When/why did you decide to start training?

A friend sent my project, an 11c, so I decided to send a 12 before him. Turns out I didn't like the competitive side of myself that came out, but I did love being focused at the gym and trying hard. I hadn't trained for anything in a few years, so making the most of my time at the gym was fun for me. 5.12 was always the barrier for being a good climber in my head. I know in the grand scheme of things it means very little - there are a lot of climbers that warm up on 12a - but for me, it was a huge ceiling.

What made you choose to go with Power Company?

I met Kris at the Red River Gorge a few years ago and he was one of those pros that was excited about everyone at the crag, not just himself or his client. I started listening to the podcast and gained an appreciation for how he looked at the sport and training. We also had some mutual friends who had trained with him already, so I was able to ask them how they liked the training plans and see how it might suit my needs.

Kris and I met again at the International Climbers’ Festival in Lander and chatted about everything from the training plans to the communities that make climbing so amazing. While there, he mentioned some plans that may be opening up in the near future. Just as I was planning a trip to the Obed, the Power Company announced the Red River Pump Plan with Dru Mack. I felt that it was time to be even more focused in my training and use a coach and program that I respected to make my trip go as well as it possibly could.

What plan did you do and how did you choose that one?

I chose the Red River Pump Plan because I was going to the southeast and I knew that endurance was going to be what mattered most. I already had a decent endurance base, but I wanted to push through to the next level and see just how well I could really make my trip go.

Did you work with a coach? If so, which one?

Kris Hampton and Dru Mack.

What aspect of the plan did you like best? Why?

The thing I needed to learn most was the gap between what's possible, and what I can do easily. The way I described it to our whole training group was:

”The Three Strikes, Single Session, and Project Boulders workouts have really helped me find what I should be trying for. I'm the classic case where I can do everything of one grade and nothing of the next, but it's because I'm not used to trying hard while bouldering. Having to make the distinction between what I can do now quickly, what I can project in a session (and sticking to it instead of giving up), and coming back to something a few days later because it's so hard has helped a ton.”

I had never sent any route where I couldn't do every individual move on the first try. The fact is, climbing at your limit means finding something that you need to learn the moves on and then link it up. I learned that pretty late in the game, and it brought me to my hardest climb to date.

What aspect of the plan did you like least? Why?

The warm ups can feel tedious. Doing the same footwork exercises or time-consuming fundamentals can be boring. It's easy to say, "Oh, that's enough. Let’s just get into the fun stuff!" especially when you already think you're a good climber. Truthfully though, my footwork can improve, and on-sighting a "hard" climb doesn't mean I'm a great climber, it means I climbed that one well. Just because I flashed a 12a doesn't mean I couldn't improve my footwork anyway, and maybe next time I'll flash a 12b or c.

What were your goals when you began the plan? How did you progress towards those goals?

For my trip to the Obed I wanted to climb as much hard stuff as possible. It was my first trip there and I wanted to be able to sample everything and feel good. That meant getting on multiple 5.12's a day, all the 5.11's I could, and the five star 5.10's. My only trip to the Red, I climbed one 5.12 a day, up to three warm up 5.10's, and no 5.11's. I had an amazing time and was super proud of how I climbed but, looking back, I definitely feel I missed out on a lot of climbing. I knew I could climb more and better, so I trained to make it possible. Endurance was the biggest focus, but power was close to it.

Tell us about any memorable successes during/after your training experience.

I had an amazing trip to the Obed - it was about as good as I could have hoped for in terms of mileage and proud sends. In five climbing days I sent seven 5.12's and over 20 other routes in the 5.10-11 range, as well as trying two 5.13's. It was a huge improvement over my trip to Kentucky, where I climbed a total of 18 routes in six days, because I was so focused on sending a 5.12 each day. I was able to dabble on all styles of climbs, get a taste of the hard routes in the area, and keep climbing on all of the classics I could.

When I came home I was mentally tired of sport climbing, so I switched to trad for a couple of months, by which I also mean the terrifying bolted routes of Joshua Tree. I sent some life-goal routes, like “EBGB’s” - a notorious 10d. I also put up what I believe is the first ascent of an old aid line in the San Bernadino mountains, making big moves over peanuts and x4's. “Grappling Hooks” is a sporty climb protected by gear, and I loved climbing it and putting sport climbing efforts into a trad route.

Finally, I was ready to sport climb again. January became a project month for me as I searched for a 13. The real world was around the corner - I had a real job starting in February - so I needed to get out and find something to be psyched on. Two days at a local crag, Echo Cliffs, gave me the time to try a couple of candidates. “State of Grace” (a "soft" 13b) and “Pride” (13a) were on the list. “State of Grace” is an endurance fest with no real stopper moves, and someday I'll go back to give it a hopefully quick effort. “Pride” however, was calling my name. Hard 5.12 climbing to a handjam rest, then a stopper move and hard 5.12 climbing to the chains. Thankfully I had a partner who had worked it in the past and wanted to finish it off, so I got a little beta, and someone to hang a TR for me.

The most important thing that happened during my six days of projecting was on day five. I set up a camera, and hoping to catch the send on video, I started up the route. I didn't have each move dialed, but I was close, and a little try-hard can make up for a lack of preparation. I got to the stopper move, planted my foot and moved, only to have to down climb half a move and fix my feet. Needless to say, I fell. I watched the video and noticed the most basic of mistakes - I wasn't planting my foot; I was guessing where it should be and rushing the move. In my next three tries, I watched my foot all the way onto the hold, and didn't fall there again. Three more tries was all it took to put it all together and send my first 5.13.

What's the next step in your climbing and training?

Climbing is on a brief hiatus, not just because of the coronavirus, but because my wife and I are expecting our first child. Training will change for me, but I don't intend on stopping. I was warned that having a kid can mean a plateau for a few years, and I'll be happy if my plateau is at the 5.13 level. The fact is I'm not a 5.13 climber, I've just happened to send one 5.13. Training and climbing will be hard, but it's what I love.

Stronghold Climbing Gym is a great community for families. My wife has climbed there in her pregnancy harness, our dog hangs out in the corner and is loved by the people there, and the youth teams are an amazing part of the community (even if they hurt our egos). We're lucky to have that type of facility available to us and intend on utilizing it to the fullest.

I am also going to start bouldering more. I'd love to someday climb V10 and I fully intend on sending “Midnight Lightning” eventually. Then, maybe I can tell people I'm a good climber. Bouldering is something I can see my family doing in a way that is safer, with someone able to watch our child as they run around.

What would you say were the most important things (positive or negative) you learned during your training experience?

The main thing I learned was how to take an impossible move and make it possible - or even easy. When I looked for a project, I treated every climb the same: if I couldn't do all the moves, I would never be able to do the route. The exercises we did in the program helped me get from "I'm not good enough," to "Let me try this differently."

The crux sequence of “Pride”, my hardest route ever, was impossible for me on day one. Even on day five, it was a 50/50 shot. However, on my last three redpoint burns, I never fell at the same move. I was able to take a sequence that I did not think was going to happen and make it feel casual in the end.

What would you consider your greatest strength or superpower when it comes to climbing?

Trying hard. My mental game tends to be really strong, and I have a strong ability to try hard. When I try something, I almost always fall, rather than give up.

Tell us about your proudest (not necessarily hardest) send.

I am incredibly proud of sending “Grappling Hooks” at Castle Rock in Big Bear. I tried it once on TR to get the idea of gear, because I knew the crux would be small and tricky gear with ground fall potential if the piece blew. First try on lead I was able to send it, making powerful moves over those small pieces. I was really happy to do it with one of my most trusted climbing partners, Stephen Le, who has been there for a lot of my favorite climbs and trips.

What would you say is a weakness or skill you need to improve in climbing?

I still need to work more on limit moves. I know bouldering will help that, and I need to just go and do it. Explosive climbing doesn't suit me yet, because I prefer to keep three points on the wall, but I know that if I continue to learn when and how to cut feet, how to use kneebars, heel and toe hooks, and how to harness that power better, I'll become a better climber. The hard part is getting out there and doing it.

What advice would you give someone considering starting a training plan?

There's a lot to learn. Another set of eyes, set of exercises, or a different angle of attack can help you break through a plateau. If you never had a regimented training plan before, the Power Company can teach you what to use in the future. There are parts of the plan that I still use, and there are some things I don't use every session. But I know they exist, so if I need to focus on something again, I can reach into the back pocket and pull it out.