Psyched on the Psyche: Performance Psychology & the Ethics of Development with Tom Beirne

Ice Ice Beta

In today’s episode with Tom Beirne, we talk about the psychology of performance and the ethics of developing a new dry-tooling crag.

Tom doesn’t love labels — and definitely don’t call him the dry-tooling guy — but to help paint a picture he’s a mixed climber from Seattle who especially enjoys questing, runs The Barn, a dry-tooling gym, helped to develop Wayne’s World, a dry-tooling crag, and is a former high-level collegiate athlete and World Cup competitor… in dry-tooling.

Through all of his experiences he’s been fascinated by the psychology of learning, training and performance — especially as it relates to exploring choss piles or competing. As Tom quotes in our chat, “you don't rise to your level of expectation, but fall to your level of training”.

Interested in how to raise your own level of training and rise to the occasion? Listen on.

Resources and links:

Want to climb at The Barn and train with Tom? You can check out their schedule and upcoming events here.

In the area and looking to climb at Wayne's World? This is the Mountain Project page. And here is an article with both Wayne and Kyle talking more about the development.

Ready to dive into your own motivations and psychology when it comes to climbing? Tom was greatly influenced by Arno Ilgner's "The Rock Warrior's Way: Mental Training For Climbers".

Lastly, a big thanks to Kyle for offering a few Ice Screw Cannons for this episode's giveaway. To learn more about his speciality climbing gear, including ultralight backpacks, aid ladders, and portaledge system, head to highmtngear.com.

Find the rest of the notes, timestamps, resources, and more on the episode page.

Credits:

Tom would like to thank his partner, Renai, for her support spanning many adventures.

Sponsors:

A big thanks to our sponsors for supporting this show!

Blue Ice: Blue Ice is the best kind of ice, and also my choice when it comes to fast and light ice climbing gear. Their Aero Lites go in like a hot knife through butter and their climbing packs hit the sweet spot between function and lightweight. Designed to get to the point in the alpine, their gear is tested by mountain professionals between the Alps and the Wasatch. If you’re looking to get to the point too — and with a little less weight on your kit, check out Blue Ice’s gear at blueice.com or your favorite local retailer.

NW Alpine: There aren’t many companies that make climbing-specific apparel in the U.S., but NW Alpine does, and have been since 2010. They started with simple principles: to create functional and durable clothing for people who get after it in the alpine. Today, their Black Spider is a lightweight, grid fleece hoody for moving fast in the mountains while their Fortis line is made from fabric spun with ultra high molecular weight polyethylene fibers so you can tackle project after project after project. Learn more about their products at nwalpine.com.

And thank you to Kyle Willis of High MTN Gear for donating Ice Screw Cannons to give away!

Patreon:

For the price of a beer per month, you can help us produce episodes like this and much, much more. If you’ve been enjoying the podcast this season, consider supporting us on Patreon.

Credits:

• Intro music by Hannah Noelle Enomoto (thanks, sis!).
• This episode was edited by Andrew Salomone of salomonesound.com.
• And of course, a big thanks to our sponsors, Aniiu Gloves and Furnace Industries!

Become a member:

Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed the conversation and want to help us do many more episodes like this, please consider becoming a member.

(For less than the price of a bougie beer per month!).

🗣️ Leave us a review!:

You can also help us out by subscribing to the podcast and leaving us a review on your podcast platform of choice. Reviews are helpful for new listeners that come across the show, and a good rating means Spotify, Apple, and other platforms are more likely to recommend it to others.