Myrick pulls hard in Austin, Texas. Photo by Merrick Ales
John Myrick Bio
- Birthday — 12/4/73
- Hometown — Albuquerque, New Mexico (Austin, Texas last 10 years)
- Started Climbing in 1980 at age seven
- I love every type of climbing
- Favorite area — Anywhere I haven't been yet
- Favorite Color — Navy Blue
- Hardest Redpoint — 13b
- Hardest Boulder Problem — V10
- Sponsors: Clif Bar, Climb On!®, Mad Rock, Metolius
- Favorite product: Climb On!® Creme
- Things I love besides climbing:
- My family
- My dog
- My friends
I became addicted to climbing at an early age. When I was seven my older cousin, who was 10, and I would scamper up anything we could get our grubby little hands on. Trees, buildings, poles, fences, rocks, anything would do. The best terrain was the foothills of the Sandia Mountains. From my cousin's house we could ride our bikes to some great boulders. One day we were scrambling around on some rocks doing our little circuit and ran into some old guys, top roping. It turned out we were at an established bouldering and top roping area. The old dudes were quick to complement us on our skills but also warned that we needed to learn more about what we were doing so that we didn't get hurt. They recommended that we check out some of the local mountain shops in town and get some books on rock climbing and mountaineering. We did just that. As it turned out one of the shops was near my house and pretty much right on my way home from school. The store was called Buffalo Traders, the sister store to the Wilderness Center. Mike Hill, the Author of "The Hiker and Climbers Guide to The Sandias", owned the stores. Well, once I found the store I found myself there just about every day after school, reading all the books and ogling all the gear and pestering the staff. Eventually the folks at the shop took me under their wing and showed me the ropes, literally! Thanks to folks like David Benyak and Jill Winchell, I became a rock climber. By the time I was 10 I knew all the knots, I could safely set up top rope anchors and rappels and I could climb some pretty hard stuff.
After 27 years Climbing has become a very important facet of my life but it is only one of the many. It is a reflection of how I pursue everything else in my life. Everything in life, passion, commitment, honesty, integrity, straightforwardness, confidence, humility, discipline, and love all have to be put into everything we do. Whether it's family, friendships, work, sport or whatever, you get out of it what you put into it. This basic philosophy is what I try and live by. I feel like I get a little bit better at it every day.
Over the years I have done a veritable plethora of things to make a living. All of it has been about more than just having a job to make money. While I was a Search and Rescue Swimmer in the Navy I learned a lot about motivation, hard work and how to deal with very stressful situations. As a specialty coffee roaster I learned all the nuances of creating a yummy food product but more importantly I was able to participate in the process of Fair Trade. As a carpenter and general construction worker I learned how to make something substantial with my own hands and see large sometimes overwhelming projects through to the end.
Now when I am not personally climbing I am a climbing coach. Coaching is always something I have wanted to do. I love teaching and I also love working to further the sport of climbing in a positive direction. Since 2003 I have been a member of the USA Climbing National Coaches' Committee, a member of the USAC Rules Committee and the USAC Speed Climbing Committee. I have coached at two Youth World Championships, five National Championships and countless Divisional Championships, Regional Championships and local competitions. I compete at many of these events as well. Besides competition climbing I have also been involved with access and stewardship efforts in the Central Texas area for about ten years. Climbing has given me so much. I do what I can to give back.
I sincerely love every facet of climbing. Whether it's in remote mountain areas putting up first ascents, sport climbing, bouldering, climbing the splitter cracks at Enchanted Rock or cranking in the gym, it is all wonderful. I look forward to many more years of climbing, coaching and advocacy work. With the help of awesome people like the folks at Climb On!® it has been possible for me to make my goals a reality.
Climb On!® Really Does Rock My fingertips, especially, thank you.
— John Myrick
Beth Rodden on Meltdown, Photo by Corey Rich ©
Tommy Caldwell needs climb on! Photo by Corey Rich ©
Lorin Paley on the Podium
Lorin Paley racing in Europe
