From competition climbing to rock, Calgary-based climber Alyssa Weber continues to show she is a rising star in the Canadian climbing scene. Joining the Calgary Climbing Centre Junior team in 2008, Weber has gone on to place first in multiple competitions across Canada. Not only has she stayed focus on competition climbing as it moves towards the more serious, she has also kept up her growing outdoor climbing talent, sending v11 outside and recently enjoying a trip to Bishop, CA.
Photo by Greg Tos ©
With her first place finish at the 2019 ACA Bouldering Provincials (two years in a row), we thought it would be a good idea to check in with Alyssa and see how she has been training and what it is like to be motivated both for indoor and outdoor climbing. Here is what she said.
Hi Alyssa, first off thanks for chatting with us and congratulations on your first place win at 2019 ACA Bouldering Provincials. I guess let’s start with the obvious…how was the competition and what do you think gave you the edge this weekend?
I thought that provincials this year was one of the most fun comps I’ve competed in. The setting the whole weekend was amazing and the problems were interesting and engaging. I felt strong going into the competition and I was able to climb my best through all the rounds and have lots of fun. Within the last year and a half, I have changed my training routine and I have noticed a difference in my climbing. The training I do at Move to Move has helped with my weaknesses and adding in movement training is a great compliment to climbing training.
Photo by MarK Moland ©
What are the big changes that you have made towards your training?
I started training at a new movement facility called Move to Move. It was started by Bonar McCallum and Lea Juszkiewicz about a year and a half ago. I am so lucky to be one of their ambassadors and train with the amazing movement community they have created. I do a large portion of my strength, flexibility, and movement training at Move to Move so that I can spend more time climbing when I am at the climbing gym.
More and more, we see a lot of people focusing on functional movement. Can you tell us a bit about that?
My biggest weakness used to be flexibility, so when Move to Move opened it was a great opportunity to try something new. A large portion of the training at Move to Move is focused on building strength at the end ranges of your mobility. By doing that, you also gain more flexibility because you become stronger and can use all those new ranges. It’s great to be flexible, but it’s more useful if you can be strong in those ranges. The style of competitions has changed so much over the past few years. You see a lot more dynamic moves, coordination moves and balance intensive problems. Training different movement patterns and building strength in different ranges is a great way to train for the increasingly gymnastic movement coming out in competitions these days.
Photo by Pam Eveleigh ©
How do you feel about the changes that have occurred within the problems at competitions such as coordination moves and balance problems?
I enjoy the new style of competition setting. It’s not only about how strong you are or how hard you can pull, it’s about adapting on the wall and fully committing on tricky moves. Coordination problems are a learned movement, so it tests how quickly you can visualize what needs to happen and execute it. If you spend enough time on a coordination move, you are almost always successful, but in competitions it really comes down to attempts and time. You definitely have to be more creative with your climbing on competition style problems.
You have been a competition climber for a number of years. How did you get into climbing and what keeps you coming back?
I started climbing when I was 13 on the Calgary Climbing Centre Development Team. I love how unique the sport is and how supportive the community is. I’m also a competitive person so I really enjoy the competing aspect of the sport.
What do you think is so special about the Calgary climbing scene and how has it influenced you as a climber?
I grew up climbing at the Calgary Climbing Centre so it’s like a second home. There is a great mix of people who are passionate about competing and passionate about climbing outdoors in the Bow Valley. The whole community is so supportive and encouraging no matter what your focus is on. I also have a great group of motivated friends to climb and train with so it’s hard to not love climbing.
Photo by Pam Eveleigh ©
Is competition climbing something that you love doing or does your heart belong outside?
I really love competition climbing but it’s easy to feel burnt out if that is all you focus on. I used to train all year long when I was in youth because the Youth World Championship was always at the end of the summer. So, once you finished the Canadian season you had to keep on training for worlds throughout the summer. I took a few summers off from competing to focus on climbing outdoors and that gave me a better perspective on competition climbing. Now I am focused more on competition climbing, but once the boulder and lead season are over I will focus on climbing outdoors during summer.
You were in Bishop over the Christmas break. What was the purpose of the trip and how did it go?
This past Christmas break was my third time in Bishop. I didn’t have any projects in mind that I wanted to try there but it’s always nice to take a break from training and enjoy some outdoor climbing. There was a good Calgary crew down there so it was fun to climb with everyone. I just wanted to climb a bunch of new problems I didn’t get to try on previous trips and have a fun break on rock.
Photo by Greg Tos ©
You try to find a balance between competition climbing and outdoor climbing. How do you prepare for it all?
The competition season and the outdoor season don’t overlap much in Calgary, because of the snow, so it’s easy to decide what to focus on. The training I do for competing translates well to outdoor climbing, other than the difference between indoor skin and outdoor skin. But that only takes a few days on rock to fix. I try to break up my training season with outdoor climbing trips to not feel burnt out from constantly training for competitions. Even though I love competing, I feel I need to balance it out with outdoor climbing or just sessioning in the gym to keep the motivation up.
A lot of people are taking training very seriously these days. Is this the same for yourself?
I do take training seriously, but it is also important to always have fun as well. I enjoy the training routine I follow now with training a few days at the CCC as well as training at Move to Move. It’s a good balance and I find that my sessions are more productive having split my training between the two facilities.
Photo by Greg Tos ©
We actually don’t know much about you but when we were researching this interview we came across a great video of a trip to Squamish in 2017. Can you tell us a bit about it?
I first went to Squamish in 2015 and made a trip out there every summer for 3 years in a row. I had a really good trip there in summer of 2017, where I sent some of my hardest boulder grades. My main project that trip was Black Hole Right. I did the left exit the previous summer at the end of my trip but never got a chance to try the right. After projecting Black Hole Right for a couple sessions, I was able to link it all together. I also spent more time in the North Walls that trip than previous trips to find some different projects. I really enjoy the climbing in Squamish and I hope to make it back out there sometime this summer.
What does your life look like outside of climbing?
Right now, I coach the Youth Elite Team at the Calgary Climbing Centre. I get to work with some amazing athletes to develop their climbing skill further and help foster their passion for climbing and competing. I recently graduated from the University of Calgary with a degree in economics. I am now in a Business Intelligence and Analytics program at the U of C, where I get to take some more courses and combine them with an internship here in Calgary.
What is your strategy moving into Open Boulder Nationals next week?
I have about 4 weeks of training until Open Boulder Nationals, which will be here in Calgary. I will just be continuing with my training and focusing a bit more on competition strategy and building up some more power endurance.
Finally, what are you goals for this summer and where do you see you outdoor climbing in the future?
I’m hoping to climb outdoors as much as I can this summer. I want to find a route project here in the Bow Valley. There is so much great sport climbing around here and there are many crags I haven’t been to. There are some newer bouldering areas that are being developed as well, so I’ll definitely be doing some bouldering too. I would also really like to take a trip out to Squamish sometime this summer if I can fit it in.
Well, thanks again for chatting with us and all the best in the upcoming weeks!
Alyssa Weber is sponsored by La Sportiva, Metolius, Calgary Climbing Centre and Move to Move.
