Ambassador Spotlight | Eddie Russell
Hometown: Fayetteville, WV
Q: What’s your climbing style?
A: Techy powerful.
Q: What is your proudest accomplishment in climbing, and outside of climbing?
My proudest accomplishment in climbing was sending a climb in The New River Gorge called Trebuchet 14b. This climb took me around 40 burns to finish and the process of projecting this route taught me so much about hard route climbing. My proudest accomplishment outside of climbing was my dedication to the sport of ice hockey from 4 to 18 years old.
Q: What advice would you give to your first year climbing self?
A: The advice I would give to my first-year climbing self would be to keep having fun.
Q: Who do you take advice from and why?
A: I take advice from my father because his advice has worked well for me so far in my life and I think I will keep taking it.
Q: How has your training for climbing changed in the last year?
A: My training for climbing has become much more enduring in the last year. I have put a lot of time into gaining more power and better endurance. In order to do that, I had to lengthen my training sessions significantly.
Q: How has climbing affected the people you choose to surround yourself with?
A: I have chosen to surround myself with positive people who enjoy the outdoors.
Q: What have you done to give back to the climbing community?
A: I have been developing boulder problems and routes in the New River Gorge over the past year to give back to the climbing community.
Q: What have you learned from failure?
A: I have learned to enjoy the process of projecting through failure. Failing over and over just makes the feeling of clipping the chains or topping out the boulder that much better.
Q: Who are the climbers that inspire you the most, and why?
A: Climbers that inspire me the most are ones who always give 100% effort each time they touch the rock and more importantly, climbers who are humble. These types of climbers inspire me the most because people that try hard get me really psyched and humble climbers are more up my alley.
Q: What is your favorite climbing location, and why?
A: My favorite climbing location is the New River Gorge because you can’t beat the bullet hard nuttal sandstone there. The New River Gorge has everything from routes and boulders to deep water soloing out on Summersville lake at a world-class level.
Q: Why Butora Climbing?
A: I chose Butora Climbing not only for the great all-around shoe, but to be part of a great community of psyched climbers who come with it.
Q: What are your favorite before and after climbing meals?
A: My favorite before-climbing meal is chicken and eggs with half an avocado on the side. My favorite after-climbing meal is a big plate of spaghetti and meatballs.
Q: What is your spirit animal?
A: My spirit animal is definitely a grizzly bear.
Q: What differences have you found in climbing Narsha versus climbing in Acro?
A: I have found that the Narsha can edge even better than the Acro.
Q: What are some tips you would give to new outdoor climbers about crag etiquette?
A: Be respectful and pick up a piece of trash each time you go out climbing for some good karma.
Q: Tips you would give to someone who is stuck on their project? How do you stay motivated when you are stuck?
A: When I’m stuck on my project, I go home and study the route in my mind and think about any little thing I can possibly do to increase my chances of sending next time around. When I lose motivation on my project, I just stop climbing on it and go clip some chains on other climbs. Clipping a few chains on some climbs, not at your limit gets the psych level amped up again.
Q: How have you overcome fear in climbing (fear of falling, fear of failure, etc.)?
A: I have overcome fear in climbing by taking big whippers. The more you fall, the more normal it will feel!
Check out our next Ambassador, Sam Enright
