The Power Company Climbing Podcast

Don't get us wrong... we LOVE gyms. And if your only goal is to be as good as you can in your gym, then you can skip this episode. However, if you want to be prepared for the outdoors, then this episode will be important for you.  Gyms are businesses and have to operate as such. They make prudent decisions that are beneficial for them as businesses, but aren't necesarily good for you as a rock cli...

We're flipping the script for our 100th (!!!) episode. Nate takes over the host mic, and I do my best to let him lead the conversation. After being at the helm so many conversations, it's hard for me to relinquish that role. In this episode we talk about my years of Weekend Warrioring, and how to climb hard while also being dedicated to a career and family. We dig into how many hours of training i...

I've heard Tonde Katiyo described as a ninja, a samurai, Buddha and Yoda, among other ethereal, higher level beings. Though Tonde is definitely a human, those descriptions aren't necessarily wrong.  In conversation it's quickly evident that Tonde has put quite a bit of thought and care into his craft. He approaches it with both a pragmatism and creativity that often don't exist together. Partly be...

These are three of the most dynamic women I've ever had the pleasure of having a conversation with. They've put their souls into their work. I went in prepared (and nervous) for a very serious discussion, but they so easily toggled between joking and focused that I was put completely at ease. Brown Girls Climb aims to promote and increase visibility of diversity in climbing by establishing a commu...

Sending a route 2nd try is NOT THE SAME as the 2nd Try Send. The difference isn't even subtle. It's a whole different animal.  In this episode Nate and I discuss the What, Why, How, and When of the extremely valuable skill of the 2nd Try Send.  Learn it. You'll be glad you did.   The Power Company Podcast is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Coll...

If you aren't aware of Jorg Verhoeven, it's likely that you don't pay all that much attention to climbing. Jorg is one of the most accomplished all around climbers on the planet, having climbed 14d, V15, and freed the Nose and Dihedral Wall on ElCap. He's also an accomplished comp climber, having been on more than 25 World Cup podiums for bouldering and lead, and having won both the Combined World...

Ryan Gagnon is rare blend of data driven research and infectious enthusiasm, particularly when discussing his programs built to introduce and engage minority youth in climbing. I attended a talk that Ryan gave at the CWA Summit, and afterward sat down with him to talk. Because I know very little about the challenges that a gym might face in implementing these programs, I pulled in my friend Valeri...

Long before John Sherman was a crusader for the plight of the California Condor, he was a bouldering pioneer, brilliant writer, and creator of the bouldering V-scale. In this episode we sit down in Hueco Tanks to discuss his accomplishments as well as to argue about his most infamous creation.  John's list of strong opinions is nearly as long as his list of first ascents, and the only reason it ha...

A good climbing partner can be your greatest asset. If you dispute this, it's because you've never had a great partner, and you're just going to have to trust me.  This episode could easily have been categorized as a Not So Average Joe episode, or it could have damn near been one of our upcoming Power Couple episodes. This is because both of these guys still don't quite understand what their capab...

Aicacia Young believes that health begins in the gut, and she LOVES to talk about it. So much so that it almost makes me excited to do the same. Almost.  In this episode we get into the basics. How do we know we need to improve our gut health and how do we go about it? What products do we use, and how much is enough? And maybe the most fun, what exactly is going on in there that constitutes poor g...

In this episode, in the midst of a gym tour, Nate and I sit down to discuss how we feel about climbing gym grades. Do they matter? Should they be taken seriously? How do they relate to outdoor grades? And possibly most important, what the hell do we do with them? We don't tweet. We scream like eagles.   The Power Company Podcast is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and is a proud member of...

Perhaps the greatest attribute of any successful coach is their ability to effectively communicate with their athlete. Without buy in from the climber, no training plan can be effective. Without communication from the athlete, the right changes can't be made. Success is often directly proportionate to that relationship. In this episode I talk with a successful coach/climber team: Taylor Reed and B...

Peter Bonamici is a midwest legend. He'll disagree with that, but it's my podcast, so I can make that statement if I want to. Not to mention, it's true. This entire episode stems from a conversation with Peter in which he told me that he'd just learned to heel hook. After climbing his first V13. What?! It's pretty simple, really. The reason that Peter, and so many other climbers, are legendary, is...

You've undoubtedly seen the book, the videos, or heard Dr. Vagy in other podcasts. In this 3 part series we're going to dig into the concepts behind the easy to follow system of prehab and rehab that Dr. Vagy has built.  In Part 1, we're tackling mobility, and how it relates to both avoiding injury and rehabbing from it. Dr. Vagy walks me through many of the mobility drills that he recommends for...

Todays episode is Part 5 in a 5 part series exploring the concept that "Common Sense Isn't Always Common Practice.  Today we discuss Principles vs. Prescriptions. How do you know which is right for your situation?  We don't tweet. We scream like eagles.   The Power Company Podcast is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective . You can help us...

Todays episode is Part 4 in a 5 part series exploring the concept that "Common Sense Isn't Always Common Practice.  Today we discuss Training Where You Are vs. Where You Want To Be. We all want to train like the pros... but should we? Is that even what got them there? We don't tweet. We scream like eagles.   The Power Company Podcast is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and is a proud membe...

Todays episode is Part 3 in a 5 part series exploring the concept that "Common Sense Isn't Always Common Practice.  Today we discuss Generalization vs. Specialization. There is a time to grow your skill set, but it can also be appropriate to focus on one aspect of it. The differences can be subtle. We don't tweet. We scream like eagles.   The Power Company Podcast is brought to you by Power Compan...

Todays episode is Part 2 in a 5 part series exploring the concept that "Common Sense Isn't Always Common Practice.  Today we discuss Pyramids vs. Towers.  Should you be out there building up your base, or is it ok to jump to the next level? There's an argument... and a time... for both approaches.  We don't tweet. We scream like eagles.   The Power Company Podcast is brought to you by Power Compan...

Todays episode is Part 1 in a 5 part series exploring the concept that "Common Sense Isn't Always Common Practice.  Today we discuss Quality vs. Quantity. How much is too much? How can you focus on quality, and when should you?  We don't tweet. We scream like eagles.   The Power Company Podcast is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective . Yo...

In Part 2, continued from yesterday's Episode 81, Edwin and I come up with our Top 3 List of things we've learned from climbing with better climbers.  You can find Edwin Teran and his photography online at www.edwinteran.com   Follow him on Instagram at  https://www.instagram.com/edwinteran/ We don't tweet. We scream like eagles.   The Power Company Podcast is brought to you by Power Company Climb...

Climbing is unique in that we get to share the playing field with the best in the game. I can't think of a moment when you shouldn't use that to your advantage and pay close attention to what the better climbers at the crag are doing. Not just how they move (that too!), but how they structure their day, how long they rest, how they warmup, and what their attempts look like.  So much to learn. In t...

In this much requested episode, I sit down with Salt Lake climber and coach Steve Maisch to discuss assessments. Steve had some of the first assessments I remember seeing online, and we go into how he's added, subtracted, and refined those. We talk a little about Steve's own assessments, and an important thing that he overlooked in his own training. Many of us coaches are loosely collecting data f...

There are appropriate times to say "Take". There are also instances when saying it is only slowing your progress. In this episode, Nate and I sit down in Bozeman, Montana during our work at Spire Climbing Center to discuss a topic that many people don't realize that they don't fully understand.  Don't forget to share the podcast with your friends, your enemies, and strangers on the street. They'll...

With the amount of available information on training for climbing growing rapidly, it becomes increasingly harder to know what is worth keeping and what's trash. I've been considering this type of episode for some time, but when I read a recent article from Climbing Magazine, I knew I had to do it. Among many uninformed statements in the article is one that states "a good way to build power is to...

When Beth Rodden redpointed To Bolt or Not To Be in 1998 she became the youngest woman to climb 5.14a. Fast forward 20 years and Beth's website lists her as "Mother - Pro Climber - Writer". Mother first. Climbing is growing up. Beth and I sat down in Jackson, Wyoming while she was there to speak at The Teton Library Mountain Story series, despite delayed flights and a busy schedule. I wanted to kn...