It is my pleasure to introduce Greg Kerzhner. In his 17, Greg is one of the strongest climbers in the USA. Watching him doing the most difficult routes is a great pleasure. On his web-site you can find a lot of important and useful information about him, such as what he watches on the TV, what music he likes, that he is a follower of the Wiccan religion, a proud parent with athletic body type and with hair of extremely good looking length and curliness. Also, that he is God's Gift to the women of the world, and they must fill out a girlfriend application, so that Greg will be able to make an educated choice. We on baurock.ru were interested in Greg the Rock Climber. We offered him some questions and Greg kindly agreed to answer them.

Please tell us how it all began. Where did you start climbing? Who was your first coach? Second.., third, if any? What were your first climbing lessons like?

Well... it all began when I was 6 years old, and my parents dropped left me alone in the woods for a few days. In a basic instinct to survive, I climbed up a rock to see my surroundings. I now know that that rock was actually a 5.13b/c climb...

But seriously, I only had one coach. She was the climbing team coach in Yekaterinburg, and her name was Tomara Ivanavna. I only stayed in Russia until I was 10, so I only got about 3 years of coaching. I was approximately 15 inches tall at the time, so there was not much I could do. Practices pretty much went with me trying to make it up the walls...

Where did you climb in Russia? What areas, routes? Whom did you climb with? I'm sure, climbers in Russia will be happy to hear their names from you.

In Russia, I climbed in Yekatrierinburg, in a really cool gym named "Bashna" (Russian for Tower). It was an abandoned water supply building, and had multiple floors. Outside, we had a local crag named Chertovo Gorodisho (Devil's City). Once in a while we took the three-hour train ride to Shihan, a really cool area a bit south. The only name I really remember is that of my coach. I don't think the other kids liked me very much…

If strong climbers from Russia come to visit the US, where would you take them to climb? and to have a beer?

I would drive them straight to the Red River Gorge. Perfect place to do both, really. And plus, I want to see some rivals get stupid pumped on some perfect southern sandstone. I know they can pull a v5 move, but lets see them pull 100 v5 moves in a row.

Could you tell us any funny, weird, scary, or simply your favorite stories from your climbing and outdoor experience?

Well…people always come to the Red thinking that there is going to be bouldering. You see these silly kids with their big foam pads climbing up chossy sandstone. So my friend Jordan and I decided to take revenge. That involved driving out to one of the premier bouldering areas in the south with the biggest trad rack I have ever seen. Once there, we put up multiple first ascends of 10 to 30 foot boulder cracks using some bomber gear. My favorite was "Rusty Vasectomy," a 15 foot tall Offwidth crack on which Jordan placed TWO, not one, #5 cams. Besides that, campfires at Miguel's campground are the best. This one time, I convinced a guy that I only knew how to top rope 5.7 routes, and actually got him to take me out climbing the next day at this Gumby crag. He came back wide-eyed at the end of the day, when I asked him if I could attempt "that overhanging bluff over there," which was a 5.12 I had done before. As I flew up the route, he swore he had never seen someone improve that fast before.

What are your favorite routes outdoor, like the ones you want to return to over and over or were just fun to climb?

I love Apollo Reed (13a) and Flight of the Gumby (5.9) at the New River Gorge. I basically love tall exposed climbs, at any difficulty. At the Red River Gorge it would have to be Breakfast Burrito (5.10b), which features really cool, easy climbing up big jugs for one hundred feet.

Why dont you log your climbs on 8a.nu and did not register as a member of ABS?

I get this a lot, so I have a pretty good answer. The thing about my climbing, as opposed to most other American kids my age, is that I support my climbing by myself. Don't get me wrong, my parents feed me, pay the rent, and send me to school. However, when it comes to paying for gas, memberships, and equipment, I am all alone. So I have a job. My job consists of belaying annoying little kids up rock climbing walls, and then dealing with over obsessive parents. This soon evolves into hell. So keeping this in mind, let me talk about ABS. Ah… ABS… So I pay 60 dollars to get a membership. Pay 60 dollars to drive out to some backwards gym in Michigan. Pay 20 dollars for registration. Stuff my lungs with chalk for 5 hours, and then win an odd assortment of climbing holds, or perhaps some sort little backpack. To sum it up, not worth it. I have gotten a bit upset with ABS this season. I did 2 comps. The first, I won, and received a small hydration pack, after an entry fee of 25 dollars. The second, which had a very strong showing of over 100 people, I placed 3rd in. So what does the third best climber in the whole gym receive. NOTHING! Aparantley the sponsors did not provide third place prizes. But I did pay 40 dollars for the registration fee. So, when I start considering registering for ABS, I start thinking about all the belaying I would have to do, and I decide to just go outdoors to climb. Also, thanks to MadRock, I no longer have to worry about winning shoes.

[Commenc from K.L.: Greg has been making some exquisite hemp bracelets and necklaces with shells and beads to support his climbing. These art pieces are very original and extremely popular. Whoever wears it is guaranteed to improve his or her climbing skills for at least a digit, not to mention significant increase in sex appeal. Ask Master for a catalog. Beware the fakes.]

Okay, now on to 8a.nu. I guess im not much of a competitive person. Also, I get tangled up in all the crazy European lingo. I have picked up some decent training tips from the site however…

I heard rumors that you have a climbing wall over your bed and one of the routes goes all the way on the ceiling to your bathroom. Is it true? Did you ever have accidents at the crux of this route while climbing to the bathroom in the morning?

Yes this is completely true. Accidents? Well this one time I pissed my pants while I was at the crux, does that count? The carpet stain was awful!

For many European climbers 8a (5.13b) is an important threshold. When did you send your first 5.13b? Where was it? How did you feel during that climb and after it?

I did my first 5.13b about a year and a half ago, at the Red River Gorge. It was an extremely beautiful, classic climb called the legend. Over 100 feet tall, with the first 40 feet a super cool, long slopey crux. It was absolutely incredible, mainly because I did not expect to do it. One day, never having been on the route before, I went out and worked out. The same day, on the 4th try, I somehow made it past the crux, and went to the top. I nearly fainter of dehydration, but clipping the anchors was awesome.

Tell us about your last 5.14a (8b+) climbs this year.

This spring has been very exciting because I did my first 2 5.14a climbs. The first was a 70 foot tall, slightly overhanging crimp route called God's Own Stone. I Did not work this route intensely, so doing it was a surprise. This route featured some of the coolest moves ever; crazy gastons, crimper dynoes, and bad feet. The second one, which I am more proud of, is called Omaha Beach. This is a 130 foot long, exhaustingly overhanging nightmare. Half of the route is over 45 degrees overhanging, and involves strenuous endurance crimping. Doing this route was a learning experience, because I had to figure out how to rest and recover on a bad sloper after 100 feet of exhausting climbing. It was also a test of my patience, because I must have fallen above the last bolt, 15 feet from the anchors, above the crux, about 10 times before I sent.

How do you train? Is there any particular system of exercises that you follow? How often? What do you do for technical and endurance training?

The only training I do for climbing is climbing. I usually come in the gym and boulder for an hour and a half, working on power. Then, I do endurance training. My endurance training consists of putting on 15 pounds of weights and staying on the extremely overhanging bouldering wall for about 15 minutes. Avoiding the chairs, chalkballs, and other stuff thrown at me by the other boulderers, who are mad at me talking up their wall, is also a challenge. But basically, I try to get extremely pumped, so that I can handle this sensation outdoors.

Whats your favorite: sport, trad, deep water soloing or bouldering?

I love sport climbing. It is my favorite. Bouldering turns me off a bit because I like to go up high. However, I have been doing a little trad lately.

Do you climb solo and what is your opinion about soloists?

I have only climbed a few times, on easy trad routes. It is awesome. I can totally see someone seeking the free, natural sensation soloing provides, and thus, I find it justifiable.

Are planning to do mountaineering sometime?

Well, I hate the cold, so probably not. But at the rate the world is going, it is going to be sunny and warm at the top of K2 in about 20 years, so perhaps I will then…

Some climbers, like Daniel Woods, do one-hand pull-ups, others, like Vadim Vinokur, do up to 300 pull-ups a day. I havent noticed you doing any pull-ups or pumping iron in the gym. How do you get away with it and still climb 5.14s?

E.N.D.U.R.A.N.C.E! I am the weakest strong climber ever. Some days, I can't do a one arm lockoff. However, what you do see me doing in the gym is staying on the wall. The whole time. I am known to come in and climb on the overhanging wall for a half an hour without coming down. I love efficiency. No dynos. No unnecessary powerful moves. Just lockoffs and rests. Oh, and I am also a panzie, and all the 5.14 routes I have done will sureley be downgraded to 5.9+ in the next 2 years or so…

What is more important for you: to win a competition or to send another 5.14?

How much money does this competition pay? If it is an ABS, then no thanks, I don't want another t-shirt…

How did you get your sponsorship?

Ah.. the power of Email! Actually, I got my Madrock sponsorship through my brother, who was sponsored by them a previous year. They are my only official sponsor right now, but companies such as Blurr and Black Diamond have been known to hook me up… But I guess I am a good email writer, because people tend to give me stuff for free!

When do you plan to do your first 5.15? I heard you saying that Realization cannot be such a hard route that you cannot climb it.

August 4th, 2007. 3 p.m. Or not… I am considering taking a travel year between college and high school, so starting next summer, I will be free to pursue climbing, and climbing only for 12 whole months. Hopefully, I will do it then. I also think that the whole European/ U.S.A. western climbing scene is a conspiracy designed to bang out hard grades. The hardest route at my "home" crag is 5.14b. It took Dave Hume years of work to put it together. Then, the mutant went out west to Colorado, and proceeded to bang away a 5.14c in FOUR TRIES! I'm no mathematician, but this just doesn't add up! After witnessing "hardcore 5.14" climbers come to the Gorge and getting shut down on our 5.13s, I personally believe that realization would be rated somewhere around 5.12b/c if it were at the Red.

A question for diet freaks: what do you eat, how often and do you make adjustments to your diet before climbing another 5.14?

I guess one might say I am a diet freak myself. I have a very simple philosophy about food. As long as one eats relatively healthy (no junk food), one can eat in almost unlimited quantities AS LONG as they stay active all day. For example, on a climbing trip I have been known to eat a whole, large pizza for dinner. However, at home, I almost obsessively watch what I eat. Since I sit on my ass at school all day, I try to eat very little. In fact, For 9 months out of the year, I keep a nearly strict vegetarian diet. On a typical day at home I do this: grapefruit and bagel for breakfast, salad and bread and cheese sandwich for lunch, sauteed broccoli and tofu for dinner. Also, no food after 7 o'clock! But I actually eat way worse when I am climbing strong, because I am exerting so much energy during the day that I cannot gain weight

What are your climbing plans for this summer and in the long-term perspective?

This summer I am moving down to the Red River Gorge for 3 months. More long term would be to move out of the flatlands of Cleveland and go to school somewhere with climbing easily accessible.

What are your plans in terms of college and future profession?

I plan to attend college after I graduate in 2007. I am going to try to get into Stanford, CA, Duke, NC, Davidson, NC, and University of Colorado in Boulder. I want to be an architect or an engineer.

You have a remarkable collection of girlfriends on your website. Do you want your girlfriend to be a good climber, or just a belay partner? Blond or brunette? Any other criteria?

This is tough. On one hand, I would want her to be a strong climber because I would want to be able to enjoy the sport with her at the same level, but on the other side, chicks with big muscles scare me. I think I would want her to be someone that thoroughly enjoys the outdoors, but does not climb extremely strong. And blonde. That's important too…

Tell us about your brother Mike. He is a strong climber too. What is he up to in terms of climbing?

Mike has been a huge influence in my climbing career, mainly because for most of my climbing career, he was much stronger than me. I learned most of my climbing skills from Mike, and he often gave me gear as well. Mostly, Mike always proved to me that a level of climbing much higher than mine was possible. I can guarantee that if it was not for mike, I would not be anywhere as good of a climber as I am today. As far as his climbing, he has done one 5.13d and one 513.c. However, as of last fall, he went to school at Stanford, and has not been doing much climbing. It seems as if he is more focused on school and campus life than climbing, which is completely understandable. I am completely sure that if Mike was to get back in it, he would be cranking again in no time…

Do you have any favorite climber among the American, Russian or others?

Emily Harrington, who I had the honor of working the same route with this spring (Omaha Beach, 5.14a)

Alex Johnson is a cool girl too, besides that I have really never met any "famous" climbers…

If you to cast a vote for a climber of the year, whom it will go to?

Myself, for being extremely good looking.

And my friend Tim Hanson, for always being there for me.

Who is your favorite female climber(s)?

Alex Johnson

Are you planning to go abroad for a climbing trip sometime in the near future? Where would you go when you have a chance?

No, I am still not technically a citizen of the U.S. so I don't want to leave here… But I would LOVE to go somewhere in France, like Frankenjura. Also, I would love to go back to some of the old crags I used to climb in Russia, just to show myself what's up!

What else would you like to tell about yourself? Any message to climbers in Russia?

Uh.. I am afraid to talk to people in the Elevator, the cold temperature scares me, and sometimes I throw stuff out of my apartment window just to see it explode 150 feet below. I am planning to rappel out when no one is paying attention. Stay cranking Russia! I am coming soon.

Photos courtesy of Greg Kerzhner

Русская версия