In this episode, I talk with Coach Alex Stiger about the tactics she used to send Silky Smooth, 5.13c (8a+) in the Red River Gorge last week without training endurance beforehand. She went into the trip feeling like she had low endurance, in fact, but she used specific tactics to send the route in 7 sessions.

There are a lot of little tips and tricks in this episode, and so many observations that Alex has made over the years about endurance climbing, including:

Maintaining Composure
Breathing
Pump Management
Nailing Sequences instead of Winging It
Eliminating Fear
Managing Discomforts
Increasing Confidence
Having Patience with the Process
Dealing with Cold Weather Climbing
Eating for Cold Weather Pumpy Climbing

We actually spent quite a bit of time talking about making climbing in the cold more tolerable, so if you’re a cold-a-phobe like I used to be, this is a good one to listen to!

I learned some things from this episode, and Alex is really good at calling out issues and then making very relatable, useful suggestions that you can put into practice right away.

Show Links

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Have questions? Email alex@trainingbeta.com or neely@trainingbeta.com

TBP 220 :: Tactics for Sending Long Pumpy Routes with Coach Alex Stiger