletes who’ve been able to win both the boulder and the lead contests. What does a climber need to be able to be one of the best in all disciplines?

You have to have the power and explosiveness you need at bouldering competitions and at the same time the stamina that’s demanded in lead. Well, and because the regulations stipulate it, you also have to take part in speed contests …

... for which you don’t harbor the same passion, going by what you say?

I’m not interested in speed. Noone is – apart from a few Russians, Ukrainians and Chinese. But if you want to win the overall World Cup you also have to collect speed points. That’s why I took part in one of these contests.

On your webpage you write that for you over the years, climbing has gone from being just a sport to a ‘way of life.’ How do you mean that?

Well, there’s just no day that I don’t climb. At the moment, I can’t imagine life without climbing. But in a few years I’ll definitely change my priorities and expand my horizons.

Are you as versatile in daily life as you are at climbing? Is it easy for you to adjust to a new situation to solve new problems?

I try to at least. Normal life runs exactly the same way as sport does: There are one or two things that you’re perfect at, and the rest you have to deal with the best way you can. In my sports studies, it’s anatomy and dance lessons – my favorite subject! With math and physics on the other hand, I constantly struggle …

Back to climbing: At the end of a successful season you only came ninth at the contest in Kranj, your home turf of all places, and thus missed out on a podium in the lead overall table. What went wrong there?

I’d really like to be able to blame that on the conditions or lack of luck, but then I’d be lying. At the end of a long season I had simply run out of power and lacked concentration. No excuses will help.

In 2008 you’ll have a new chance to shine there. What other goals do you have for next year – to defend your combination title, or to top your third place overall in the boulder World Cup?

For one thing I’d like to win the combination title again. For the another, to start a fresh battle for a podium in lead, my favorite discipline ...

Don’t you mean in bouldering?

No, bouldering doesn’t really interest me that much. That I came third overall and only fourth in lead, I find very ironic for exactly that reason. But maybe I was too ambitious in the lead contests. The best thing would be to climb the lead competitions in 2008 with the same relaxed attitude that helped me in bouldering in 2007 ...