OUR PHILOSOPHY
Climbing Psychology™️ is globally recognised as a pioneer of psychology in all major disciplines of rock climbing.
Our vision is to normalise and destigmatise psychology in climbing around the world. Psychology is the science of how we behave, how we experience situations, and how we interact and communicate with other people. It’s at the core of what makes us human.
In climbing, we have unique ‘problems’ in front of us which we would like to solve – or climb. Every problem looks different and requires an individual and creative beta – just like in psychology. It’s not about telling you what to do, but helping find the psychological “beta” that works best for you.
The biggest wall we have to climb is the one we build in our mind.
We truly believe that a climber’s mindset and mental strength is as important as their physical strength, and have spent years tailoring unique programs and training methods for climbers.
Our goal is to support climbers in the best possible way – from dealing with fear of failure, fear of falling, the psychological impact of injuries, competition pressure, personality development, building self-esteem and developing confidence.
We prefer a creative, modern approach to sport psychology and aim to practically apply learnt strategies directly on the climbing wall.
Learn more about our 1:1 Mental Coachings…
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Madeleine Crane
FOUNDER, CEO & SPORT PSYCHOLOGIST
Madeleine is a passionate climber who has been climbing for more than 20 years herself, competing nationally and internationally for almost 15 years. She is a certified sport psychologist and systemic coach, lives in the West of Austria (close to the Swiss border) and is specialised on climbing. She has been working with climbers and climbing coaches from all around the globe, regardless of their age or professional level. Madeleine also has a cooperation with the local Olympic Center in Vorarlberg. When she is not working, you will very likely find her at one of the local crags, in the gym or at home, baking something.
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Carina Junglut
SPORT PSYCHOLOGIST & CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST I.E.
Carina is a certified sports psychologist and clinical psychologist based in the stunning climbing mecca of Innsbruck, Austria. Specializing in developmental psychology, her focus lies on working with youth climbers. Having grown up in a nearby mountainous region, Carina feels deeply connected to the landscape—mountains truly feel like home to her. Passionate about outdoor sports, especially climbing, she cherishes the exhilarating sense of freedom it brings. Carina thrives on pushing her limits and exploring her mental edge.
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Kaisa Soininen
SPORT PSYCHOLOGIST
Kaisa is a Sports and Exercise Psychologist based in Helsinki, Finland. She has worked with recreational and competitive climbers and specialised in dealing with perfectionism, a high drive for performance among recreational climbers, career transitioning, stress management and commitment via deepening self-knowledge. She found her passion for climbing in her forties and wants to continue climbing for decades ahead.
Our Accreditations, Certifications & Memberships
Board of Advisors
To ensure the highest level of support, we collaborate internally with several nationally and internationally renowned sports psychologists.
Madeleine is a founding member of the International Association of Psychologists in Climbing (IAPSYC), and every team member is proudly part of this organization.
Internship Opportunity
Do you study (sport) psychology (preferably at the Master's level) and want to gain insights into applied psychology in climbing? Do you love climbing and want to deepen your understanding of the psychology behind our favorite sport?
We regularly offer internships to psychology students as part of their university studies. For more details, please read the info paper. If you are interested, don’t hesitate to contact us!
What Climbers Are Saying About Working With Us
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I am a competitor climber and struggle with a lot of mental problem, luckily I found Madeleine in the right time and at the perfect place. I am so grateful for everything that she taught me. Her knowledge about climbing and competition is really a big bonus. I can't thank her enough. Highly recommended!
J. Udtohan, Philipines
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Definitey great and very professional expercts! They know what they are doing and have a deep and close relationship and insight in climbing, climbing comunity, training amd competition area... They knows how to serve you those knowldege on understandabe and interesting way! Definitely reccomend ;)
M. Markovič, Slovenia
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Madeleine and climbing psychology teach climbers, athletes and people excellent tools to perform their absolute best. I have been part of her workshops in Australia and run nutrition workshops along side her at bouldering festivals and have learnt a lot professionally about how to get the most out of participants. Very much recommend working with climbing psychology.
A. Watts, Australia
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Whether you are a competition climber or weekend warrior Madeleine can help you address the mental barriers that hold us back in sport. We attended a workshop for coaches, here in Ireland for Mountaineering Ireland, which really highlighted how communication, body language and visualisation can help the mindset of the athletes you work with to facilitate their best performances. She also provided a workshop on the Psychology of Sending and after applying the principles of the workshop it enabled me to unlock the sequence of my project and I sent it 2 weeks later. I would highly recommend Madeleine to anyone who is willing to explore and develop their thought processes to enhance their performance in life. It really works!
R. Hunter, Ireland
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We enjoy working with Madeleine a lot! She's been educating different levels of trainers during the national federation's trainersweekend. Not only is she very professional and knows from a competitors, as well as from a sportpsychologists background what she's talking about, but she's also very enthousiastic, motivating the trainers and climbers and creating valuable and inspiring interactions.
A. Van Weert, Netherlands
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Ich und meine Athleten vertrauen voll und ganz auf Climbing Psychology. Madeleine, selber als ehem. Wettkampfkletterin und nachwievor mega starke Kletterin, weiß einfach wovon sie spricht, und was Kletterer "bewegt" In Sachen Sturzangst, Emotionen, Aktivitätslevelregulation gehört sie zu den Spezialisten!
S. Pichler, Österreich
We are climate neutral.
We all have a responsibility for our world. We know that the climate cannot be saved by offsetting CO2 alone but while we’re constantly trying to reduce our carbon footprint – until all of this can be put into practice, offsetting CO2 is a crucial component in climate protection. Reduction and compensation have to go hand in hand. We compensate for the amount of CO2 that we emit and support certified projects to create the best possible impact.
