If I can connect with someone that might not be aware of what they’re capable of and push them towards trying something new, maybe even a little outside of their comfort zone, then putting myself out there in the world as a resource and a motivator is entirely worth it. One arm? One leg? Blind? In a wheelchair? Bring it on.
Maureen Beck grew up in Maine and roped up for the first time at age 12. Cragging her way through New England, she developed her potential as a one-handed climber.
Prior to the advent of social media and the Internet, Mo believed that she was the only differently abled person in the world that climbed. She and her friends invented techniques using a trial and error process, slowly (and sometimes painfully) learning how to climb one-handed. She now loves introducing differently abled people to climbing.
Now based in the Colorado Front Range, Mo trains, climbs, and works closely with the adaptive climbing community through Paradox Sports and the Paraclimbing section of USA Climbing. As a competitive climber, she has won multiple national and world titles. After an expedition to the Northwest Territories Cirque of the Unclimbables, she was named one of National Geographic’s 2019 Adventurers of the Year.
Fly Fishing, Photography, Rafting, River Trips
National Geographic Live Speaker, USAC Board Member and Paraclimbing Committee Member
Rock Climbing and Ice Climbing
The North Face, Petzl, Scarpa, Sterling