The Power Company Climbing Podcast

BOARD MEETINGS | When To Say Take

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 thank you, and so will we. 
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 sponsor-free by becoming a Patron for as little as $3 a month.
Find full episode transcripts and more at our website.

PSA | Don’t Believe The Hype

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 try difficult moves when you're already tired."
Not only is this incorrect, but it's dangerous. 
I was all set to tear this article apart. Instead, I've decided to turn this into something positive, and make it a learning experience for all of us. Not everyone reading the article - or any article, post, book, whatever - can easily recognize which information is worth saving and what should be thrown out, so let's explore several ways that you can use common sense to recognize when to seek your information elsewhere. 
Don't Believe The Hype.
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 sponsor-free by becoming a Patron for as little as $3 a month.
Find full episode transcripts and more at our website.

Beth Rodden | Climbing and Parenting

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 know how climbing had changed for her since her son Theo was born, and what tips she might have for parents who are embarking on their own adventures.
One of the most accomplished climbers of all time, it hasn't been all smooth sailing for Beth, and we dig into that and how it's informed her decisions. Her entire identity was as a climber. What happens when you're climbing 4 or 5 NUMBER grades below your previous best? Are you still a climber? Where does your identity go?
Beth has a good hold on this, and we can all learn from it.
You can find Beth at www.bethrodden.com
See Beth's recommendations for kid gear HERE.
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 sponsor-free by becoming a Patron for as little as $3 a month.
Find full episode transcripts and more at our website.

Dr. Allen Lim | Fueling from Skratch

Dr. Allen Lim is a sports physiologist, author (you can find his great cookbooks below), and founder of Skratch Labs. We sat down at Skratch headquarters in Boulder, Colorado for what might be the most fascinating and easily digestible (pun intended) look at nutrition and hydration ever recorded.  Seriously.  
We talk how hydration works and why water just isn't enough. We also go into recovery and why Skratch decided not to mess with the magic of chocolate milk. Because I think it's important for you (and me) to understand, Allen explains the lineup of Skratch products and how and when to best use them. 
You can find Skratch Labs at www.skratchlabs.com
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 sponsor-free by becoming a Patron for as little as $3 a month.
Find full episode transcripts and more at our website.

Heather Weidner | Self Worth and China Doll

Heather Weidner doesn't need an introduction, but this episode certainly does. When I recently watched a film made about Heather's ascent of China Doll, putting her into a small group of women to have climbed 14a on gear, I was left with a bad taste in my mouth. It seemed that given the current gender climate, the filmmakers, Jon Glassberg and Caroline Treadway, could have crafted a story that didn't depict Heather as so dependant on her husband, Chris Weidner, for not only support, but to also tell and show her how to climb the route.
Shortly after, Heather wrote a blog post indicating that she felt similar upon seeing the film, and I knew I had to talk to her about it. The omissions, the contradictions, and the lessons. 
You can find Heather online at www.heatherclimbs.com
You can find Jon Glassberg and LT11 at www.lt11.com
You can find Caroline Treadway at http://carolinetreadway.com/
You can see the film at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vZG7FTDM9U
You can read Heather's blogpost at https://heatherclimbs.com/2017/12/08/the-china-doll-contradiction-behind-the-scenes-of-the-film/
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 sponsor-free by becoming a Patron for as little as $3 a month.
Find full episode transcripts and more at our website.

Justin Salas | Nonsighting

If you've heard of Justin Salas, you may refer to him as a "blind climber". You'd be wrong. He's a climber who happens to be blind, just like you're a climber who happens to have sight. 
I had the opportunity to session with Justin at Tension Climbing, and it was fascinating to get to observe and be a part of his process, and talking through it with him was just as interesting. The tools that Justin uses to climb into the V-double digits are the same tools that we use, and the same ones that many of fail to cultivate. We've got a lot to learn.
You can find Justin online at www.justinsalas.com
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 sponsor-free by becoming a Patron for as little as $3 a month.
Find full episode transcripts and more at our website.

Russ Clune | The Importance of Travel

Russ Clune has climbed in more places than you. That is, unless you're Brittany Griffith (maybe). Climbing since the late 70's, and having climbed in around 50-some countries, I wanted to know what the legendary Clune had learned from other climbers in other cultures, and how he's applied that to his own climbing. His climbing partners are a who's who list of legends: Wolfgang Gullich, Lynn Hill, Patrick Edlinger, Jerry Moffat, Todd Skinner, Ron Kauk, and many others. Russ not only fed off of their abilities, but noticed their tactics and their approach.
Travel is one of the most important and easiest ways to improve as a climber. It doesn't need to be travel to some exotic place. That scrappy limestone cliff in the backwoods can be a perfect place to learn a new technique.
And it doesn't have to be with superstar climbers. There can be as much to learn from how the eager 5.11 climbers conduct themselves as their is by watching Megos on his latest project. 
You can climb with Russ in the Gunks through www.alpineendeavors.com
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 sponsor-free by becoming a Patron for as little as $3 a month.
Find full episode transcripts and more at our website.

Marina Inoue | Does Size Matter?

Marina Inoue is a 5'2" force to be reckoned with. She's intimidating until you talk to her, and then she's the sweetest person you've ever met. Then she pulls onto the rock and straight up crushes your project. But you can't be mad at her, because she'd be stoked if the tables were turned.
It was her amazing attitude that led me to talk to her for this interview, and it's the same thing that makes me look forward to the next time I get to climb with her.
You can find her online at www.marinainoue.com
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 sponsor-free by becoming a Patron for as little as $3 a month.
Find full episode transcripts and more at our website.

BOARD MEETINGS | Goal Setting

It's a new year, and it's our 2nd birthday! It's been a wild ride, and I want to say thanks to everyone for being on it with me. 
In this episode Nate and I talk goal setting. Not resolutions. Goals. Different animals altogether. 
How to set appropriate goals, some of the pitfalls, what the research says, and we even give up some of our own goals.  
Speaking of which...
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 sponsor-free by becoming a Patron for as little as $3 a month.
Find full episode transcripts and more at our website.

Jonathan Brandt | Routesetting

Routesetting is hard. You know that if you've tried to set your own problems. It's also hard on the body, so it's difficult to keep a high level of fitness while setting full time. Jonathan Brandt has continued to improve as a climber while simultaneously running the setting crew at Climb Nashville, which is opening two new gyms next year. In this episode we discuss comment boxes, World Cup setting, simulators, and more. 
Jonathan will be hiring routesetters! Hit him up at jonathan@climbnashville.com if you're interested.
Also, definitely check out the Hotter Than Chicken Bouldering Competition hosted by Climb Nashville every July. If you have both fingers AND a stomach of steel, this might just be your ticket to greatness! 
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 sponsor-free by becoming a Patron for as little as $3 a month.
Find full episode transcripts and more at our website.