Stuck at home and thinking about climbing? Are you convinced that now is the time to really work on those weaknesses? This week we take a dive into the new book by Kris Hampton of Power Company Climbing, The Hard Truth. Does this book deserve a place in your quarantined home?
The Hard Truth: Judging a Book by Its Cover
I walked out my front door to find a small, black bubble-wrapped package on my porch. Much to my delight, the return address noted “Power Company Climbing,” and I knew I had a new climbing book.
In the interest of full disclosure, I did receive an advance copy of the book for this review. And in those situations, I generally expect an electronic delivery, as I suspect the author prefers to reserve the hardcopy volumes for paying customers. But Kris sent me a wonderfully-presented pre-sale package, which included the book (obviously), a thread-bound “commitment journal,” several postcards of climbing mindset illustrations by Brendan Leonard (semi-rad.com), and a few well-crafted stickers.
I was surprised, but not surprised. Kris Hampton is a former artist and, like me, lover of music in general and old-school hip-hop in particular. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that he spent a lot of time enjoying the now-ancient craft of album covers and liner notes. He probably also greatly appreciates the art of design. Not to judge a book by its cover, but this book and the items that came packaged with it look really good. I wanted to read this before I even knew what was inside. Kris probably knew that feeling couldn’t be conveyed over a pdf.
For each essay, Brendan Leonard was tasked with creating one of his simple, yet powerful, charts or illustrations. If you’ve followed Leonard’s work on his website or Instagram for long at all, you know the brilliance of what he creates. The illustrations are a suitable companion to the simple messages of this book.
Banana-Snapping
Bananas are everywhere on this thing. They’re on the cover, they’re on the commitment journal, and they’re on stickers. And not just any banana, but a cleanly cut banana. What’s the deal?
The banana is a metaphor for commitment. The story, as described later in the book, dates back to when Power Company Climbing coach Nate Drolet offered half his banana to a friend at the crag. Instead of using a knife or his fingers, Drolet suddenly and swiftly snapped the banana in half, a clean break.
The theme of commitment and the mental cue of the snapped banana is a constant throughout this book. The message is simple and bears repeating. As Hampton states,
“You can plan every move you make. You can train harder and longer than anyone else. You might be the first person at the crag every day. None of it matters if you don’t commit.”
Kris Hampton, The Hard Truth
The Hard Truth: I’m a Banana Squasher
I’ll be the first to admit that I need some more banana-snapping in my climbing life. That quote above, more times than not, strikes deep in the heart of my soul.
I’m a planner. I train hard, and I rarely miss or even cut short a session. I’m the early riser, almost always first at the crag. And I’m there in all conditions.
But I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sat in the dirt, sweaty and still tied in, reliving what I just didn’t do 60 feet above. Or how many times I’ve sat crumpled on a pile of pads after voluntarily jumping off. I can’t tell you how many Monday mornings I’ve been at my desk at work, silently cursing myself for not executing on my abilities. Too many times, I’ve squashed the banana.
And there are many of us chronic banana-squashers sulking around, forever coming up short of our potential. For us, these words are hard to read, but necessary for personal growth.
(Related Post: Obsession and Performance Don’t Always Mix)
Now let’s talk about tone.
The Hard Truth, and The Hard Tone
If you’ve been following the Power Company podcast or the blog, you know that Hampton’s style is one of very tough love.
From nearly the first page to the very last, Hampton will call you out. Repeatedly. This is the South Park of climbing – no one is safe. He cusses at you; he says bullshit a lot.
Hampton quotes your issues, problems, or beliefs:
“I’m too short. I wish my arms were longer.”
“I’m too old to climb hard.”
“I climb for love. Training would kill that.”
Then he cuts you off… “Blah, blah, blah.”
If you are someone who thrives on warm, kind words of encouragement, this book might not be a page-turner for you. I’ll admit, the tone might border on the realm of condescension to some, but I get it.
Hampton is no doubt a man frustrated by seeing so many people blind to their own trappings. I can only imagine that there are many who pay Power Company to train them, and in the end, squash the banana because of limiting beliefs and an improper mindset.
And this certainly goes beyond climbing. I too write about stuff that no one wants to hear – money. I know that nagging feeling of seeing something so obvious and attainable, yet so often mismanaged or disregarded as unimportant.
A “pick-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps” tone motivates me, but some still may want a participation trophy nonetheless. Hampton gives none away in these hard-driving essays. If these words hurt, that feeling is there for a reason. Find those sections that are the hardest to read, and read them again. Three times. Those are probably the lessons you need the most.
Book Style
This book is written in the vein of the Dave MacLeod classic 9 out of 10 Climbers Make the Same Mistakes. This book isn’t designed to prescribe a certain training program, or specific sets or reps. The collection of 26 essays, written over many years on the Power Company blog, are written to question the mindset and overall tactics of the performance-focused climber. While Hampton recognizes the obvious value in getting a good climber stronger or more fit, his goal is to first make you a better, more intentional climber.
From the back cover:
“Becoming a better climber isn’t only about adding more weight to your max hang on a fingerboard or being able to deadlift 2x bodyweight. Frankly, what’s more important is that you understand your motivations, your approach, and that you’re honest with yourself about the amount of effort you put in – both on and off the wall.”
Kris Hampton, The Hard Truth
The Hard Truth: Egos and the Benefits of Failure
Throughout these essays are themes of over-indulgent egos: grade-chasing, weakness-avoiding habits that keep us comfortable and keep us where we are. Oh, and my word…am I sure guilty of this stuff!
(Related Post: Ego and Mastery: Looking Good Vs Being Good)
Hampton time and time again reminds us of a simple fact: if we aren’t getting uncomfortable, we aren’t getting better. If beefcake Mike continues crushing the steep compression boulders because Mike is good at steep compression boulders, Mike is simply reinforcing his strengths.
Meanwhile, envision Sarah. Sarah stumbles and fails on a variety of styles, taking on a growth mindset. Sarah may not be a better climber than beefcake compression Mike yet, but as Hampton often reminds us…she will be soon.
Being a better climber requires checking the ego at the door. Hampton provides a number of examples—sure to challenge us all—where we are choosing comfort over progress.
The Hard Truth for Us All
Somewhere in the pages of this book, we will all find something that challenges our status quo. Somewhere, somehow, we are wasting time, energy, and resources in what is usually a world limited in those precious commodities (pre-coronavirus, of course).
We are putting hours into training methods that aren’t tailored to our weaknesses, or we’re climbing with friends in a way that likely isn’t moving the needle on our goals. Far too often, like many arenas of life, we’re probably staying too comfortable. Pushing through the final rep of an ab crunch set we don’t need doesn’t count as getting uncomfortable either.
Or we’re doing everything right with our training, only to step up to the plate and squash the banana when it counts the most.
While Hampton admits in the introduction that the tone of this book takes a decidedly direct and challenging approach, he also refuses to apologize. Some are going to scoff at that notion, while others will take a deep breath and brace for the mental lashing, eager to begin low on the learning curve of their next weakness.
And when you find the last page of this book, take a deep breath again. Where else in life is time, energy, and resources wasted or underutilized? The life lessons of climbing are many, should we choose to apply them.
Follow-Up Information
Get the book: The Hard Truth
If you are interested in training with Power Company Climbing, check out my Power Company training plan review.
Also, for more on the author, check out this interview: Kris Hampton: Popping Your Comfort Bubble
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