Profile: Climber
Injury: Amazingly few, despite my best efforts
Issue: Ego
I was daunted when I started training with Ian. The workouts seemed too big. The weights too heavy. I “zeroed” reps, questioned myself, and puked in the grass outside. Ian and the veteran denizens of Ascension – freaks all, possessing superhuman strength – helped me to my feet, shouldered my weight and carried on. It was the Ascension community that allowed me to relax my mind. To trust the process. I checked my ego at the door and showed up as a vulnerable, whole person.
I kept showing up until fitness was not the limiting factor in my climbing. I was free to spend mountain days focused on subtle skills and technique, instead of getting pumped and flailing. When you can do hundreds of toes-to-bar in a single gym session, figure-4 climbing through a roof feels easy. My climbing made a quantum leap. For the numbers fans, I went from a 5.12c to 5.13b redpoint grade over two years.
Ian has an unmatched ability to watch a person move as a bio-psycho-mechanical system, find the weakest link, and work alongside them to find their true potential.
Training with Ian redefined what I am capable of. Spending time at Ascension reframed what community means to me. And least importantly, I found what I came to Ian for in the first place: a resilient, strong body that allows me to climb harder than I thought possible.