Priti Wright
Priti on the summit of the first ascent of K6 Central this October.
Grew up: I grew up in the swamplands of Gainesville, Florida, where I met Jeff, who was going to university at UF (in Gainesville). On an early date we kayaked around the lake chasing alligators.
Lives: I live in the moment. For the sabbatical, we lived in several different countries. Before and after 2020 Jeff and I live in Seattle, WA in a studio loft, with a moonboard in our living room, aerial silks hanging from the ceiling, a piano in the corner and way too much gear stuffed in the nooks and crannies.
Fave colour: Blue. No, yel-- auuuuuuuugh!
Fave mountain snack: The one someone else carries! Just kidding. I'm a big fan of Lyo Food, (especially the Lentil Daal), Louisville Vegan Jerky and Primal Strips vegan jerky. I love salty snacks and the vegan protein in all of those is great! Hard Bars are a great option too!
What do you love most about being an alpinist?
It's everything. I love the lifestyle of alpinism. The people, the places, the comradery, the exploration, the exercise, the learning... all awesome, how can I choose one? When you have a win-win-win, it's the best solution. I love that alpinism takes me to new and exciting places. If I stopped climbing some day, it would be because there are so many other places and adventures in the world that don't have climbing that I need to explore.
What inspired you to become an alpinist?
It just happened. I wanted to have bigger and bigger adventures, and climb in more remote places. I've always been an adventurer at heart, and adventure starts when you don't know what's going to happen.
What’s the most valuable lesson you have learnt?
Everything is built on people. Our world is built on the interactions we have with each other. The information we know is based on what we can learn from others' experiences. Our gear, our beta, our basecamps, our climbing styles, our concepts, are all gathered from people. Wonderful, fallible, intelligent, hard working, emotional, rational, beautiful people.
What's your proudest moment?
This moment is one of them! Being able to talk to all of you, to intrigue you with adventurous tales, and to instill some pride for your own climbs. That's huge for me! Standing on top of K6 Central was pretty great too.
How do you work through the tough moments on climbs?
I think to myself, I'll just go a little further and see how it is. When I do, it's not always better, but it's usually not worse.
What advice would you give the next generation of female mountaineers?
I wish I could tell my past self to be less afraid of dreaming too big. Take the biggest thing you think you can achieve, and then dream past that. Dream way past that. Dreams don't hurt. Sometimes it's an uncomfortable feeling, like stretching, going outside of your comfort zone. But that's a good thing. Because, "somewhere the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true!"
Name a fact about yourself not many people know (that you're happy to share).
I've been a vegetarian for my whole life. I think it's better for your body, the animals, and the planet. Another win-win-win!
Contact PRITI:
INSTA: @PRITTYRIGHT