Scaling New Heights

Maya Hocherman-Drimer is starting her second semester at the Technion shortly after being selected for the senior team of the Israeli Olympic Committee’s elite sports unit. Her discipline is climbing, and she is currently ranked as one of the best climbers in Israel. Her career began at the Yoav Climbing Wall in Haifa at the age of 8. Many children attended the climbing class, but few would go on to achieve Maya’s level of success.

Climbing is an ancient sport that was introduced to the Olympics in 2020 under the name Sport Climbing. It includes several disciplines: lead climbing, speed climbing, and bouldering. Maya started in lead climbing, the discipline most seen at climbing walls – ascending to height with the help of a rope, secured by a belayer on the ground.

By the age of 10, Maya had joined the Yoav Wall climbing team under the guidance of coach Or Cohen, who still coaches her today. Eventually, a bouldering gym opened in Haifa, and many climbers switched to the bouldering team. Maya explains: “Bouldering is a very different style from lead climbing. It requires more explosive power, coordination, and technique because the number of moves is limited, so each move is more difficult and complex.”

At 16, Maya was invited to her first international competition. Despite some hesitation, she agreed: “At first, I didn’t like competitions and felt pushed into them. But when Israel’s national team was established, competing started to feel more natural – both abroad and in the new national league. I remember traveling to the European Youth Championship, where the European climbers were surprised by the high level of the Israeli athletes. Today, things are very different – Israeli climbers have a global reputation, and our youth team (boys under 17) is ranked first in Europe.”

During her military service, Maya was classified as an active athlete, allowing her to continue training regularly. After her service, she dedicated two years to climbing as an athlete and as a coach. “I love coaching and still do it today, but many of us coach to fund our climbing. It’s a sport with very little funding, and most of the financial support comes from private sources. Now that I’m part of the senior team I receive a bit more support in certain areas.”

This year, she began studying at the Henry and Marilyn Taub Faculty of Computer Science and joined the Technion Climbing Team. She maintains a rigorous training schedule: five training sessions per week, four hours each. “The mental resilience you develop in climbing definitely helps with my studies. Even more than that – I notice that the more pressure I’m under, the more efficient I become. After classes, I head to the bouldering gym, where I have to think in a completely different way, and I really enjoy that variety.”

Maya, 23, lives in Moshav Habonim with her partner, Carmel Raz Romeo, who coaches the Technion Climbing Team. Carmel is an athlete on Israel’s national team, and they first met on the bouldering team at the age of 16. “The team has grown significantly in recent years, and now we have 20 student climbers. Although competitions are gender-segregated, training is mixed, which is really nice.”

Next semester, she will challenge herself with international competitions, knowing this will require extending her degree – but she is convinced it is worth it. In June 2025, she will compete in the World Cup series, and in September, she will participate in the World Championship in South Korea. Good luck, Maya!