Nepal’s National Climbing Champion Competes in China
We are back with a new post in our series, Women Thriving in the Wilds.
This time we follow Nepal’s National Indoor Climbing Champion, Swastika Chaudhary, as she goes to China to compete in two international competitions.
Swastika tells us about her climbing journey in her own words. Musa Masala was able to sponsor her flights and other parts of her trip. The rest she put together and, with the teamwork of Ronak Upreti and Tin Tin Rai, they were able to secure their food housing and gym passes for the trip.
It is a great thing that we can help climbers like Swastika compete at these international events. She shows that hard work and training can create amazing opportunities. Musa understands that Nepal faces many challenges to create a well-rounded climbing system to bring training and facilities to the level where climbers can be competitive on these world stages. We actively seek help and support to enable us and the existing climbers, coaches, gyms and associations to start at the beginning with new climbers and help them on their path to becoming not just strong climbers, but real members of the community who form strong friendships and support each other. This approach helps not just the climbers but all of Nepal, as the skills learned on the wall and boulder are carried on in life.
Before we hand it over to Swastika, we want to thank coach, Brannon Frank, of Asana Climbing Gym in Boise, Idaho who has taken on the challenge of remote coaching. Brannon was introduced to us by our friend, Nawang Sera Sherpa of Hike With Sherpa. We will have a full post on this exciting new development coming soon!
Okay, Swastika, Jam Jam!!
Journey of China
I’m Swastika Chaudhary, the current National Champion of Nepal. Though I was National Champion last year, too, I couldn’t get the financial support I needed. I look forward to the day when we have government support for international competitions.
Earlier this year, I went to Indonesia for the SEA Games in February 2026 with the help of Musa Masala, who covered my flight tickets and visa expenses.
This time, Musa Masala fully sponsored my China trip to compete in the Asian Climbing Championship in Meishan in April to the World Climbing Series in Keqiao in May. It was a really good opportunity to learn new rules, techniques, and understand my mistakes so I can improve. Though I was already suffering from a mild finger injury, I added one more a rope burn injury near my ankle during the qualification round.
I competed in both Bouldering and Lead during these competitions, which made me feel proud to represent Nepal in both categories. Besides that, I got to meet world class podium holders and strong athletes in the isolation zone. I could see that most athletes had their own coach and physiotherapist, except for only a few countries. It made me feel sad to see how limited our resources are, but at the same time, I felt proud to be there competing alongside them. My performance was better than at my previous international competition.
After spending one week in Meishan, we (Ronak, Tintin, and I) traveled to Chengdu for 15 days of training at two climbing gyms: Dasongguo Climbing Gym and Banana Climbing Gym.
I struggled during training because of my finger injury and rope burn injury. After climbing for 7–8 hours daily, the skin on my fingertips peeled off badly, and the same happened to my teammates. It was a good experience of learning everything at once. We wrapped all our fingertips like Egyptian mummies, haha.
We also took some rest days to recover ourselves. During that period, we explored the famous Giant Panda Breeding Center and some preserved ancient towns. Not only that, but we also met new climber friends and enjoyed local food. It’s good to share that although I wasn’t fluent, I could still use my basic Chinese language skills throughout the trip.
We traveled all the way to Hangzhou by flight and then continued by train and taxi to Keqiao for another competition. I warmed up at the venue a day before the World Climbing Series.
This time, I was more nervous than excited because the stage was much bigger than the Asian Championship, and also because of my injuries. I wasn’t fully trusting myself.
Athletes from all around the world participated there. Even Olympic gold medalists and some of the strongest climbers in the world were around me. I was stronger than I had been at the Asian Championship, but I still felt small in front of such a big stage.
I was happy with my performance, but at the same time disappointed for not doing better for my country. Still, I’m proud that I competed in both major competitions representing Nepal and got the chance to watch the live performances of World Champions.
Climbing and its journey have always been great to me. This was my return to a major international competition after 9 years. It feels good to be back and learn more than I used to know.
I’m really glad that I got the opportunity to return to the world climbing stage because of the Musa Masala Team. Thank you for bringing back my confidence and helping me continue to climb, learn, and grow.
Follow Swastika on Instagram: @swastika_chaudary
