Posted by: Julie Block
Get to know our 2025 Mountain Games Athlete Team! In the lead-up to the 2025 GoPro Mountain Games, we will introduce you to each of our nine Mountain Games-sponsored athletes. This vibrant team embodies our core values: a passion for human-powered mountain sports, an active outdoor lifestyle, eco-consciousness, and a spirit of adventure.
Gabe Linderman is a true enthusiast for long days in the mountains, blending multiple sports into his adventures. As a passionate climber, he spends a considerable amount of time scaling small rocks and perfecting his technique. When he’s not climbing, you’ll find him running and scrambling through Colorado’s alpine regions, biking rugged trails, and constantly trying to recruit others for his next thrilling adventure. Read on to learn more about Gabe.
Q: What is your favorite mountain memory?
A: For me, this is like an anti-good memory. A couple of years ago, I was climbing in in Rocky Mountain National Park with a really close friend and we were both just so sick. I had really bad altitude sickness, he had food poisoning, and the whole day it was just this ridiculous, pretty gross sequence of events. In the moment, I think both of us were really, really hating life. Both of us were just like, “this is the worst day ever.” But looking back on it, I’m just really grateful that I spent such a heinous day with someone I care about in a really, really beautiful place. And I think a lot of my memories in the mountains are really similar. I’m I’m always really grateful to be spending time in the mountains with people I care about, even if it’s a complete and utter disaster.
Q: If you could take any three items with you on a mountain adventure, what would they be?
A: If I could only take three things out on a big day in the mountains, I’m definitely taking NERDS Gummy Clusters because I think they’re incredible, electric hand warmers because they keep my hands warm, and I’m taking the Nature Valley bar that’s been at the bottom of my backpack for a couple of years. I think I’m emotionally attached at this point.
Q: What is your secret skill or talent?
A: My secret skill is cooking. I’m really good at chefing up something awesome at the end of a really long day in the mountains, which I’m I’m pretty proud of.
Q: What is your go-to mountain snack?
A: My go-to mountain snack is NERDS Gummy Clusters. They’re incredible. They’re, like, the best invention in the last four decades. They’re stellar.
Q: Who is your ultimate mountain hero?
A: My biggest hero in the outdoor world is probably my mom, which is totally a super lame and dorky answer, but she started rock climbing in her early 50’s and now it’s more than a decade later, and climbing is this huge, huge part of her life. Every time I talk to her, she’s like, “Oh, I have this new project!” or “They set this really awesome route in my gym!” or, “I got to climb with this friend this week!” I think it’s really inspiring to see that rock climbing can be the sport that you do anytime in life, and it can be this really, really joyous part of everything that you do. And there’s just not a lot more that I want in my life except to do that kind of stuff — just spending time with your friends doing sports that you love. And that’s that’s really inspirational to me.
Q: If you weren’t doing your go-to sport, what would you be doing instead?
A: If I’m not rock climbing or skiing or biking or trail running or lifting or doing whatever random sport that I really love, I’m probably cooking. I think it’s like really important to be able to come home at the end of a really long day of training or doing something outside in the mountains and have something that’s a 10/10 meal. That’s probably what I’m doing if I’m not recreating outside.
Q: What is the most epic thing you’ve done in the mountains so far?
A: I think the most epic thing that I’ve done in the mountains so far is running Four Pass Loop in a day. Four Pass Loop is this little loop outside of Aspen, Colorado. It’s 25-ish miles depending on how many wrong turns you take. And for someone who’s only been like a serious runner for a couple of years, I think that was a pretty big accomplishment for me. That’s something that I’m always going to be proud of. It’s just a cool thing that I did.
Q: If you could give advice to someone new to your sport, what would it be?
A: If I could give advice to a new rock climber, I think it’s going to be get comfortable with failing. Just like all of life, rock climbing is mostly failing. Rock climbing is 99% failing and 1% succeeding. If you’re trying hard and trying to improve in this sport, it means that you’re failing almost all the time. And I think for newcomers, that can be really intimidating and scary. But the reality is, every time you fail, it means you have something to learn. And I think that’s also why the sport is really, really special.
Q: What is your favorite way to unwind after a big event?
A: My favorite way to unwind after a really big day in the mountains is to stop on the way home and get a giant pizza and just go home and sit on the floor and eat a pizza. That’s the best recovery you can ever have. You can talk to like PT’s and doctors and sports psychologists and they’ll be like, you should do this and that and this thing. And I’m like, no, you should get a pizza and sit on the floor. That’s the best advice that I can give.
Q: What would your dream mountain adventure look like?
A: My dream mountain adventure is probably just combining as many sports as I can. I’m a sucker for multisport days. So it would be, I throw my skis on my bike, and then I bike somewhere really awesome, and I ski something cool, and then I come home in the afternoon and I get to go pull on rocks with friends. That’s the coolest day ever. I think Colorado is this really special place where you can do all of these incredible sports and taking advantage of that is always really, really fun for me.
Q: What made you fall in love with your sport?
A: I think I fell in love with rock climbing mostly because it’s silly, like it’s just kind of this ridiculous activity. I think you can make the argument for a lot of sports that they have transferable skills to other parts of your life. But with rock climbing, it’s like, okay, you are pulling on rocks. You are finding the most difficult way to get on top of that thing. I think that’s just endearing and fun. Like, it’s fun to be able to come into the gym or go outside and be like, all right, I’m going to do this really silly thing that just is enjoyable.
Q: What make the Mountain Games so special?
A: For me, the Mountain Games are special because they they provide this really, really welcoming and fun atmosphere, regardless of your ability level in any given sport. The expectation for professional athletes and beginners is kind of the same. It’s like, you’re going to come show up and have fun, and you’re also going to try really hard and challenge yourself, and I think that is a really, really important intersection that is often overlooked in a lot of outdoor sports. To be able to provide this kind of equal platform where it’s just like, if you just show up and have fun and try hard, it’s going to be a great time, that’s something that’s really, really special. I think that’s what makes the Mountain Games so special.
Q: What are you looking forward to at this year’s Mountain Games?
A: Honestly, this year at the Mountain Games, I’m just looking forward to spending four straight days in a beautiful place doing all the sports that I love. It’s not often in life where you can just go recreate for four days and be around some of the coolest people in the world and learn stuff and, engage in art and music and culture and still go compete the next day. That’s a really special intersection.
Q: If you had a tagline for yourself, what would it be?
A: If I had a tagline for myself, I think it would be “Medium-good rock climber. Really good fun-haver.” I think that like summarizes my identity really well.
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