Devils Canyon Hike

Contact Piz for Motivational/Instructional/Entertaining Speaking Engagements, Climbing Instruction, Training and Periodization Programs. Until then...

Get outside and have an adventure!

piz : )

Thanks to my amazing sponsors:
www.arcteryx.com
www.camp-usa.com
www.scarpa.com
www.sterlingrope.com
www.americanalpineclub.org
www.brewersledge.com
www.windx-treme.com

 Sitting at the shack at the end of loop trail with the kids.

 Hiking along the creek that was actually flowing due to all the recent rain.

 Rock hopping with the kids.

 Petroglyphs.

 Yeah!

 Signing in at the shack. They call it a cabin, but come on who are they kidding?

 Nice hiking through the canyon.

 The storm in the background and cool teetering towers.

 The gang fueling up before the rain came.

Can fall colors get any better than this? I think not.

Busy Weekend

Contact Piz for Motivational/Instructional/Entertaining Speaking Engagements, Climbing Instruction, Training and Periodization Programs

Until then...

Get outside and have an adventure!

piz : )

Thanks to my amazing sponsors:
www.arcteryx.com                        Arcteryx
www.camp-usa.com                     CAMP
www.scarpa.com                          SCARPA
www.sterlingrope.com                 Sterling
www.americanalpineclub.org       AAC
www.brewersledge.com               Treadwall
www.windx-treme.com                Windxtreme

 Another psyched crew after the climbing specific training sessions that I offer in Grand Junction.

 Jane and Rowan at a rest stop in Vail.

 Rowan getting scared in the tube.

 Chris and Rowan playing on the rocks.

 Orson growing up fast!

 Rowan loves to stop at every slide possible.

 Jane and I went to the Notre Dame vs Air Force game.

 The cadets line the field before the game.

 A Notre Dame touchdown.

 Rowan at the Denver Children's Museum.

 Rowan loves shopping carts and moving stuff from cart to cart.

 Jane and Orson chilling at the museum.

Rowan looking to head down the rabbit hole!

Training with Piz: Analyzing Technique, Chris Sharma Style

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piz : )

Thanks to my amazing sponsors: Arcteryx, CAMP-USA, SCARPA, Sterling Ropes, the AAC and WIndX-treme

Check out the video with all the commentary and enjoy the beauty of the area.
THEN
Look at how a climber of nearly 20 years gets it done and watch for technique!

http://www.dpmclimbing.com/climbing-videos/watch/chris-sharma-down-under

Here are a few of the things that I learned while watching Chris Sharma climb.

• He immediately places a foot on the wall after making reaches to take weight off his hands
• He always finds that "plumb" position on his arms in order to rest effectively
• He uses momentum to generate speed to make long moves dynamic rather than powerful
• He constantly looks down at his feet, so that he is taking weight off his arms and hands
• He initally grabs small holds with an open hand and will switch to crimp postion when he needs to pull.
• On vertical to slightly overhanging terrain, the high foot and lock off and  rocker on your foot are essential skills
• While bouldering, watch to see how strong his calves are, they are always engaged
• Being flexible is advantageous but not too flexible or you will loose power

Do your best to check your own technique and see whether or not you are being as efficient as you can be. Also watch the other expereinced and talented climbers that are at the crag or gym and try to emulate how they do things. It is not always that they are way "stronger" than you, but it might be that they are just using proper technique!!

Have fun out there!

Training with Piz: Bridging

Get outside and have an adventure!

piz : )

Thanks to my amazing sponsors: Arcteryx, CAMP-USA, SCARPA, Sterling Ropes, the AAC and WIndX-treme

First of all, a bridge is when you lie on your back, place your feet on the ground and raise your hips as high as you can to the ceiling.
You can bridge on many objects, the floor, a chair, a weight bench, a yoga ball, a medicine ball, or pretty much anything.

You can make the bridge more difficult by using only one leg and by placing that one foot on a yoga ball.
You can make it even more difficult and extend the ball out with one or two legs while keeping your hips as high as possible.
Finally, you can even do the one leg extension and hold dumb bells and do a press at the same time.

Here is a bridge that is in the middle of the difficulty levels.
It works your low back and legs and core.
I will tell you that every second that you think that your hips are high enough, raise them a little more because they just slipped back down a bit.

Get out there and have a good time!

piz : )

Let's Send Jen Olson to the Winter Olympics in Russia in 2014!!!!

Get outside and have an adventure!

piz : )

Thanks to my amazing sponsors: Arcteryx, CAMP-USA, SCARPA, Sterling Ropes, the AAC and WIndX-treme

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ice-climbing-at-sochi-olympics-2014

Check out this link. My friend Jen is trying to get to the Winter Olympics this year.
She is a competitive ice climber and needs your help to get there!

Words to describe Jen:

• Kind
• Hardworking
• Positive
• Motivated
• Tougher than Nails!

I am also training her to perform her best for herself and for her country of Canada!

Take a second and support her with her cause, every dollar counts and will help  her live out a dream of participating in the Olympics!!

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for her. Let's do what we can!!!!
Click on the link and make a donation.

Thanks so much,

piz : )

Training with Piz: Mountain Men (AKA Mountain Persons)

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piz : )

Thanks to my amazing sponsors: Arcteryx, CAMP-USA, SCARPA, Sterling Ropes, the AAC and WIndX-treme

As long as you have a place to hang a rope with a carabiner or a pulley and a pair of jugs you can perform this exercise.

This is power and endurance and can be challenging because you are actually campusing.

If you need to have some type of assist you can put a chair underneath your feet and have them on it or just one leg or even on a weight bench.

After some practice you can then move to not having your feet touching the ground at all.

A Little Climbing from a Couple Weekends Ago

Get outside and have an adventure!

piz : )

Thanks to my amazing sponsors: Arcteryx, CAMP-USA, SCARPA, Sterling Ropes, the AAC and WIndX-treme

 Mayan heading up the choss. She knows to expect it when climbing with me!

 Sarah belaying some choss. She is getting to know that is what you expect when climbing with me.

 Sweet!

 Sarah trying out my project.

 Sarah slaying the finger crack.

Mayan trying a hard little TR before the rain comes.

Pizem Slide Show: The Secrets Behind New Routing Oct 25, 2013

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piz : )

Thanks to my amazing sponsors: Arcteryx, CAMP-USA, SCARPA, Sterling Ropes, the AAC and WIndX-treme

Come to my latest slide show in Denver this friday night!

When: 6pm
Cost: free
Where: http://climbthebest.com/ Rock n and Jamin North (Just North of Denver off I-25)
About: New routing on the western slope of Colorado and Utah. Cracks and sport climbs alike.

Treadwall Training with Piz: The Triple

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piz : )

Thanks to my amazing sponsors: Arcteryx, CAMP-USA, SCARPA, Sterling Ropes, the AAC and WIndX-treme

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGzdjJX-MM0&feature=youtu.be

Enjoy my video effort and then the explanation of my training plan in the video and the write up on my Youtube site!

piz : )

Working My Project

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piz : )

Thanks to my amazing sponsors: Arcteryx, CAMP-USA, SCARPA, Sterling Ropes, the AAC and WIndX-treme

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6VLuYutcII

Tips Liebacking
No Feet just smears
Bad Gear (that is why I am top roping)

Yes it will be a headpoint!

Ah yeah!!!

Treadwall Training with Piz: Shoes

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piz : )

Thanks to my amazing sponsors: Arcteryx, CAMP-USA, SCARPA, Sterling Ropes, the AAC and WIndX-treme

Check out my little reminder on why you should wear your good shoes while training.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSRYesDFZOA&feature=youtu.be

Wear good shoes while training. If you don't, you just ingrain bad footwork and habits into your technique and then when you are trying your project, your feet wont know how to behave!

I work out on a steep Treadwall and if I am wearing old shoes or shoes that are not downturned or a different pair than what I normally wear for most routes, my feet tend to respond differently when I am outside.

When I was young and a competitive golfer (yes I was at one time) one of my coaches told me that Perfect Practice Makes Perfect. He would say that as my buddies and I were trying to hit the guy driving the golf cart who was picking up range balls. That kind of horseplay was fun and there really is no better feeling than tagging that cart, but it doesn't help your golf game. It just ingrains the bad habits that you do not want.

So next time you are jumping around and goofing off while at the gym or even outside. Ask yourself, is this really something that I need to work on or am I just working on my circus tricks.

Mee Canyon Hike

Get outside and have an adventure!

piz : )

Thanks to my amazing sponsors: Arcteryx, CAMP-USA, SCARPA, Sterling Ropes, the AAC and WIndX-treme

 

Mee Canyon is just outside Colorado National Monument. It is a drainage that eventually flows into the Colorado River. We were hiking to a deep undercut overhang that the river has created over time.

 Leaving the parking lot after some 4x4 driving.

 Heading down the 2.1 miles of downhill walking.

 Ready to drop into the canyon.

 Before we drop in.

 Great views looking downstream.

 Almost there.

 Wow.

What a great place. I really wished that we had time to hang out, but we had to get back to school and it was time to charge back up the hill to the van.

Training with Piz: Sidepull/Undercling Lock Off Reaches

Get outside and have an adventure!

piz : )

Thanks to my amazing sponsors: Arcteryx, CAMP-USA, SCARPA, Sterling Ropes, the AAC and WIndX-treme

• If you have an adjustable systems board, set it at an angle where you can actually do this move.
• If not find a good size undercling or side pull to perform the move with.
• Fix your feet in the best place possible underneath the hold and lock off with the low hand and reach high with the opposite.
• Repeat the sequence with both sides and take a good rest before the next set.

I find that the more that I focus on a tight core, my body close to the wall and pushing with my feet, the better that I do on this exercise.

I like doing this every once in a while, because it will identify whether my lock off strength is any good. It is also a power move because you can/do use a bit of explosive power.

Decreasing the size of the hold and increasing the steepness will make this even more challenging while doing the opposite will accommodate the mortals like myself out there!

Treadwall Training with Piz: Liebacking Video

Get outside and have an adventure!

piz : )

Thanks to my amazing sponsors: Arcteryx, CAMP-USA, SCARPA, Sterling Ropes, the AAC and WIndX-treme

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7UXo99GBfU&feature=youtu.be

Unfortunately the video file is just a bit too large for blogger to handle, so I had to link it.

My latest project on the desert sandstone is comprised of some difficult liebacking on small crimps.
I figured that the best way to set with intent for my next batch of problems would be to use lots of crimps (good) and find a way to simulate the moves on my project.

The route has long and short reaches with no feet (as in nothing to stand on but the opposing wall).
So, I am trying to set routes with a minimum of two challenging moves (moves that are tougher than the rest of the route), while keeping the over all challenge of the route high in between those moves.

I find that while on my project that I have to fight a few spots with major barn door potential. Since the feet are so poor (nonexistent) and that holds are so small, there is no way to recover once it starts.
If I can simulate that feeling, then I can prepare for being in the best position to not be pulled off the climb. So by placing the transition moves in the problem from one side to another, it allows me to evenly train my liebacks and fight the ensuing barn door as my fatigue increases.

Another problem that I have on my project is that I am able to do the one type of move very well, but when the move changes to a long reach or a powerful reach, I get shut down. So those two transition moves are designed to simulate the end of a sequence of something that I am strong at and force me into something that I am weak at.

Lastly, I try to keep my feet high the entire time because that is what is required on the project outside.

The biggest thing that I have to watch out for or training too much on the Treadwall and not being properly rested for my day on the real project outside. Add to that working full time, having a second job, raising two kids and supporting my wife, it makes it pretty tough to be rested for the project. No matter, I will get there and it will be fun to continue strengthening my weaknesses.

piz : )

 

 



City of Rocks Idaho Photos by Ronnie Rose

Get outside and have an adventure!

piz : )

Thanks to my amazing sponsors: Arcteryx, CAMP-USA, SCARPA, Sterling Ropes, the AAC and WIndX-treme

Please be sure to check out his face book page for more great photos!
Thanks so much for sharing a few with me Ronnie.

Wrap Up: Bentgate Mountaineering Slide Show

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piz : )

Thanks to my amazing sponsors: Arcteryx, CAMP-USA, SCARPA, Sterling Ropes, the AAC and WIndX-treme

 A little while back SCARPA brought me to the Bent Gate to speak about my climbing.

There were a ton of familiar faces and plenty of new ones too. I really appreciated all the folks that I got to hang out with and share a piece of my climbing life with during the evening. (I worked at the shop way back in the in the day shortly after it opened.)

I spoke about first ascents and told stories that made me laugh. (Notice that I said that I made me laugh, if I could get a laugh out the audience then that was icing on the cake! It's like going on a first date with someone and picking a place that you will have fun at or enjoy no matter who you are with! It's all about stacking the deck!)

I gave out lots of goodies from my sponsors and I just wanted to thank them for supporting me so much over the years! Thanks guys!!!

 CAMP made some posters and they went like free hot cakes after the show.

 Reliving some old times with my friends from college.

Hanging with one of my best climbing partners! Ah yeah Braden, now we are dads and just trying to get out as much as we can!!

Training with Piz: One Leg Box Dips

Get outside and have an adventure!

piz : )

Thanks to my amazing sponsors: Arcteryx, CAMP-USA, SCARPA, Sterling Ropes, the AAC and WIndX-treme

Dips are primarily a triceps exercise, but when you widen the arm placement you can actually share the focus with your pectorals.

Again, we go for 40 seconds and attempt to earn at least one rep per second or more.
It is surprising how this simple movement that you can do at home on a chair can totally burn out your triceps in a very short amount of time.

You can perform this with tow legs out in front of your with feet flat on the floor just a bit farther away than when you are sitting.
You can use only one leg.
You can also change the height of the box or chair that you are pushing on.
Lastly you can change the width of your hands (the farther apart works your pectorals too!

Have fun and train safe!

The Nose and Mayan Smith Gobat

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piz : )

Thanks to my amazing sponsors: Arcteryx, CAMP-USA, SCARPA, Sterling Ropes, the AAC and WIndX-treme

 Some photos from Mike Anderson and my first free ascent of Arcturus on Half Dome 2006 Andrew Burr Photos. Mike and I looking back at El Cap from the top of Half Dome.

 Checking out the line Half Dome

 A little wear and tear

 Mike owning that chimney.

Me on the crux.

http://www.rockandice.com/lates-news/new-female-speed-record-on-the-nose-el-capitan

Here is a brief summary of how Mayan is showing us how much she loves climbing on El Cap.

I have been able to watch her train and focus on this goal for months and it's great to see her hard work paying off. I will say that we have not seen her go her fastest yet and I look forward to seeing how things turn out.

Mayan has taken a liking to training and is one of the hardest workers that I have ever seen. She takes every session serious and puts forth 100% during every exercise. With that effort and focus she will certainly reach her personal potential when it comes to climbing and especially life.

She has worked hard over the the last year and her dreams are slowly becoming reality.

Go Mayan!!!