CWA Blog Archive-2024 CWA Summit Session Spotlight Eating Disorders In Indoor Climbing

2024 CWA Summit Session Spotlight Eating Disorders In Indoor Climbing

Pdf Summary

This session spotlight previews Marisa Michael's 2024 CWA Summit presentation, How To Be a Part of the Solution to Eating Disorders in Elite Climbing, an educational session for coaches, trainers, instructors, and athletes. The article situates the topic in current events: disordered eating and RED-S have become prominent issues in climbing, especially competition climbing, and the past year saw two members of the IFSC Medical Commission resign, climbers call for more extensive athlete screening, and the IFSC release a new policy on RED-S and athlete testing. Against that backdrop, the session addresses a pressing safety concern in the sport. Marisa Michael is a registered dietitian nutritionist with extensive credentials, founder of Real Nutrition and author of Nutrition for Climbers, and she has long worked to combat common misconceptions and harmful narratives around sports nutrition for climbers. In the interview, she notes 22 years as a dietitian, during which she has supported many people through recovery from disordered eating and published peer-reviewed research on the subject. The session's stated purpose is prevention and practical support: covering strategies to prevent these issues, what to do if you suspect a problem, and actionable tools to help keep climbers safe. Written as part of the Summit Session Spotlight series, the piece frames the topic as one the industry must engage with responsibly rather than avoid. The throughline is that coaches and gyms have a real role to play in athlete wellbeing, and that being part of the solution means education, awareness, and knowing how to respond appropriately and refer to qualified professionals. The spotlight positions Michael's expertise and the session as resources for a climbing community increasingly aware that athlete health is a serious, industry-wide responsibility, not a topic to leave unaddressed.

Asset Caption

A 2024 Summit session preview: dietitian Marisa Michael presents on being part of the solution to eating disorders in elite climbing. Amid IFSC policy changes and resignations, the coach-focused session covers prevention, recognizing warning signs, and responding appropriately, framing athlete wellbeing as a serious, industry-wide responsibility.