Chris Bloch
The National Speed Climbing Champion On Beer and Politics

     There is a strange mist outside the afternoon I meet Chris Bloch east of San Francisco Bay. It is like a static energy hanging in the air. We are to meet a few local talents for a bouldering workout, and one by one, a group of five strong local climbers arrive. Chris finishes his tostada from Taco Bell. He's already spent the morning setting and climbing routes on rope but has reserved some energy for the afternoon bouldering session. On this afternoon, the less obsessed sit at desks staring out the window trying to make out the forms in the blurry mist. Despite the dampness of the air, the group finds no lack of enthusiasm. Once we swing into motion, difficult problems are invented and solved at a mechanical pace. I'm hard pressed to say how hard, exactly because ratings were not the concern of the day. However, it's clear that these climbers relish power, short body shuddering sequences.

     Chris Bloch's own power is evident when he boulders. His stocky, compact frame recoils into a fetal nodule as he explodes for holds. His style is at times perplexing. Rather than a body English, his movement speaks some type of creole. He uses power when others use technique, but finesses moves that others could only do straining.

     It's afterward, however, when Bloch's true talents come to light. Our frantic pace slows as we feel the fatigue of hours of bouldering. But like restless children, we can not sit still. Someone hops on the campus board inspiring others to do the same. Bloch soon steps up to the board and promptly starts to dyno with both hands at the same time from the first to the sixth wrung, skipping the intermediates. A little boy who was getting a drink of water is standing next to me. He is wearing a body harness, his head is tilted to the side, and there is a tiny bit of drool dripping from the left corner of his mouth.

     "That guy is stwong!" he says.

     This child doesn't look precocious, but he's right. Chris Bloch is stwong. Stwong and powerful. Some of the static in the misty air seems to discharge as he snaps both hands upward in unison. Where the electricity goes, I'm not sure. But I notice a tiny glint in the eye of the child. There's some sort of spark there.

Chris and I got a burrito after our workout that night. This is what he said:

Tell us about some of your accomplishments.

I'm ranked number 1 in the country in speed climbing, and I did the Extreme games thing where I won the silver medal in speed climbing. I'm also involved in some of the politics of competition as the vice president of the ASCF (American Sport Climbing Federation).

How did you get into climbing?

I used to be a Boy Scout as a kid, and we went climbing a couple times. A friend and I really thought it was cool, so we went out and bought rope, and a few carabiners and some webbing. We didn't really know what we were doing. We did some stupid things, and we're lucky we didn't get hurt. Gradually, we worked it out, so that we were top-roping at the local crags on the weekends. I eventually went and climbed in Yosemite, and I remember being above my protection, and watching all the protection pull out and slide down the rope. I remember wanting to get good at placing protection after that. I was just really excited to climb back then because it was so inaccessible, you know. In college, I'd just climb every weekend at the local crag, and I started buildering on the walls at school during the week.

So you weren't a natural climber?

Not really. I was kind of small as a kid, and I think I've always had good strength to weight ratio. But I remember it took me a while to do my first 5.11. I projected the hell out of my 5.12. Some things come really easily to me though. Like campusing. I'm just naturally strong at that type of thing. I'm not sure why.

When was your breakthrough as a climber?

I was going to college in Santa Cruz, CA when a gym opened up in town. That's where I really got stronger. After I got a membership there, I was climbing a lot. When I first started climbing in the gym, I just top roped a lot. I was never into bouldering, and leading seemed like such a pain in the butt. So I just challenged myself on the 5.11's in the gym. Then I started to fool around on the bouldering area. Before that, I didn't boulder much, but I gradually got into it. After I got into bouldering, I got a lot stronger.

Your hardest redpoint doesn't seem to do justice to your overall strength as a climber. Tell us about that.

I'm sort of a plastic phenomenon. Part of the reason is that I just don't get to climb very much outdoors. Outside of work, training, and competitions, I don't get to climb as much as I'd like outside.

Who are some of your influences? Some of your Heroes.

Well, I really respect Barry Bates. I used to work with him, and he's just a really good guy. On the one hand, he really pushed the standards in places like Yosemite Valley where he put up the first 5.11. On the other hand, he's really just a nice decent guy. Then I think people like Steve Schneider have really influenced me. Steve Schneider is one of the unsung heroes in the climbing world. He's been everywhere, climbed hard routes, and put up routes everywhere. At first I didn't really like him just because of the way he comes off. I thought he was a dweeb. But then I got to know him, and realized that he's just great fun to be around. Always the life of the party.

For instance, at his bachelor party, he dumped a bunch of gas and wood in the fire pit and then dripped a trail of gas 200 feet away. When he dropped the match on the trail of gas, it ran down and lit the fire with a big explosion. These Hell's Angels were in a campsite nearby and came over hollering and complaining. Steve offered them some beer, and when they refused, he told them to mind their own business. These guys were big, and here we are, a bunch of scrawny climbers breaking into a shouting match with a group of burly bikers. They eventually left, and complained to the ranger. Then Steve went around boasting that we scared off a bunch of 200 pound Hell's Angels.

What do people you grew up with think of your lifestyle?

I don't really talk to anybody I grew up with. I guess I just started to do different things than most people in my home town, Stockton, CA. I went to a catholic school and I was with the same 30 kids for 8 years or so. The only person I really keep in touch with is this guy I was really good friends with as a kid. In fact, we were in scouts together and he and I bought that first rope together. He moved around a bit, and then settled back in Stockton. He's married now and has a real life, but we still hang out.

I guess you're in different places in life.

Yeah.

How do your parents feel about your climbing?

My dad has started saying, "You know, Chris, you're 25 now. I think it's about time you got a career." But I know I can make a career out of climbing. If not purely as a competitor, from the promotion of the sport. Climbing is still in its infancy, you know. There's going to be a boom, I know it.

Do you think speed climbing is going to become more popular than difficulty competitions?

From a spectator standpoint, it really already is. Look at the extreme games. Men's difficulty hardly got any coverage at all, but speed climbing was prime time. It's fast and exciting. Other forms of climbing competition are coming into the scene too. Recently, we had a 'time pressure difficulty' event at a regional in San Francisco. The route is not very difficult, probably about 11d, but climbers are encouraged to climb as fast as possible. That means dynamic moves, and a lot of cutting loose. And the crowd gets into the countdown as time runs out. Those kind of events are fun to watch. I've also thought about a kind of climbing "style" competition.

Oh yeah? Tell us about that.

Well, a friend and I had been drinking late one night, and we thought of this climbing competition that incorporates artistic expression. We got into a sort of creative momentum, so I started writing our ideas down. I still have the napkins at home. In this competition, you might have two separate scores, like in ice skating: One for artistic merit and one for technical merit.

How would the climbing be artistic?

Well, for instance, sometimes when I'm climbing on jugs, I'll do these tricks like cut my feet loose and to a 360 degree rotation. The stronger the climber, the more outrageous tricks she or he could do. We might even have costumes as an element of the climber’s style. Can you imagine Hans (Florine) in a bunny suit pirouetting on the wall? Great fun. We could even have celebrity judges.

Like Johnny Cash?

Think of Hollywood squares. When you think of the types of stuff that have made it big, you wonder if ideas like this would actually work. I also think competition climbing might look for a parent sponsor. Sort of like Coors Light sponsors beach volleyball. I've been at meetings where climbers have been vocal against sponsorship by a big alcohol company, but after the meeting we all went out to get a beer. I'm not opposed to big sponsorship in the sport, and I think it would be great to make a living off something I love to do.