World traveler and accomplished sports athlete Sandy Hill made the CrossFit Games her “new Everest” (she already climbed the actual mountain) this year. When Sandy is not training for the CrossFit Women’s 60+ Division she’s surfing, writing, kayaking, skiing, studying art history, parenting, or entertaining at the vineyard she owns. All of these fill the very full cup of Sandy Hill’s life and she’s still going! 

Sandy shares how CrossFit ranks in difficulty against climbing Everest and her secrets to staying motivated and strong.

Adventures and Climbing

I was raised in northern California.  Hiking and climbing is something I started doing at a young age.  In my 30’s and 40’s I did traveling, writing, horseback trips, kayaking, and mountaineering.

I attempted Mount Everest in 1993 but didn’t make the summit- I was turned back by bad weather.  I came back to Everest in 1994.  There were avalanches and they made the route too dangerous.

“In 1996 I returned to Everest and I made the summit.”

[Left] Sandy performing a one arm handstand which had been on her bucket list for a while. [Right] Dinner with the legendary and inspiring Dr. Jane Goodall, in Venice Beach, CA.  |  Follow her on Instagram: @sandyhill

Training and CrossFit

In NYC I trained at a gym owned by a Romanian gymnastic coach that foreshadowed what you see in a CrossFit gym today; a lot of pull ups, pushups, and biometrics.  I moved to LA and looked for a similar old school gym.  A neighbor suggested I visit CrossFit and I immediately felt at home.

“It had a sense of community that I really responded to.  It was great to have support and encouragement and to support and encourage other athletes.  CrossFit was a perfect fit for me.” 

CrossFit Games, More Training, and Loving to Compete!

I was a member at Paradiso CrossFit for a year and a half and I entered two CrossFit Opens, which is a fun opportunity to see where you stand against your peers.  I became really intrigued in qualifying for the CrossFit Games.

I gave it a pretty good shot last year, I made the masters qualifier which is the top 200 athletes in my division [50 plus women].

“You really have to look at yourself and decide what you’re going to be capable of and what’s right for you.”  

I always suggest to people they start with the things they can do.  Working to compete in the CrossFit Games is the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, so that would take climbing Mount Everest into consideration.

Working to reach the CrossFit game was a 2 year commitment. I was training for 6 hours, and when I wasn’t training, I was fueling, which is what most people call eating.  I was thinking about recovery for the next day, because I was going back to the gym the next day.  I couldn’t go climbing, my social life slowed to a trickle, I stopped drinking.

“I always kept the goal in mind. I decided I was going to do this.  Nobody made me do this.”

I decided to challenge myself with the CrossFit Games because of the difference between CrossFit and mountain climbing: in mountain climbing there’s no score; it’s not a competition.  I realized that competition was something that I hadn’t done because I grew up before Title IX [a statute prohibiting discrimination based on sex in education]. I never competed at anything, so I didn’t know how that would feel.  

“I was really interested in getting the opportunity to be able to compete, for a score, and that was really fun.”

What’s In My Gym Bag

1. RPM Custom Sized Jump Rope ($50), 2. Nuun Electrolyte Tablets ($7), 3. Garmin Forerunner Running Watch ($350), 4. New Balance Running Shoes, 5. Rehband Knee Sleeves, CrossFit Games 2015 Edition ($25), 6. Hylete Icon Expandable Backpack ($165), 7. Adidas Adipower Weightlifting Shoes ($179)

The versatile Sandy Hill speaks across the nation about health, training, and her adventures, and she has also published a collection of adventure photographs and an entertaining recipe book.  On Sandy’s site she says that regardless of her future CrossFit Game results:

“I will still be happy, knowing that I have worked my hardest to approach—and maybe even go beyond—the edge of my limits.”  

Now having reached age 60, she says she has challenged herself to test her physical and mental and abilities, to free herself from others’ expectations, and to confront her fears. Having explored the remote regions of Mexico, India, Bhutan, China, Nepal, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Argentina, Chile and Morocco, Sandy Hill now looks inward for her next challenging adventure, and continues to inspire us.

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(via wearblacktobrunch)

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