MEET OUR CREW
KRIS HAMPTON
Owner/Coach/Podcast Host
Lander, Wyoming
Kris became a student of movement by watching gymnasts train at a facility near the neighborhood where he grew up. He saved his own money, took a class, and in a short time, was teaching tumbling classes and coaching men's gymnastics. In 1994, Kris found rock climbing, and after a decade as a trad climber, and a short break from climbing, discovered the joy of the gymnastic movement that is sport climbing and bouldering. To make up for the time away from the sport, at age 33, Kris began to get serious about training for climbing. At 40, he climbed his first 5.14, and at 44, his first V11, both of which are grades that seemed mythical when he first began climbing. He doesn't believe that the progression will end there.
Seeing his success, Kris's friends asked for training plans. Then readers of the blog asked for training plans. Now he's written plans for thousands of climbers all over the world, and gets just as much satisfaction from their successes as he does his own.
NATHAN DROLET
Coach/Podcast Host
Salt Lake City, Utah
Nate, who is the co-host of our popular "Board Meetings" podcast episodes, began climbing in 2005, and since the beginning has been obsessed with better understanding movement. He's never considered himself a naturally strong climber, so he's had to learn to make up for that with technique, mindset, and tactics. Nate eventually realized a shortcoming in this approach, however, and in his own focused style began learning as much about strength and conditioning as possible.
Nate is equally comfortable at the sport crag and boulder field, where his focused and methodical approach has led to ascents of long, pumpy 5.14’s as well as short, powerful V12's.
Movement wise, Nate’s one of the most mindful climbers you'll ever see. It's this, combined with his growing knowledge base on strength training, that he hopes to impart to all of his clients.
BLAKE CASH
Coach
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Blake was one of the very first Power Company clients to use our mobile app and customized plans. Over several training cycles he kept asking questions, digging into the how and why of training, practice, and progression. Kris noticed in Blake the same curiosity that led him to go down this path, so he brought him on board to help build the team, where he's become an integral part of the growing community.
Coaching hasn't stopped Blake from progressing his own climbing. He's been climbing for 15+ years, and though he'll begrudgingly go to the boulder fields, where he's climbed V10, he's mainly a sport climber, with ascents of up to 5.14 in areas all over the country.
Through much of the year he works as a coach at Crux Conditioning in Chattanooga, but during the summer he escapes the southern humidity and travels the west with his wife Erynn, a school teacher.
PAUL CORSARO
Coach/S&C Specialist/Podcast Host
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Paul is one of the best coaches we’ve ever worked with. His ability to quietly motivate and teach is remarkable. He believes in safe, effective, and time-efficient strength training that doesn't take away from climbing time, and unlike many strength-focused coaches, Paul walks the walk. He's climbed 5.13+ and double digit boulders, and is a force to be reckoned with if a boulder requires squeezing.
In addition to his work for the Power Company, he is the owner of Crux Conditioning, the premier climbing-focused training facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he spends his time helping rock climbers and outdoor athletes reach their goals. He is also co-host of Breaking Beta | The Science of Climbing Podcast, the podcast that seeks to simplify some of the science and research out there related to climbing.
Paul has a Bachelor’s degree in Movement and Sports Science and a Masters degree in Applied Exercise Science. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with the NSCA and a SFG Level I Kettlebell Instructor, amongst many other credentials.
JESS WEST
Coach
Chattanooga, Tennessee
A life-long athlete, Jess is no stranger to training and coaching. She started dancing at 3 years old, competed throughout high school, and took it all the way to the NBA in 2011. She then took her athletic curiosity and competitive personality to the pavement and took up distance running, completing multiple marathons.
In 2015, she and her husband Miles took up climbing, and before long it became their full-time focus. She prefers short, powerful climbs on bad holds but doesn’t mind a technical crimpy route or a sketchy heel hook now and then. Her first climbing goal was to climb V7 within three years and she is now working toward climbing V10. A former Collegiate Nationals competitor, her favorite destinations are Yosemite, Horse Pens, and the Holy Boulders, though she also hopes to eventually visit at least one gym in every state!
Jess earned her Master’s in Sport and Exercise Science in 2016, is a NASM CPT, and continues to study how best to apply her extensive knowledge to climbing.
NADYA SUNTAY
Proven Plan Coach
Columbus, Ohio
Nadya's interest in training began after discovering kettlebell and bodyweight training through StrongFirst. After receiving her SFG I and Bodyweight Certifications, she began incorporating the strength training techniques she had learned to her climbing specific goals - and it helped her send some of her hardest climbs. She believes that strength training is essential to injury prevention and becoming a well-rounded athlete.
Nadya currently resides in Columbus, Ohio with her husband Brian and their pup, Mona (aka Sassy Pants). During the week you can find her setting routes and teaching movement classes at her local climbing gym. On the weekends you might hear her making try-hard noises at the Red River Gorge or see her perfecting the art of the beached-whale top out on a boulder at the New River Gorge.
Nadya is excited to bring her passion for strength training combined with 10+ years of climbing experience to the Power Company team. She’s looking forward to helping her clients reach their climbing goals as the primary coach for our Proven Plans.
DALE WILSON
Data Analyst / Proven Plan Coach
East Lansing, Michigan
Dale discovered climbing originally as a way to be outside and drink beer around a campfire with friends. It didn’t really grab him until he was introduced to bouldering and found the puzzle solving aspect.
In grad school, Dale found a dedicated crew that helped him understand a real sense of community and what it means to try hard. From then on, many a weekend was spent making the drive down to West Virginia and Tennessee to climb. He trains hard and stays motivated dreaming of the NRG’s incredible sandstone.
With a Master’s in Bioengineering and a demanding work schedule that doesn’t give him hours at the gym whenever he’d like, Dale prefers to know exactly what he needs to be training in order to make the most of his time and calls on his data analysis skills to take the guesswork out of determining these aspects.
Dale is Power Company’s resident number cruncher and the mastermind behind our Assessments + Analyses. He’s putting his practical, data-backed approach in training to good use by helping others make measurable progress toward their climbing goals as a coach for our Proven Plans.
TAYLOR FRAGOMENI
Proven Plan Coach
St. George, Utah
With more than a decade of climbing experience under her belt, with much of that time also spent setting and coaching, Taylor brings a wide range of skills to our coaching team. She started out trad climbing in the Adirondacks but learned how to sport climb and boulder after making a move out west. She considers herself primarily a performance sport climber, maximizing her efficiency on the wall by focusing on employing good technique, tactics, and mindset; Taylor recognizes the importance of being a good climber, not just a strong one.
With certifications as a NASM-CPT, NASM-MT, and ISSA-SNS, Taylor is a forever-student who loves to ask questions and is always seeking to learn in order to grow and improve as a coach. She believes that collaboration between coach and client is crucial to successful training. In her free time, she also enjoys cooking - with plants! - as a vegan for more than 5 years now. In addition to her work with the Power Company, Taylor runs her own coaching business, Tangent Climbing.