The Power Company Climbing Podcast

Devin Dabney | Figuring It Out

In July of 2020 we released an episode with Devin Dabney in which we discussed a podcast idea he’d been mulling over for quite some time. A podcast that would look at social issues within the climbing community from a variety of perspectives. Much of the feedback around that episode was that people wanted to hear more from Devin. He needed to do that podcast.
Fast forward a little over a year, and The American Climbing Project has just dropped Episode 3: Now That’s What I Call Racism.
Devin is one of the most thoughtful humans I know. Not to mention WILDLY creative. It’s been my absolute pleasure to give advice where needed and get a front row seat to watch him grow. Plus, I get to collaborate with him regularly, which pretty much means I’m winning.
If you haven’t listed to The American Climbing Project, go do it. If you haven’t read their blog, then DEFINITELY go do that. It’s an educational treasure trove. Devin and Rob do a spectacular job of teaming up to make something really special. Something this community needs.
Learn more about The American Climbing Project.
Follow ACP on Instagram.
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 keep episodes ad-free by becoming a Patron for as little as $3 a month!
Find full episode transcripts and more at our website.

Lor Sabourin | Dealing With Fear

This summer I had a dinner at my house with a group of folks who I have immense respect for. Like-minded climbers who are interested in both exploring their own personal limits and pushing the community to be better. After the dinner, I heard the same feedback from nearly every person: that conversations with Lor were the highlight of the night.Lor is a climber who leans into every style in a really intentional effort to improve. They are a Warrior's Way coach who has the incredible ability to listen, empathize, and ask you very kind questions that introduce you to the precise first step you need to take. That might be an actionable first step, or it might be a thought or emotion you’ll have to grapple with, but it will lead you in the right direction.
Because of this, I decided to (very selfishly) turn this episode into, essentially, a private coaching session. 
I’ve recently been leaning into my fears of tall boulders and trying to document my process. I asked Lor to watch a video I had made about a recent scary project, a V10 called Flight of the Antelope, and give me feedback on my process. They delivered with an absolute gift of a conversation.Climbing better isn’t about just getting physically stronger. It’s about confronting whatever obstacles you find in front of you. Dancing with them instead of fighting. Better understanding your own motivations, and not taking the easier path just because it’s easier. Lor has written for us before about Finding Joy in Improbable Goals - an article that inspired me to lean harder into the things that scare me. They are the subject of a brilliant documentary film from Patagonia called They/Them that will be released on October 6th. 30 seconds into watching the film I said, out loud, “Fuck, I know exactly how that feels.” Lor has dealt with all of the same fear that you have. They have leaned into it, and emerged a better teacher for it. This film does a fantastic job of highlighting this incredible human.Work with Lor at The Warrior's Way.
Watch the video we discuss in the episode.
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 keep episodes ad-free by becoming a Patron for as little as $3 a month!
Find full episode transcripts and more at our website.

Dirtbag State of Mind | Luke Mehall Interviews Kris Hampton

In this episode Kris is in the hot seat, and Luke Mehall takes over the interview duties. They discuss entrepreneurship, hiphop, climbing, and how creativity filters down through all of it. 
This episode aired previously on the Dirtbag State of Mind Podcast, found wherever you consume pods. 
You can find Luke, the zine, and the podcast at The Climbing Zine.
Follow them on Instagram.
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 keep episodes ad-free by becoming a Patron for as little as $3 a month!
Find full episode transcripts and more at our website.

Kyle O‘Meara | Intentional Mentorship

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.
Follow Kyle on Instagram.
Get tickets for the Joe's Valley Festival.
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 keep episodes ad-free by becoming a Patron for as little as $3 a month!
Find full episode transcripts and more at our website.
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 keep episodes ad-free by becoming a Patron for as little as $3 a month!
Find full episode transcripts and more at our website.

WHAT WHEN HOW TO TRAIN | Smith Rock Sport Climbing with Justin Brown

Smith Rock, about 30 minutes outside of Bend, Oregon, is a destination that should be on every sport climber's list of places to visit. It’s the birthplace of American sport climbing and home of the first 5.14 in the country, To Bolt or Not To Be. Beside that, our guest on this What When How to Train episode, local Justin Brown, claims that it’s the best example of this technical, old school style in THE WORLD.
That’s a big claim, but Justin, owner of Rhino Skin Solutions, stands by it. Littered with small edges, pockets, and horrible feet, most routes at Smith provide options for all sizes of climber to find their way through the devious technical sequences.
Find Justin, and all the skin care products a climber could need, at Rhino Skin Solutions.
 
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 keep episodes ad-free by becoming a Patron for as little as $3 a month!
Find full episode transcripts and more at our website.

BOARD MEETINGS | The Downgrading of Bibliographie from 15d to 15c

Stefano Ghisolfi recently made the 2nd ascent of Bibliographie, a proposed 15d (9c) first done by Alex Megos in Ceuse, France. This would have made Stefano only the 3rd person to climb the grade - behind the two climbers widely considered as the best in the world. But Stefano chose to say that the route isn’t 15d after all, but 15c (9b+). Why?
In this episode, Kris and Nate discuss grades, downgrading, egos, pressure, and how these two climbers handled the situation in an incredibly mature, progressive way. But is it the best way? Does it matter?
These are exactly the kinds of conversations our Patrons get more of. 2 extra episodes every month. You can become a Patron at www.patreon.com/powercompanypodcast
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 keep episodes ad-free by becoming a Patron for as little as $3 a month!
Find full episode transcripts and more at our website.

BOARD MEETINGS | Terrible Climbing Advice That’s Actually Great

In this Board Meeting, Kris and Nate sit down to discuss the many pieces of advice that, when actually looked at, make no real sense, but simultaneously make all of the sense in the world. It's easy to ignore catch phrases and cliches, but if this episode helps you stop and think the next time you hear one - and as a result you actually change your behavior accordingly - WIN. 
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 keep episodes ad-free by becoming a Patron for as little as $3 a month!
Find full episode transcripts and more at our website.

Cody Kaemmerlen | Climb United

A quick look at Cody Kaemmerlen’s Linked In profile reveals this bio: Lives by simple beliefs; advocate for the underrepresented and oppressed, use your privilege with honor and be aggressively kind.
More than anyone I’ve ever met, Cody lives by these words. He’s a passionate advocate for what he believes in - somehow without coming off as pushy - and as soon as I saw him announced as Director for The American Alpine Club’s new Climb United initiative, I knew I wanted to talk to him. His position seems impossible, but if there’s anyone who I believe can find and hold onto the hope and possibility within it, it’s Cody. 
Learn more about the Climb United initiative.
Watch the Route Name Open Forum.
Follow Cody on Instagram.
Learn more about Wilder Mind.
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 keep episodes ad-free by becoming a Patron for as little as $3 a month!
Find full episode transcripts and more at our website.

The American Climbing Project | Episode 2: The Great Equalizer (Special Preview)

Today we've got a special teaser for Episode 2 of Devin Dabney's American Climbing Project - The Great Equalizer. Listen to this and then go listen to Episode 1!
Learn more about the The American Climbing Project
Follow ACP on Instagram
Support them at https://www.americanclimbingproject.com/support
The Power Company Podcast and The American Climbing Project are both productions of the Plug Tone Audio Collective.
 
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 keep episodes ad-free by becoming a Patron for as little as $3 a month!
Find full episode transcripts and more at our website.

Blake Cason, MS | Wellness and Habits for Climbing Performance

Climbing has never been a purely physical pursuit. Even if that is the initial draw, climbing has a way of pulling your mental and emotional states in, utilizing and amplifying them, and ultimately, if you arrive with awareness, helping you understand those states better. All while we get to try as absolutely hard as we want to. Beautiful.
In this episode, I sit down with Blake Cason and discuss the intersection of our climbing and the rest of our lives, and how our habits and lifestyle off the wall can affect our performance on the wall.
Blake is a climber and great conversationalist who holds a Master’s degree in Health Behavior and Education, is founder of Pivot Wellness, where she is available for Integrative Wellness and Life Coaching, and an expert in habit setting.
Blake is also one of the founders of ClimbWell, a retreat dedicated to the intersection of rock climbing, wellness, and intentional life design.
Learn more about ClimbWell
Learn more about Pivot Wellness
Follow Blake on Instagram
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 keep episodes ad-free by becoming a Patron for as little as $3 a month!
Find full episode transcripts and more at our website.