Matthew Lawry

Age: 22, Years climbing: 6, Hometown: Albuquerque, New Mexico, Favorite product: Testarossa

Do you clip bolts, plug cams, stack pads, or crush ice?

I like any type of climbing that doesn’t involve ice axes and crampons. If I had to pick a favorite, I’d have to say sport climbing though.

How long have you been an athlete with La Sportiva?

Since February 1st, 2010

What are some of your lifetime climbing goals?

Find and develop a new crag, climb at least once on every continent.

Do you have a claim to fame?

Well, I’ve got some neat ideas for my final design project for Mech. Engineering next semester. I can’t give it away, but it does have potential to be greatly helpful for route development. Who knows? It might flop or it might be successful!

Do you have any vices?

A good cigar - and I’m not talkin’ Swisher Sweets. A Camacho Liberty or Triple Maduro is the perfect end to a climbing day.

What makes you tick as a climber and in the real world?

As a senior Mechanical Engineering student, I look at things very systematically. Climbing at my limit is enjoyable because I don’t get it the first time. I have to try and fail, then try something different.

What drives you to climb? The money? The groupies? The fame? What?

This took me six years to figure out. When I’m climbing, I am one hundred percent in the moment. I am completely focused on each move - not if I might fall or if I might send. There aren’t many times in my life that I can let everything fall away from thought- that’s what drives me to climb.

What is your favorite movie?

Changing Lanes

Do you have any nicknames? Explain:

Matty Cakes – My friend Dave started calling me this 5 years ago. I’m not sure where it came from, but it has stuck with me! Many climbers at the gym simply refer to me as “Cakes.” T-Rex – This nickname is due to the fact that I have a negative Ape Index…

What’s the longest you’ve gone without sleep? Why?

Last semester, I averaged 3-5 hours of sleep a day for two months. I’m guessing I’ll be somewhere close to that average once school ramps up again. My wife and I are both full time students, work 25-35 hours a week, climb, and share a car. One of my climbing mentors, Lance, told me “you can sleep when you die!” I more or less live by that motto.

If you had to be named after one of the 50 states, which would it be?

Washington? It’s where I grew up…I would probably have some lame nickname like “washy.”

What did you have for lunch yesterday?

Posole, cheddar cheese, and a tortilla.

If you could hook up a thought monitor to your head, would you see pictures, hear words or would music be playing?

You would see a collage of engineering paper with route topos, free body diagrams, and favorite foods drawn on them. Probably some music from Red, Miike Snow, Discovery, Nine Inch Nails, and Mute Math playing in the background. Maybe a couple of loose bolts….

What really scares you about climbing?

The thought of watching someone close to me get hurt.

If your life was made into a movie, what would it be called?

Off the Beaten Path

Where would you live if it could be anywhere in the world?

Somewhere out on the Pacific Rim.

Have no food or have no gasoline?

I’m pretty fortunate – I’ve got a full stomach and a running car with gas in it.

Do you wish you had sexier feet?

In the way that fighters take pride in their cauliflower ears, Climbers should be proud of their gnarled up toe-bumps. It shows that you’ve been around the block a few times.