LOVE to hear that! Please feel free to share your experiences/photos etc with us on facebook if you like. It’s always exciting to hear about our climbers who’ve gone on to explore the sport beyond our walls. Thanks for the note!
How long have you been climbing?
I’ve climbed for about 3 years, but only seriously for about half of that.
What originally inspired you to start?
I started just recreationally climbing with friends at a gym in Eugene. Just about the time I started to get really obsessed, my left lung spontaneously collapsed (unrelated to climbing) and I had open chest surgery in February 2010. They cut my left lat completely in half to get through my ribs and open me up, so the docs weren’t too optimistic about my climbing prospects. They said that at best, I’d be able to do moderate exercise after a year or more. So I had surgery. After 6 weeks of post-op recover and literally hundreds of hours of climbing videos (seriously, thanks Sharma), I started legit training on the wall 6 weeks and one day after surgery, as per my medical release. So without a doubt, that experience has permanently embedded climbing in my DNA and I’m only even more obsessed a couple of years later.
That sounds…well, miserable. That’s an impressive recovery! Have you had any other setbacks?
Aside from having a completely severed lat, which I suspect isn’t a particularly common injury, I’ve partially ruptured an A2, so I took several months off/easy for that.
On a happier note, have you climbed outdoors much? What is your favorite place you’ve been to, or area you look forward to visiting the most?
I’m just getting into outdoor and have been less than a dozen times so far. My favorite place is probably this spot just north of Lincoln City on the coast (see photos). I don’t think it has a name (not on Mountain Project or any guide books I’ve perused) but you park near the north end of NE Logan road in north Lincoln City and walk about a mile north around some cliffs that jet out into the ocean. You can only get around them in low tide but there’s some pretty sweet bouldering out there, it’s super beautiful, and usually very private.
Do you have any words of wisdom for others trying to recover from injury or long layoffs?
Don’t try to impress the ladies (or dudes). You’ll hurt yourself even worse and feel/look like a tool. Plus, climbing harder than you should while injured is just lazy. It’s easy to keep trying to project hard problems; it’s much harder to have the discipline to take care of yourself.
What do you love most about the Circuit?
The culture is totally what makes it, hands down. There are rarely if ever climbers trying to passive aggressively show each other up, which seems to plague most gyms. The other main thing is that the problems are just crazy, especially since Steven Jeffrey joined us. And even as consistently ridiculous as the problems are, it’s still the culture (no jackassery) and the people (from Luke’s harsh burliness to Clayton’s impressive hopefully-soon-to-return beard) that make the Circuit what it is.
Thanks for sharing with us, Nate!
Thank you to all of our competitors and spectators that helped to make the Portland Boulder Rally an event to remember. You all climbed your tails off and it was a blast to watch! Below are all of the scores from the competition, broken out by division. If there was a tie score, placement was decided by the climber’s number of falls. Thanks again!
Open Division Finals
Climber…Score
Men:
Women:
Redpoint (daytime) Sessions:
Climber…Score
Open Men:
Open Women:
Advanced Men:
Advanced Women:
Recreational Men:
Recreational Women:
Youth Males 13-17:
Youth Females 13-17:
Youth Males Under 13:
Youth Females Under 13:
Circuit Spotlight: Jainee Dial
Many of you may know Jainee Dial as one of our wonderful Circuit Yoga class instructors and a regular at the gym. She also doubles as a freelance graphic designer and filmmaker; so if her charm weren’t enough, there are plenty of other reasons to talk to her. Jainee was kind enough to chat with me about her love of climbing and yoga, and how they’ve helped her become the person she is today.
Circuit Gym: What brought you to Portland?
Jainee Dial: I was born in Utah and had a great childhood exploring in the mountains, camping, hiking, biking, and snowboarding. I moved to Portland to go to college and just ended up staying.
CG: How long have you been climbing?
JD: I was kind of a late-bloomer. I tried climbing about 4 years ago, but have been consistent for the last 2 years.
CG: What originally inspired you to start climbing?
JD: I started climbing with my boyfriend and found it to be incredibly inspiring. Like yoga, it forced me to breathe, trust my body, and quiet the negative mental dialogue in my head.
CG: Where’s your favorite place to climb outdoors?
JD: Squamish blew my mind with its grandeur and scope, but the best climbing days have been with my homies at French’s Dome near Mt. Hood.
CG: How have yoga and climbing helped or hindered one another? Does each passion offer something to your life that the other doesn’t?
JD: Yoga and climbing are so complementary, both physically and mentally. Climbing for me becomes a moving meditation. Just as yoga is a state of heightened consciousness through movement, climbing takes it up a notch and requires a kind of focus and strength that is unrivaled by any other sport I’ve tried.
CG: Do you have any recommendations for fellow climbers looking to make yoga a bigger part of their routine?
JD: A commitment to your health and wellbeing is essential, so if you want to feel liberation in your body and in your mind, you have to put in the effort to find a teacher or class that enhances your wellbeing. If you can’t make time for classes I would recommend simple stretching before climbing. Take 5 minutes to warm up your body and start to become aware of your breath before you get on the wall.
If money is an issue, the Circuit yoga classes are free for members and only $5 to drop-in. I’ll also be teaching a donation class at the new Prana store on NW 23rd every Saturday morning at 9am beginning in December.
CG: What do you love most about the Circuit?
JD: I love the community of like-minded adventure nuts, bike-geeks, and climb-freaks that the Circuit has created. I have made incredible friends through the Circuit and in climbing trips all over the west coast in the last few years, and I’m grateful that we all have an indoor rock sanctuary to escape to in the city.
Thanks to Jainee for her time chatting with me! Next time you see her make sure you say hi, and check out one of her classes when you can. You won’t be disappointed.
