Kyle O'Meara | Intentional Mentorship

Photo by Savannah Cummins

In an Instagram post announcing that he had accepted the head coach position at The Climbing Academy, Kyle O’Meara wrote “I love the way we each find our own path in this sport. Some of us crave higher performance and chase the next level forever. Others seek an adventure where discovery and creativity are the primary focus. Most fall somewhere in the middle. We can ALL go further and bigger no matter what end goal inspires our personal pursuit, and if we’re enjoying the process, appreciating the journey, and smiling lots along the way, then that probably counts as ‘winning’.”

Climbing is an individual thing. What drives me may not be the same thing that drives you, and that’s ok.

While mentorship is, on its surface, a noble pursuit - it can often go wrong. Mentors are human and are just as prone as the rest of us to overvalue their own selfish ideas - and then pass them on to the next generation without much thought toward necessary change or evolution of those ideas.

Personally, I admire most the mentors and thinkers who work hard to directly engage with this unavoidable evolution. The ones who simultaneously continue their own growth. That interaction, even more than advancing the grades we climb, is what allows progress to happen and continue.

Mentorship isn’t dead. We just need more mentors like Kyle.

Photo by Savannah Cummins

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Kris Hampton

A climber since 1994, Kris was a traddie for 12 years before he discovered the gymnastic movement inherent in sport climbing and bouldering.  Through dedicated training and practice, he eventually built to ascents of 5.14 and V11. 

Kris started Power Company Climbing in 2006 as a place to share training info with his friends, and still specializes in working with full time "regular" folks.  He's always available for coaching sessions and training workshops.

http://www.powercompanyclimbing.com
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What When How to Train | Sport Climbing at Smith Rock