Originally from Colombia, Hans Christian Montenegro recently moved to Squamish from Ottawa this spring to pursue his love for climbing. Before transplanting his life to a small trailer in Brackendale, Hans had never been to Squamish. He had seen the photos and read the magazines and decided that this was the place for his next adventure.
Hans is no stranger to the culture of climbing. He started climbing in 1996 and quickly became enamoured with everything climbing. He began competition climbing in Columbia and then spent 6 more years competition climbing in Montreal, where he was crowned the Overall Quebec Champion in 2013-2014. Now focused on outdoor climbing, Hans’ climbing philosophy is ever changing. We thought it would be interesting to meet up with Hans and get his take on his transition to Squamish.
Hans Christian Montenegro. Photo courtesy of Hans Montenegro ©
Hi Hans, how is the summer going?
This summer is really good, Squamish is a wonderful place. You can climb every day and there are tons of problems for all the levels. And there are rocks everywhere for new problems for the future. For me this is paradise! It is hard to find places where you can keep climbing in the middle of the summer. Squamish is one of them. I am very lucky to be here.
I want to give our readers a little background on where you came from and why you ended up in Squamish. How old are you and where did you start climbing?
I am 32 years old. I start climbing when I was 14 years old. It was in Bruxelles in an indoor gym. Then, I kept climbing in Colombia most of the time indoor gym and sometimes outdoor but in Colombia we did not have many climbing parks.
What was it about climbing that got you more psyched than other sports?
To be honest, it was the adrenaline for falling in top rope. That feeling was amazing. I felt like flying and I wanted it back. After a few years, what made me keep climbing is the passion for hard moves.
You immediately took a liking to indoor climbing and competition. Can you tell us a bit about that?
I love training. I love push hard and feel that I am doing something for getting a better climber. Indoor climbing is a perfect place for playing. You can jump, run, fall and there is not high risk of hurt yourself. I love competition because I still have many things to learn on it. I believe that competition is a perfect moment for testing your skills. It is not only about climbing but a complex process where climbing is integrated. You need discipline, routines, annual training, diet, planning your resting day and recovery days (before and after competitions). You need to do mental training (keep high your motivation) and you need to have always an open mind for learning new things. There is not an ending point but a process of learning. I think that competition is a way to test my skills and figure out the new elements to integrate in the next training cycle.
Competition time. Photo courtesy of Hans Montenegro ©
I have seen you climbing on plastic and you are a beast! What is it about plastic that is so easy for you?
Plastic is not easy for me. Climbing is no easy for me. Thats why I need to keep training and climbing indoor and outdoor. My indoor level is higher than my outdoor level. I realized that this is one of the reasons why I moved to Squamish. I want to make a higher transfer of my indoor level to the outdoor level. Work outdoor will help me with my technique, balance and confidence.
Let’s talk a little about what brought you to Canada. Can you tell us why you decided to make a home in Canada?
This is a complex subject. There are love, hope and study implied. For now what I can say is that I came to Canada for studding a master in industrial relations at the University of Montreal. When I finished it, I decide to stay for working and climbing!
You originally lived in Ottawa for a number of years but decided to move to Squamish before even visiting. Can you tell us a bit about that decision and what your pre-thoughts of Squamish were like?
I heard many good things about Squamish. People say that is a wonderful place for outdoor activities. Everyone is really active and you have tons of climbing. Moving or changing your town is not an easy process. Human being likes comfort. We like to know what is next in our life. I had a life in Colombian, in Montreal, in Ottawa and now here in Squamish. Moving to Squamish was an idea in my mind for more than two years. I had to wait until the right moment when life decided to put all together for my trip. There where an important person that helped me to make my final decision. And I learned that the first step is always the hardest one. That is why I love life. We rush ourselves for something that will arrive only at the right moment.
Photo courtesy of Hans Montenegro ©
What were your first impressions of Squamish?
I fell in love with Squamish. Wonderful weather, beautiful landscapes, ocean and boulders everywhere.
What was missing for you?
To be honest, I am missing my climbing gyms. Montreal has the best climbing gyms in Canada. I am missing Gyms with new holds everywhere and wonderful setting and tools for training.
What was life like in Montreal?
Montreal was a good experience. I learned a lot about myself and all that experience bring me here. I have many good friends from there and I know that life will put them in my path when they come visit me here. Or visit the bouldering here lol. Montreal is a nice city for people who like social activities (art, concerts, museums, festivals). For me, I spent more time in Allez Up and waiting for a nice weather for going climb outdoor. The weather in Quebec is not really friendly with climber. I believe that you have maximum two months for good outdoor climbing because the weather is too cold or too hot. Something really good in Montreal is the quality of the climbing gyms. I believe the best in Canada!
Now that you have been around for a few months, has your impression changed?
Yes, I am happy with the weather but everyone says that this is not normal and rain will be always here.
Also, I see that people are really actives but they don’t get specialized. Then it is hard to find real athletes here. Squamish is a wonderful place with many sports, because of this it is really easy to lose your focus and get lost. If your goal is being a better climber and improve your level, you need to stay focus and have more motivation and discipline here than other countries or cities.
I was expecting to find many rock climbing athletes (this means for me climbers than train five times per week, do diet, follow a specific training and do competitions) I did not find this here. But, I found climbers and this is good too. I am learning many things from them. Climbing is a path of life. There are many approaches for living the life. There are many approaches for living the climbing sport. There are climbers that like rock climbing because the social aspect, because the trips, because the high, because is a way to escape from work or because the hard moves. What is important is to know why you climb and you won’t have too many frustrating moments in your life.
You are a huge fan of training as a means to push the limits of your climbing and you are looking for a community who feels the same. Why is training so important to you?
Training is important for me because I know why I love climbing. I know what the approach that I have for climbing. I am a rock climber ATHLETE. And I act like a rock climbing athlete. I love improve my skill and for that you need to train (mental, physical, sprit).
Photo courtesy of Hans Montenegro ©
What are some things you do on a regular basis to continue your progression?
I have a certificate in sport nutrition and a certificate in personal trainer. I have my own business of coaching by skype. My approach for progression is focus, specificity and diversity. This means: you need to be focus in training, the training need to be specific and when you learn the main core of your program training you need to change it and make it diverse. Something really important is to help your body and brain to do the transfer of your new skill to the climbing skills. This is the big part and big lack of all coaches.
Squamish is going through a few changes, with the addition of a new gym. What would you like to see happen in terms of a training facility?
First of all, I will help to build what I want to have. I want a gym that offers service for different approaches of climbing. If you are a social climber, then you can be there for talking, if you want to be climbing always in your comfort zone then you have that possibility too. Or if you want to train, get motivated, get ready for competition or outdoor projects you can also train there. I would like to have training tools, competitions holds, a good competition routsetter, workshop for mental training, yoga, nutrition, etc.
Do you have plans to return to the competition world here in BC?
I have not stopped the climbing competition world. The competition session will start in September 2015. I am training for that too. I understand that this will be a new circuit with different styles and route setter. I think that competition here could be harder and I am excited for that. I can feel that I will learn a lot and it could be a good challenge for me. Also, this moment is not only about competition but I am setting and living my life the way I want it. Now, I have enough time for work, training, do competition and climb my projects outdoor. Right now, I am living the dream!
Thanks for chatting with us. Best of luck with the training going forward and we wish you the best in this years competition season!
Hans Christian Montenegro is sponsored by Five ten, Organic, and Allez up.
Photo courtesy of Hans Montenegro ©
