OUR CLIENTS ARE HUMANS TOO. HERE ARE SOME OF THEIR STORIES.

Commitment

•

Resources

•

Ability

•

Feedback

•

Timing

•

Commitment • Resources • Ability • Feedback • Timing •

Colleen T.

“Working with Dustin has been, hands down, the best climbing I have done outdoors. I first met Dustin when he led the Falling & Commitment clinic (through Rock Warrior’s Way) at my local gym. I wanted to get comfortable falling, with the idea of moving the practice to the outdoors. Dustin was incredibly patient and really motivating during that first class. I felt like I could push my limits without fear. 

Fast forward a bit and I was in the midst of really looking for a way to get outside more and to find partners who would be willing to climb with someone like me, a newbie to trad climbing. While I did have some great days out with other climbers, I quickly learned that I felt safest still in the hands of a professional. But I wanted to work with someone who understood my long-term climbing goals. I worked with various individuals and companies and none of them took the time to learn about my goals and what I was hoping to accomplish. Dustin, on the other hand, was interested in my goals and wanted to help me reach them. Instead of a one-off day out climbing with a guide, it became a more long-term journey with actionable steps needed to accomplish my goals. Dustin is, at heart, a teacher who wants to see his students succeed. And each time I go out to climb with him, I feel that I am being mentored rather than just being someone’s customer. 

He asks the right questions to facilitate learning. He is good at giving direction, has safety in mind at all times, yet still knows when to give a nudge to push me out of my comfort zone. Even in moments when I question whether I can do something, he allows space for the uncomfortable feelings. He’s basically like a climbing Jedi master. We are still in the midst of working on my goals and our time is not through, but I have come leaps and bounds from where I began before I started working with him. 

Working with Dustin is never simply transactional, which is a rarity in our modern society.  I cannot wait for what this next season brings! 

10/10 CLIMB WITH HIM. “

Virginia K.

“I had only climbed outside a few times in clinic settings when a friend told me about Advanced Rockcraft. I knew I wanted to move from gym to crag, but I was learning on the fly as the least experienced member of a friend group or limiting my experience to two-day clinics now and then.

The Rockcraft Series was perfectly tailored to my goals of achieving independence and confidence in my outdoor climbing, and the extended time frame matched my learning style, with time to process new knowledge, ask questions, and apply new skills.

As a teacher, Dustin supported me and challenged me at the same time, and his expertise is truly unmatched. With his help, over the course of a year I've gone from an unsure beginner totally reliant on others to leading trad myself and confidently completing multipitch climbs across the country. I can't recommend him highly enough!”

A. Jesse Jiryu Davis

(from “Are You Prepared To Save A Life?”)

What I love about climbing is how it makes my mind visible. I knew what had rattled me: I slipped near the start, and I was surprised by the second crux. I knew what I had to do, and I knew whether I was hesitating or committing to do the move. In the rest of my life there’s so much … cloudiness. What must I do or say that I’m so afraid of, I don’t even let myself see it? How am I hesitating right now?

What about you, is there something you should do but you’re hesitating? Are you admitting to yourself that you must do this thing, or are you trying to ignore it?

Sometimes the crux comes at us visibly, like Nansen with a cleaver. It says, “Say a word!” Sometimes it’s easier to ignore. Either way, if we stand frozen and mute like Nansen’s monks, the cat dies. A mentor or a teacher is crucial in that moment. Because I trust Dustin’s wisdom, when he shouted up “increase the tempo!” it broke through my hesitation and I did the move with my whole being. Zen teachers in other areas of my life have given me the courage to unfreeze myself. What’s your crux right now? Who can help you unfreeze yourself?