Striking a balance between life as a Stanford Psychology student and sponsored climber, PG student/athlete, Andrea Szekely, spent the summer of 2011 on a tear through Europe’s finest rock - and plastic. After competing in World Cup competitions in Vail, CO and Arco, Italy Andrea posted up in Rodellar, Spain where she had an amazing six week trip, repeating a handful of hard sport climbs including three 5.14’s - all with a broken thumb. Andrea kindly made some time between training and studying to answer a few questions about her trip and the Steep Climbing Lead Clinic she will be teaching Saturday, Feb. 25th, at PGSF.  Email Andrea to reserve your spot!

I know you were in Europe for the World Cup Circuit - how did you end up doing in comparison to your expectations? What do you feel like the main difference is between the European climbers and the American climbers when it comes to competitions?

I’ve been competing in World Cup competitions for a few years now, not consistently, but trying to attend a few events in summertime when I can travel more easily to attend events. This summer I competed in only two competitions, the Vail Bouldering World Cup and the Arco World Championships. In Vail, I had one of my best performances yet for a bouldering event. Bouldering is not my strong point, it has never been, but I ended up in 18th place climbing with a broken thumb, and missed 12th place only because my foot accidentally slipped on my first attempt on my first problem! It was the best competition experience I’ve had in years, I was really happy afterwards. In Arco, I unfortunately didn’t do as well as I would have liked because I ended up getting sick right before the competition began, but I guess that’s bound to happen sometimes.
In terms of the difference between American and other climbers, I think that American climbers are still quite a bit behind the Europeans and Asians - this is partially due to the fact that most Americans don’t attend the World Cups regularly (the only ones to have competed in an entire World Cup season I think are Alex Johnson and Alex Puccio) and thus lack experience. The World Cups are a lot more demanding physically and psychologically than competitions here. There are more competitors, and a larger portion climb at higher levels than events here in the US. Another important factor, I think, is that most American climbers are not as disciplined in their training and preparation for competitions. That’s not to say they don’t train, but I think that their training is more sporadic, and not focused on an entire year/season of competitions.

Can you talk a little bit about the training you did before heading over and how that is different - if it is at all - from your usual training for seasonal outdoor climbing?

Well, last spring I decided to dedicate a lot more time to bouldering and strength, which has always been my weak-point. For 3 months, I focused on training my power and power endurance, working on boulder problems close to or above my limit, and trying to work on repeating harder problems at the end of a session (fatigued). I also started doing a lot more complementary weight training, which I think really helped me, personally, though I don’t think that this is something everybody needs. It turned out that this training was not only effective for my comp preparation, but also my 6 weeks of climbing outdoors in Spain afterwards. Right before starting my outside trip, I did shift some focus back to endurance, keeping an even balance between that and bouldering, but only for a month or so. Then, I ended up sending more hard routes at my limit on ropes than ever before. Even though I think I have had more endurance perhaps in past seasons, having gained more power this year allowed me to do the crux moves on routes and not power down immediately after. So zoning in on my weaknesses has really paid off.

As a sponsored climber/student - how do you balance your time training/competing/climbing with your academic life?

Keeping a balance between school and climbing can be kind of tough sometimes, but I really love both, and refuse to give up either. Usually this means that I’m in a chronic state of sleep deprivation, because I’d rather go to the gym, train, get home super late and stay up and do my schoolwork, than not go to the gym. It’s all about managing your time, which is easy to think about and sometimes really hard to do. But I’m the one who chose to make both climbing and school part of my life, so I’m the one who has to figure out how to make that work.

photo by Pete McDermott

What is it that you’re studying?

This is my fourth and final year studying Psychology at Stanford. I’m graduating in fall of 2012. Psychology is a really interesting field because you can go in so many directions with it. What interests me the most is probably motivation and performance in the workplace. How can you help people perform at their optimal level? What are the dynamics of high performing teams in business or other workplace contexts? How can top managers perform under pressure? How can multicultural teams work efficiently and effectively? These are all questions that really intrigue me (which probably has to do with my involvement in sports and background in travel). When I finish my studies at Stanford, I’d like to do a Masters program in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and also, at some point, attend a Business School that offers a degree specializing in that area. And of course, I have to find a job by next January…

Sum up - if possible - your 2011 climbing season on the whole. Any particular highlights from the year or goals for 2012?

2011, for me, had its highs and lows. I started out with an injury, fracturing my thumb and tearing a ligament that attaches the metacarpal bone to the trapezium. The doctors first told me it would heal with time, but I didn’t want to stop climbing, and they ok-ed me for climbing in a splint, not using my thumb. So, I trained and waited for it to heal, but no improvement. Then in June I went to see a doctor in Spain, Dr. Mir, who is one of the best hand surgeons in the world. He told me that surgery was my only option. I decided to continue my thumbless climbing until the end of summer, and I’m glad I waited because that’s when I had my best moments of the year. I got to climb in Rodellar for 6 weeks and had an awesome time. I met and climbed with a really cool group of people that I met there who became really good friends of mine. I got on a bunch of really beautiful routes, sent three 14a’s (I had only ever done one, and that was four years ago) and found my project for this year, a route named Pata Negra (8c/14b), one of the most spectacular climbs I’ve ever tried. That’s one of my major goals for 2012, to climb Pata Negra. I’d also like to compete in some of the World Cup competitions again and at least do as well as I did last year, and hopefully even better. Because I had surgery in the fall of 2011, I had to take three months off completely and only started climbing and training again recently, so 2012 is off to a slow start. But that just means I will be working 150% harder!

Your last clinic with PG SF went over really well - how do you decide what/how to teach? What is this upcoming clinic all about?

I try to focus my clinics on things that I think people in the gym would really benefit from in pushing their climbing to the next level. My last clinic, for instance, was on redpointing strategies. I noticed that most people just jump on stuff at the gym, with no methodical way of working routes in order to send as fast as they can. They just kind of throw themselves at the route over and over and over. Doing that means you will eventually send, but you can do so a lot faster with a more strategic approach. So that was the inspiration for the last clinic. This upcoming one will focus on how to climb on steep terrain. The constant wall at PGSF is rarely being used when I go to PGSF to climb, even though it always has a bunch of cool routes. It seems like lots of climbers like to stick to the more vertical terrain, which they are more comfortable with. However, improving your climbing means getting better in all different styles of routes. So Mick Petts (PGSF Assistant Manager) and I came up with this Steep Climbing Clinic to teach people techniques that help to climb more efficiently on steeper angles and hopefully make them more comfortable on overhanging routes. Technical instruction, training tips, and basically all you need to become an awesome steep-route-climber!

Andrea climbs for La Sportiva, Petzl and, of course, Planet Granite. She will be teaching the Steep Climbing Clinic at PGSF this Saturday, Feb. 4. Sign-ups are under way and filling up so drop a line to Andrea to reserve your spot!  She can be emailed at aszekely@stanford.edu.

Special thanks to Jason Crase for another great interview!

Please note:  You must pre-register by February 16^th and attend both days of class. Contact: Andres@InTheCave.com for details.

On December 3 and 4th, the PCI Pro Clinic Series came to San Francisco for the first time, with Kevin Jorgeson, Beth Rodden and Alex Johnson. Over 40 climbers took part and the results were unanimously positive:

“The PCI Clinic was amazing. I truly did solidify a number of techniques that I “thought I had down.” But really, I missing one or two pieces that the instructors were able to notice and correct. I will definitely be back.”
- Matthew Ulery

“The climbers that taught had the great combination of being world class climbers and very good teachers. Nicely done.”
- Edward Conover

“I feel like my son learned more in one day than in an entire year of weekly lessons. In an era were sports stars are sometimes the last people I would want my children looking up to, PCI truly defines the first word in their company name: Professional!”
- Andrew Halford

We are proud to announce that the PCI Pro Clinic Series is coming back to Planet Granite on February 11 and 12! The line up athletes is world class and are among PCI’s most experienced instructors: Beth Rodden, Steven Jeffery and Carlo Traversi. Together, these three athletes bring over 40 years of climbing experience, numerous national championship titles, and ascents up to v15 and 5.14+. Most importantly however, these three athletes are world class instructors bringing a brand new curriculum to San Francisco.

So, whether you attended the last event or are new to a PCI Clinic, you are guaranteed to learn something new. For the youth clinic, the athletes will be focusing on competition strategies and techniques for success. The event and scoring format for ABS Nationals just changed, so come learn what is different how to adapt your strategy for success. For adults, the athletes will be presenting a combination of physical technique and mental strategy stations to help you take your climbing the next level. If you attended the last clinic, all of this material is brand new.

Here is the schedule:
Saturday:
9am - 3pm Youth Clinic: http://bit.ly/wMHnZC
4pm - 6pm Semi-Private Lessons: http://bit.ly/yM10Bg
Sunday:
9am - 3pm Adult Clinic: http://bit.ly/ybN2bx
4pm - 6pm Semi-Private Lessons: http://bit.ly/yM10Bg
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email Kevin Jorgeson at
kevin@proclimbers.com

If you haven’t seen this video - stop and watch it right now!  Colin Delehanty, who worked at Planet Granite, and Sheldon Neill created this brilliant timelapse and it has gone viral!  They took a moment to sit down with me and talk about their recent project.

How did you get into landscape photography and video?
Colin - “Mostly I was influenced by my friend Kris (http://krischeng.com). I brought a Canon Rebel XT with me on my first climbing trip to Bishop, CA and noticed that I was spending more time taking pictures instead of climbing.”

Sheldon - “I got into Landscape photography 9 months ago when I fell in love with a timelapse video called ‘The Mountain’ by TSO Photography. At that point I made it my goal to eventually shoot and produce a video of similar quality.”

What was the inspiration for Yosemite HD?

Colin -”In 2010 I hiked Half Dome at night just like Sheldon and I had for this video. It was so amazing I wanted to do it again but not alone and with better camera equipment. Sheldon’s video “Cottonwood Lakes to Mt. Whitney” (http://vimeo.com/27184383) inspired me to follow through on this goal. He convinced me to buy a motion timelapse dolly from Dynamic Perception (http://dynamicperception.com) so we could both capture motion timelapses during our trip.

Sheldon - “6 Months ago I decided to timelapse a hiking trip to the summit of Mt.Whitney–currently the tallest peak in the contiguous United States. It was shortly after that I decided I was going to do something similar, but on a more unique scale that the world can relate to. I wanted to work on the project with someone who shared a similar interest, and thats when I met Colin Delehanty.

How long did you spend shooting in Yosemite?
We spent around 19 days in Yosemite National park between September and November.

What were some of the challenges of getting these pristine shots?
We had to endure pretty interesting weather conditions, as well as long days with very little sleep; if any. We also had the challenge of lugging heavy gear to a few remote locations, and with the lack of sleep, this increased the demand on our bodies. As we reached November, weather conditions became cold, and really began to test our wills.

What’s next for Project Yosemite?
This last project was a lot of fun so you can expect us to try this again. Follow Sheldon and Colin at Project Yosemite (http://projectyose.com).

59 cams, a 15′ tall tipi, almost 250 pounds of gear in all.  If you imagine what the inside of an outdoor store would look like after a mini-tornado steam rolled through, you’ll get a pretty good idea of what my parents’ living room looked like.  We had all wrapped up our stateside projects or at least put them on hold and gathered here in Miami - our jumping off point for Chile.

The week or so we spent here was filled with errands and excitement.  Patch the tipi, sort the climbing gear, reach out to contacts down south to let them know about our imminent arrival.   We checked the weather down in Cochamo Valley - sunny and in the 70s during the day this week.  Quite similar to the current clime in Miami, though that’s where the similarities end.  Thoughts of dense sub-tropical rainforest covering vast mountainous terrain with 1000 meter granite domes bursting skyward kept us motivated as we sat in traffic, trying to pick up some last minute items.  You’d be surprised (or maybe you wouldn’t) how difficult it is to find climbing chalk in Miami.  Not many climbing stores in a city where the highest peak is the city trash-dump.  We’re serious.  You can fact-check that one.

Years of planning and its at our doorstep.  Daniel has packed his bow and arrows and fly fishing pole and is dreaming of fresh meals provided by the rivers and off the and.  Jakob can’t wait to roam the countryside and ask every gaucho he sees about horse packing and riding.  And me?  I’m staring at our new offset cams, shuddering at the thought of leading shallow, flared water cracks.

Excitement and fear, apprehension and anticipation - we’ve all boarded the emotional roller coaster.  Next stop?  41 degrees south.  Long days.  Foreign land, food and language.  Camp fires and creek water.  Next update? Cochamo Valley.

To read more about their trip and how it all begin, check out their first blog here.

To learn more about our grants program - Planet GRANTS It! please visit our website.

If you don’t already know - Mike Abell is a busy man. He’s sent problems you’ve only dreamt about, he taught Paxti Usobiaga how to train and he’s handsome enough to steal your girlfriend, but he won’t. In between combing his hair and sculpting his abs he finds time to manage the newly revamped Belmont Planet Granite. Recently, he took some time out of his already hectic day to help us get to know the man behind the myth, just a little better.

So, start by telling us a how you got your start at PG.
I started by walking into PG Santa Clara when I was a young and impressionable 14 year old looking for work.  I heard it was a legit summer job and the pay wasn’t bad.  I was super psyched because the two summers before I went to summer camp there.  That fall, I was asked to join the climbing team because I was crushing 5.10’s in Vans.  After that, I was setting routes with my buddy Nick (current PG Sunnyvale staff), competing for the PG Team and digging life.  After a few year hiatus I came back to PG in college to set routes at PG Sunnyvale and Belmont.  Then Stephanie Ko Pound (then just Ko) got me a spot working the Front Desk and teaching classes in Sunnyvale.

While I was there, I taught everything - BRC, 101, Bouldering 101, Lead, co-wrote the curriculum for Power & Endurance with assistant head setter, Art; all while taking a full load at SCU and setting at other Planet Granite gyms.  I like being busy.  In that same time, I became the head coach for the Sunnyvale climbing team.  In a short year, I made helmet wearing Summer Camp kids into climbing MUTANTS.  Then, I became Assistant Manager in Sunnyvale a year ago, learned from the best, Stephanie Ko Pound, and also allowed her to take a month off for her honeymoon.   While I was Assistant Manager, I was also the Youth Programs Coordinator, Head Coach, and teaching Power &Endurance Classes.  Did I mention that I like being busy?

You’re a busy man is what you’re saying. Tell us something about who has helped you out in your own climbing. What are some high points for you in the climbing game?
Well, I owe it all to the PG climbing team.  Honestly, also the old school PG crew. Guys like Jeremy and Joel  - two long standing icons in the Sunnyvale bouldering scene - have shown me  how to pinch ridiculously hard.  My OG (that’s original gangsta’ for us older generations) coach Dave Geissberger really showed me how to finesse may way around tough sequences and has truly influenced my tough, yet understanding coaching style.

As far as highlights - honestly, I’ve climbed some hard boulders in my day, but really the highlights have been those amazing climbing trip moments over the years like drinking a Tecate tall can on the top of the Eureka Sand Dunes or finding the biggest Chinese Buffet ever in El Paso Texas.  I’m going to get sappy, but a huge highlight has been seeing my kids on the PG Sunnyvale  climbing team start off as little v1 projecting, unfocused youth and turn into mature, smart, and buff young individuals.

Are there any trips on the horizon?
I plan on hitting up Bishop and Yosemite to boulder a bit during the prime spring temps.  Maybe I might dip my fingers in some Jailhouse sport climbing? Other than that I really need to get out to South Africa one of these days.  I hear there are crimp lock-offs for days.

There are indeed a few crimpers down there. So, now to the part everyone is waiting for - how do you crush so hard in jeans so tight?
I eat a lot of pizza and drink a lot of beer. My motto is - climb harder and try less. Just kidding!  But currently I’m psyched on core training, weighted pull-ups, weight lifting and TRX at PG Belmont.  Also the adjustable system boards in SV and BL have helped immensely with isolating my weaknesses.  Ultimately, I find the more I pull on real rock the stronger I get.  As for the skinny jeans: I climb way better when I feel that I look good while doing it.  That is why I strive to lock everything off and make it look effortless.  I probably could climb harder if I got over this narcissism of mine, but I just enjoy it so much!

I’m sure the team parents are going to love your dieting recommendations. Why don’t you explain what the deal is with all the well-groomed climbers in the Flame and Flash tank tops?
I started Flame and Flash two years ago because I thought it was pretty lame that the Bay Area - which has both a strong climbing community and LGBT community - didn’t have an LGBT climbing community.  The idea really sparked when I met up with another LBGT climbing group called Homoclimbtastic in the New River Gorge, and I thought, “This NEEDS to come to the Bay.”

We host bi-monthly climbing sessions around Bay Area gyms where LGBT climbers can meet up and find new climbing partners.  Flame and Flash also hosts annual outdoor trips to areas like Bishop, Yosemite, Mammoth, and this year Red Rocks.  As a group we also try to recruit members of the LGBT community to get out of the bars and clubs and come climbing.  Check us out on Facebook!

When it first started we were about 15 guys and gals strong.  Now our regular meet ups bring about 15-25 people.  Our outdoor trips gather about 40-50 people, and our first fundraiser ever brought about 40 people.

Now that you’re the proverbial “man” at Belmont, what can we expect from the gym?
I want to utilize the energy and enthusiasm from PG Belmont staff to make PG Belmont the awesome climbing and hang out facility that it can be.  I want to keep Belmont unique to its roots, like those I remember when I came to visit the gym when I was 15.  It’s a solid training facility with an adjustable system board, a tread wall, full weight area and campus board.  It’s also got an awesome community which really meets the PG Vibe that all our gyms strive for.  It really feels like you’re walking into a friend’s house when walking into PG Belmont.  You can expect me to be hyping up and promoting these two key points that make PG Belmont what it is.  The staff here is psyched and wants to do so much with the gym.  All I can ask for is enthusiasm for all my ridiculous ideas for the gym and they’ve more than provided that support. Also my Assistant Manager, Brett, is awesome - he does everything for me!

Finish us off with a look into what makes Mike Abell tick.
I love seeing a kid struggle through a crux, but figure it out and send.  I love keeping things real but knowing when keeping it real just ain’t good enough.  I’m psyched on keeping those around me psyched on whatever task is at hand.  I keep things light-hearted.  I exhaust every scenario until I find the one that’s least exhausted and run with it.  I love, love, love starting what should be a simple task and making it slightly epic (ask Brett.)

Mike is the new manager at PG Belmont. If any further advice is needed regarding, pizza, beer, training, or if the bathroom is simply out of paper towels - you know where to find him.

The Friction Series is our Spring Roped Climbing comp held at each of our locations with an Onsight Final to conclude the events.

COMP SCHEDULE
Friday February 3rd - PG Belmont
Friday March 2nd - PG San Francisco
Friday April 6th - PG Sunnyvale + Onsight Series Finals!*

CATEGORIES
Comps are open to people of all ages and categories (for both men and women)are as follows:
Recreational: up to 5.10b
Advanced: 5.10c-5.11c
Open (lead only): 5.11d and higher.

ONSIGHT SERIES FINALS
The top 3 scores of the entire comp will be invited to pariticpate in our Onsight Series Final at PG Sunnyvale! This is not cumulative scoring, so if your score at PG Belmont beats out the top scores from PG Sunnyvale and PG San Francisco, you’ll be invited! Witness the best climbers duke it out high above on ropes in an action packed, breath holding event! Even better - the routes will be left up after the comp so you can test your skills against the best.
First Place - $150 cash!
Second Place - $100
Third Place - $50

RAFFLE FOR PRIZES PLUS FOOD AND BEER!
A raffle will be held to auction off amazing gear by our awesome sponsors. We’ll have some yummy grub, great beer and of course Tshirts designed by our own Ivan Cua. There’s no other place to be on Friday night!

FREE for members
$15 for non-members
No pre-registration necessary!

For ongoing information, to check scores and see photos from this comp (as they occur), check out our competitions page!

Aliens have landed in Planet Granite and will soon be invading a crack near you. CCH Alien Cams, now made by Fixe Hardware, are finally here.

These are probably the most sought after cams ever and we are one of the first shops to carry them. Super Topo editor Chris McNamara calls Aliens his, “favorite cam for big walls and climbs where you have tight and shallow placements. They find their way into more placements than almost any other small cam.” So far we have the blue through red sizes and look forward to carrying the Alien Hybrids as soon as they are produced.

As always, PG members take 10% off!

Start your New Year’s Resolution right with special and new programming hosted at Planet Granite Belmont.

SPECIAL HOLIDAY FITNESS CLASSES THIS WEEKEND!
Belmont’s own Abs and Core and Circuit Training instructor Harriett is hosting Special Holiday Fitness classes this weekend only!

- Rock ‘n’ Core New Year’s Eve Saturday January 30^th at 10am.
- ABSolution & ATONEment 12:15p.m. New Year’s Day Sunday 12:15 p.m.

Can’t make it this weekend? No worries, check out Harriett’s normally scheduled weekday classes:
- Abs and Core Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:30pm
- Circuit Training Monday, Wednesday, & Friday at 9am

TRX IS COMING TO PG BELMONT!
It’s official! TRX is coming to Planet Granite Belmont stating next week!
Mondays at 6:30pm with Chris
Wednesdays at 6:30pm with Pam

Every first Wednesday 6:30pm is TRX Fundamentals with Lauren!
TRX Fundamentals or prior TRX experience is required before signing up for normally scheduled TRX classes.

Cost:*
$10 per a session if pre-registered 2-days in advance
$15 for late registration or drop-in

*non-members must pay day pass to enter facility