Page 37 - SA Mountain Issue 62

watching in
awe at how tenaciously
yet calmly
she approached her projects
If she was not busy preparing for a restaurant launch and could shuf e things around at work, she would try to take a few days off to head to her favourite place – Rocklands. We once spent four days there together over a long weekend, just the two of us. We talked and laughed well into the night, explored with the dogs, cranked in the day and cooked delicious camp food at night, because hey, there was no one to judge and laugh in envy at our ‘fancy camp dinners’.
‘so Chinese that way’ and that it clearly came with her passport. She just shrugged with a ‘yeah-I-know-it’s-true’ self-assured smile ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ .
Bouldering was her passion, but she was pretty much ‘climbing agnostic’. She was psyched, no matter what type
of climbing was on the cards. In winter, it was common to bump into her at PnG tying up some work things for the day, with popcorn and coffee on the go whilst proclaiming ‘life was made for living’ and that she was going climbing after
her day was done. Anywhere really. But mostly, she loved Echo Valley – even if it was until past midnight.
In summer, she’d sometimes laugh when I’d ask about her climbing plans
for the week. ‘I get so weak in summer!’ she’d say with a giggle, ‘It’s just too damn hot to climb or train.’ Sometimes we’d sneak away to Bright Lights after work in the late afternoon if our schedules synced and it wasn’t too hot. Climbing with
Julia, despite being on vastly different levels, always felt uplifting. No matter how easy the climb I was currently trying was for her, she always reminded me
that everyone had to start somewhere
and helped me gure out beta. We talked and talked. Routes, travel, food, wine,
girl stuff – and she never stopped yelling ‘Yes Kat, come on! You got this!’, when I was once again nearly ready to throw my climbing shoes into the re.
Julia placing 3rd in Rockmaster 2014. Photo WILLIE KOEN
Julia was a legend and a great friend. One of those who you could literally steal horses with. One weekend we decided to go away wine tasting on horseback in the winelands. I can still see her naughty face after the second tasting stop . . . we were absolutely ready to steal those horses!
She is remembered and sorely missed, not only in the SA climbing community, but also in our individual hearts, as an amazing climber and true, unconditional friend for life.
SEPTEMBER–NOVEMBER 2017
SAMOUNTAIN.CO.ZA 35
IN MEMORY OF JULIA CHEN
Photo DAVIDE ROSSI
Photo DAVIDE ROSSI
Julia’s usual big smile, on our wine tasting on horseback tour in Franschhoek. Pretty much ready to steal horses. Photo KATHI WÖHL