Last Few Weeks: Reality Check

Contact Piz at pizem@hotmail.com for Motivational/Instructional/Entertaining Speaking Engagements, Climbing Instruction, Training and Weekly/Monthly Training 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  

I have taken the last 7 weeks off from training and climbing. Not because I wanted to but because I needed to. I was in the land of negative returns and falling further and further behind in every aspect of my life. It just kind of happened without me noticing until I was destroyed and a walking zombie.

I was not sleeping well, I was not keeping up with anything that needed to be done. I was not psyched and I was not wanting to do anything at all. This was a bad place for me. Very bad.

I tend to go all in when I do something and I was half-a##ing everything. It was time for a change and climbing and training had to step aside for while. The big problem was that I had spring break coming in quickly and I needed to be in shape to work on a new big wall project. More unnecessary pressure that I placed upon myself. 

So here I am with three days before break and totally out of shape. I went to Rifle just to see where I was at two weeks ago and confirmed that my fitness was gone. I stopped climbing early that day and was at the bottom and it felt terrible.

I considered strongly just quitting climbing all together. This is my 20th year playing on the rocks after all and I have had a great run at it. I have traveled the world, established many routes and gotten to know many wonderful people because of it.

Now, I am married and have two children who I want to be around to raise. Everyday that I am out on the rocks is not really together time. So it seems like a good time to part ways.

At this point I am still going on my spring break trip and will be traveling to Italy this summer to climb at my second favorite place, the Dolomites. Thanks so much to Arcteryx and CAMP and SCARPA for providing the means for me to travel and climb there today and over the past few years.

When I return, we will see where I am at. It is very difficult to be selfish about climbing when you are not thinking of just yourself. Something has to give and I do not want it to be my family.

I am not normally this open about what I am thinking or feeling and no this is not an early April fools joke.

Get outside and have an adventure.

piz : )