At just 31 years old, Sasha DiGiulian has quite the impressive resume—the Boulder resident is a world-champion professional rock climber, author and star of the new documentary “Here to Climb,” an intimate look into her record-breaking career released on HBO Max last month.
She’s also the founder of Send Bars (SendBars.com), a line of protein bars free of sugar, soy, dairy and gluten in four yummy flavors: banana bread, salted peanut, lemon cherry and peanut cacao crunch. Sasha created the bars in 2022 with friends Arianne Jones, an Olympian and holistic nutritionist, Chelsea Balboni, a brand strategist and Alex Hanifin. Available in Boulder at Wonder Press juice shop, Mecha and The Spot gyms, Jones & Co. boutique, Alive and Well pharmacy and the Boulder Rock Club, the bars reflect Sasha’s passions for wellness and adventure.
As Sasha celebrates her new documentary, she also reflects on her journey to bring Send Bars to market, one of her favorite climbs to date, and how career challenges have only made her a stronger athlete and businesswoman.
What inspired you to create your own protein bars?
As a professional climber, I’ve always been invested in health for athletic performance. I started making my own bars as a teenager when I couldn’t find anything I wanted to eat. Everything was full of preservatives, refined sugars and “natural” flavorings. As the bar market expanded, I still found that anything healthier just tasted like paint. When my friends asked me to make them bars, I thought it would be amazing to do something with this idea one day.
How are Send Bars made?
Our ingredients are certified organic, and we strive to source as locally as possible. Our lemon cherry bar is flavored with pure lemon oil that’s derived from pressing lemon rinds in a process similar to olive oil extraction. Our banana bread bar is made with real dried whole bananas. This dedication to quality ensures that our bars are made from real, wholesome food.
What’s the best way for someone to incorporate Send Bars into their daily life?
Most people enjoy them as a healthy snack—perfect for a tasty mid-morning or mid-afternoon energy boost. They’re also ideal for pre or post-workout nutrition and are popular among adventurers, who take them hiking, climbing and mountain biking.
How do they help athletes like yourself?
Send Bars provide athletes with sustained energy and essential nutrients for peak performance. Naturally sweetened with dates, they avoid the energy crash common with syrup-sweetened bars. Each bar offers 10 grams of plant protein and healthy fats, and they’re easily digestible. Perhaps most importantly, Send Bars are damn delicious!
The most memorable place where you’ve eaten a Send bar.
On the summit of Rayu—a big wall climb that I did with Brette Harrington and Matilda Söderlund in the Picos de Europa region of Spain. We spent about a month working on this climb and managed to “send it” (complete it successfully), establishing the hardest big wall climb achieved by a team of women. We cheered, hugged and celebrated with Send Bars at the summit before beginning our journey down, looking across the horizon at sunset with the ocean in the distance.
Your perspective on overcoming setbacks.
In May 2020, I underwent the first of five surgeries to reconstruct my hips. During the bulk of my recovery time, I focused on what I could control: healing through nutrition, physical therapy and my mindset. I wrote my coming-of-age memoir “Take the Lead” (Boulder Bookstore has signed copies!), and I built Send Bars. Redefining my identity in a way that brought me purpose was really important to me, even when I couldn’t find it in the physical sense.