Climb Archives - Page 10 of 11

June 17, 2019August 6, 2019

Dave MacLeod: Life Outside the Box, Part 1

Today I’m thrilled to bring you the first in a two-part series from the climbing and training legend, Dave MacLeod. Dave has an impressive and varied climbing resume, including countless top-tier first ascents, F9a sport routes (5.14d), V15 boulders, Scottish XII mixed routes, and E11 trad. Dave is nails strong — mentally and physically — and that’s no accident of good fortune. In this interview, Dave offers a glimpse into what makes him tick, and why it’s essential to live life outside the box if we desire exceptional results.

June 3, 2019August 6, 2019

Ego and Mastery: Looking Good vs Being Good

From the way we dress, the content we put on social media, to even the routes we climb, our ego often runs the show. To pursue mastery of any sort, a high level of discomfort is required, usually in spite of the ego’s desire for pedestal-worthy achievement. I’ve had a slow and steady awakening over the past few years, allowing me to begin to see just how much my ego is in control. (Cliff Notes: a lot).

Let’s start with a climbing example, but hang in there non-climbers (PUN)!

May 6, 2019June 21, 2019

Rest: We Need It and We Don’t Get Enough

It’s no secret by now that I’m a full-on obsessed rock climber. Long ago the ship sailed on climbing only for “fun,” and my time devoted to this sport has been replaced with performance ambitions. I’ve spent most of the last decade planning, goal-setting, training, and chipping away at pre-defined objectives. But in climbing and in life, you can only go full throttle for so long. Of everything we do to be a better climber — or even a better human — sometimes it’s what we don’t do that really matters. Rest might be the most important element.

April 22, 2019August 9, 2021

Van Life: The Economics and Trade-0ffs

Now more than ever the parking lots at popular climbing areas across the country are being crowded by big boxy Sprinters and a variety of less-sexy creeper vans. As I’ve touched on before, the allure of climbing and other lifestyle sports is incredibly strong. The power to hit the road is so strong that climbers are increasingly dropping the creature comforts of modern building dwelling to pursue the mobile dream in the back of a van, a pull trailer, or sometimes even a Honda Civic. This, my friends, is Van Life.

At face value, assuming you think you can handle the obvious discomforts of a claustrophobic space in the dead of winter on a snowy day, the economic decision seems like an obvious win. Right?

April 15, 2019August 9, 2021

Reader Case Study: Maximize Adventure or Career?

Full disclosure, I’m posting this week’s case study as an interview, but no one is being interviewed here. This post is the amalgamation of several email discussions I’ve had with readers in the last two to three months. The premise is this: folks out there know some form of career is necessary, but they’re overwhelmed by the idea of 40+ years of something that isn’t the dream job. Oh yeah, and they’re obsessed with rock climbing.

I’m going to outline below the basic way we’ve structured our lives to be career-focused for only a small portion of our adult lives. From there, we’re free to pursue whatever it is that gets us giddy (which can still be a career).

March 18, 2019March 18, 2019

Tara Kerzhner: Lights, Cameras…Kittens?

Howdy folks, we’re back on the interview wagon again after a couple of weeks of “you’re spending too much” rants. I feel better, thanks for asking. This week we are once again going to focus on the lifestyle of folks in the climbing industry, and the financial implications for building a sustainable life in a world where money most certainly does not grow on trees. As usual, I reached out to someone whose work I respect, the very talented photographer, filmmaker, and climber Tara Kerzhner. Not only does she do exceptional work behind the lens, she has a unique character that makes her stand out — particularly a running theme of cats, which permeates her online persona.

February 25, 2019March 6, 2021

Jonathan Siegrist: Life After Professional Climbing

If you’ve been in this climbing world for more than a few days, you know that my guest interview today, Jonathan Siegrist, needs no introduction. He’s simply one of the world’s top climbers, and he’s crushed it in all major facets of this game we play — sport, bouldering, and trad.

We’re going to mix things up this week and feature Jonathan not because he’s pursuing a life of financial independence or running a business, but because he works damn hard and is a man with a plan. He is laser focused on his goals, but he knows there will be more to life than professional climbing. There’s not much luck in this story.

February 4, 2019February 21, 2021

Mallorca: January Adventures and the Cost to Do It

We’ve just wrapped up a two-week stay in Europe, most of which was spent on Mallorca, in the Balearic Islands of Spain. As previously discussed, we jumped on what was essentially a free flight to Frankfurt, Germany, spending a night on either end of the trip there. We also leaned on our five key tips for saving money while traveling abroad. Shall we take a look at some pretty pictures and tally the final bill?

January 14, 2019January 13, 2019

Kris Hampton: Popping Your Comfort Bubble

Kris Hampton is a hustler in the modern world of climbing. For decades he’s kept himself close to the action—not only with his own impressive climbing achievements—but, more importantly, his intense presence as a figure in the climbing world. Kris challenges the status quo and wants you to get uncomfortable. As such, he makes for an interesting guest interview. After all, we want to look at this life differently, right?

December 31, 2018December 30, 2018

Getting Down with Charlie “Brown”

Charlie is indeed his first name, but I playfully made up the “Brown” part. Isn’t that fun?! Charlie has asked to remain partially anonymous (as we do here), because he’s discussing some stuff that his bosses might not like. We get it — nothing says I want a big bonus this year like “save money, retire early, blah, blah” on the internet.

The real Charlie Brown is kind of a downer, but not this Charlie. He and his wife are gaming out their life, and that’s pretty cool.