On September 10, 2009, I sat down at The Standard with local hard-man and ex-PRG staffer Ryan Palo, to get the low-down on his latest climbing exploits.  Here’s what he had to say…

T – Most folks reading this probably know you from your days setting routes at the PRG…what are you doing now?

R – Well, since leaving the PRG I’ve been working on finishing up my post-bacc in accounting.  Currently I work as an intern at CMS, a heavy equipment manufacturer, in their accounts finance department.  I know it sounds boring, but the company and the people are great, which really makes a 40-hour workweek bearable.

T – How has school and the 8-5 grind affected your climbing?

R – Well, I’m a weekend warrior now…sad but true.  And since I spend so much time on my ass, I’ve found it necessary to double my training efforts.  Every day after work I do something, whether it’s climbing, running or lifting weights.  I definitely map out my climbing sessions in the gym, some days working contact strength on the hangboard, other days working endurance or power endurance.

T – How did you come up with your program?

R – I read a book a long time ago by Udo Neuman and Dale Goddard called Performance Rock Climbing, which advocated training with a specific goal in mind and then measuring your goal…nothing too radical, just taking principles people had been using for decades and applying them to rock climbing.  I also read a book by these guys Mark and Mike Anderson, a couple of my heroes…

T – What’s their story?

R – They’re not genetically gifted rock climbers or anything – they definitely didn’t start out like Chris Sharma climbing 5.14 in a couple years – they worked hard and trained hard, set specific goals and worked toward them…I really look up to the unsung heroes, the people who kill it, but had to really work for it.

T – Right, not the genetic mutants, but the working-class heroes…

R – Exactly, working-class heroes, I think that’s a good way to put it…

T – Do you see yourself fitting into that category…working-class hero?

R – Well, I was definitely able to climb pretty well when I started out, but my technique was awful, and then my technique caught up with my strength and I plateaued for a bit, so I was looking for ways to improve, and that’s when I started taking a more systematic approach.

T – And did you get the “measurable” results you were looking for, in terms of sending hard routes?

R – Definitely, my on-sighting went through the roof…

T – Are we talking mostly out at Smith?

R – Yeah, mostly out at Smith, but really anywhere…I’ve yet to go to an area and get shut down.

T – What are some of your recent hard sends?

R – Just recently I did Bad Man (5.14a), which is notoriously hard for short people.

T – How short are you?

R – Five-foot seven, so doing the route was really hard…definitely added another crux section.  But I still managed to do it in good style…I didn’t beat it down or anything.

T – How may goes?

R – I did it in 9 goes…total times on the route.  I definitely prefer that style, where I get on a route and do it fast…you know, in three or four goes.

T – Yeah, it seems a lot of folks get sucked into season-long projects out at Smith…starts to feel more like work than climbing.

R – Right, the climb becomes a burden, and that’s not how I like to climb.

T – So what else besides Bad Man?

R – At the end of last season I did White Wedding (5.13d/14a), and I did it pretty fast, in like four goes.  I also on-sighted Time’s Up (5.13a/b) and the same start yields another route to the left, Slit Your Wrists (5.13b), which I also did first go.  It’s pretty cool being able to do these gorgeous, iconic lines.

T – Aren’t you close on Vicious Fish (5.13c/d)?

R – Oh my god, why do you have to bring that up!  I’ve fallen like six times maybe three moves from the chains, and every time you don’t know if your belayer is gonna clip you in the roof…you know it’s like a 40 foot fall to the roof and you can see it coming the whole time.  Every time I start I know that I can do the most difficult section of it, the first 60 feet is the physical crux, but putting the thing together is the actual crux.

T – The upper arête, right?

R – Yeah, and I’m pretty well versed at arête climbing, and I can do it, but I get panicked and misplace my foot…I mean there are not footholds, no handholds…I don’t even know what I’m hanging on to!

T – What do you think about Smith?  I mean, obviously you like it, but what’s your take on the place?  Seems like a lot of people either love it or hate it…

R – It’s a weird place for sure.  I learned to climb there…I climbed 5.9 there.  It’s strange because you can do a 5.14 next to a 5.6, and the routes are not even remotely modern…

T – What do you mean?

R – Well, the handholds never really change.  The 5.6 handholds are on the 5.14s…the angle is kicked back, but you’re still using the same sort of stuff.

T – Do you feel like Smith climbing skills transfer well to other areas?

R – Oh yeah, it’s so technical, and it requires such a wide skill-set…you can really apply that anywhere.

T – How long ago was that…when you climbed your first 5.9 out at Smith?

R – Five years ago…

T – Not that long…

R – I had some great mentors, people who really called me out when I made excuses and put me out there on the sharp end. My mentor guy told me…you’re in your early 20s, you’ve got good fitness, you’re in good health, so what’s your excuse?  And I didn’t have one!

T – Okay, so you like Smith, but what about the local crags around here?

R – That’s a loaded question!  No, I love it.  I wish places like Ozone existed when I was learning to climb.  It’s got lots of different kinds of movement and is really good for the budding climber.  But if you really want to progress into the harder grades, Portland just doesn’t offer the challenges necessary to becoming an elite-level climber.  Crux sections on routes around here tend to be short-lived…

T – What’s an example of that?

R – Well, take Smerk, a great route out at Carver…the business is like 15 feet long.  The classic 11a at Smith will keep you on your toes for 60 or 70 feet, so you’re gonna get that endurance gain that you don’t get here in Portland.

T – What’s your favorite local crag?

R – Another loaded question!  I gotta give it up to the Rat Cave…can’t go wrong at the RC!  For that very reason…it offers an endurance challenge when you’re doing hard moves…

T – Power endurance…

R – Yeah, power endurance…it looks like a pile but it climbs the best of anyplace.  I’ve climbed over a 1,000 routes, and for the grades I’ve climbed at the RC a couple of my top five are there.

T – What about outside the area, anyplace you were super psyched on?

R – Well, I’m gonna have to give the default…the Red (River Gorge) obviously.  Steep, gorgeous climbs, friendly handholds, super fun…but if all you did was climb there you wouldn’t progress as a climber.

T – How would you compare the Red to Smith…apples and oranges?

R – The Red is like…you’re screaming through the moves, but not because you can’t do the move, but more because you can do the move, and you’re just tired…

T – Right, not nearly as technical, you just get pumped silly…

R – Yeah, exactly, I never get pumped on hard routes at Smith, but I felt like my arm was gonna split in half at the Red…

T – You sent a 5.14a out at Maple (Canyon) right?

R – Yeah, I sent Wholeshot, but it gets a slash grade now (13d/14a)…

T – And that was a totally different type of climb, right?

R – Oh yeah, I mean you lower 90 feet from your belayer after about 60 feet of roof climbing…really endurancy, some hard moves, super fun, big clean air…none of this fall 50 feet and slam into the wall business.

T – Now that you’ve broken the 5.14 barrier, what’s next?  Any big goals on the horizon?

R – I have a few pipedream goals for the next year.  They’d be hard, but not impossible.  I’d really like to flash Ultraperm (5.13d) at the Red.  I’ve seen several videos of it.  It’s just my style…about 70 feet, steep and endurance-oriented.  I’d also like to free either the Regular Route on Half Dome or Free Rider (on El Cap), but not sure if I’ll have time this spring.  I’m planning on spending next summer on the road, with visits to Rifle, Maple and American Fork.  If all goes to plan, I’ll be moving to Salt Lake City at the end of that fall season.

T – How about local objectives?

R – Well, I’m really close to establishing the first 5.14 in Portland, out at the RC.  I’ve one-hung the thing several times now, so we’ll see how it goes this fall.  At Smith, I’m looking at a few routes that have really intimidated, influenced or inspired me.  In particular, To Bolt or Not to Be (5.14a) is high on my list.  The moves on that route are not as bad as others of the grade; the devil is in the linkage and mental game on the beast.  Another one is Chemical Ali (5.14a), established by Scott Milton back in 2004.  It sits on top of the Prophet Wall, just right of Scarface.  Great position, with crisp edges and several large dynos.  As far as I know, it’s only seen one another ascent by another Canadian, Derek Galloway.

T – Okay, final question: What would you say to someone in your position five years ago, going out to Smith, looking to climb hard…you know, as a spokesperson for all the “working-class” climbers out there?

R – You gotta get out there and try hard!  I mean, you hear that so much, but I feel like so rarely do people understand that they can push themselves a lot further than they think they can.  You don’t expand your comfort zone just staying inside of it…you’ve got to get outside your comfort zone to progress.

T – Sure, if you’re not falling you’re not trying hard enough.  How about climbing gyms?  How do they fit into the equation?

R – Gym climbing is tricky, because you’ll get fit doing one guy’s style, but you have to get out there, you have to mix it up…you know when you’re climbing in the gym, you’re learning my style, or your style, but you’re not really learning all the awkward-ass things you learn outside, like how to do a funky mantle…

T – But then again, I mean, we’d all be climbing outdoors all the time, but gym climbing probably has a place in a routine?

R – Oh of course, I mean I don’t think you can excel without a kick-ass crag right next to your house or a good gym nearby…

T – What’s the best way to maximize the value of a gym if you’re trying to climb hard outside?

R – Get someone who will honestly tell you what your weaknesses are…not your friends, who are like, oh you can do it…you need an honest outside opinion to tell you what you need to work on…and good god, try hard!  Get in there and push it, you know?  You’ve got nothing to risk in there…

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