Openhand Press
About
The Philosophy
Open Hand Press is built on a double meaning. On the rock, the open hand is my strongest grip. Off the rock, it represents the open-minded nature I try to bring to the sport.
The “Press” represents the other side of the coin. I’ve punted more mantles than I care to count. It’s the part of climbing I struggle with most, and a reminder that the failures—the blown tops, the fear, the bad days—matter just as much as the sends.
The Climber
If you follow me on Instagram, you know I am a board rat.
Because I don’t have a car, I don’t have consistent access to the crag. To keep myself sane when commercial gym sets stopped feeling challenging enough, I turned to the 2016 MoonBoard. I fell in love with the global community of the board, but I quickly noticed that most beta videos featured climbers with a massive reach or the ability to heel hook everything.
My goal became to document my sends for the rest of us: to show that you can crush morpho benchmarks even if you don’t have a massive wingspan.
The “Olympic Era”
I started climbing in late 2019, right before the world shut down. I am part of the “Olympic Era”—the generation that found the sport during its massive popularity boom.
When I moved to Nova Scotia for my undergrad, I found myself an outsider. The local community was welcoming, but the social circles were already established. It took time to find my place in them. I struggled to break into established circles until I got “strong enough” to be noticed at the gym. Because of that, I have a deep sympathy for the new climber campusing V1s in the overhang. I know what it’s like to learn ethics and etiquette from the internet because old-school mentorship is hard to find these days.
The Reality Check
I currently live in Halifax, surrounded by some of the sharpest granite in Canada. But here is the hard truth: board strength does not always translate to Nova Scotia rock.
I often catch myself trying to muscle through technical outdoor moves, only to get shut down by the rock. My current journey is about bridging that gap—evolving from a gym-strong boulderer into a well-rounded tactician. I’m dabbling in sport climbing at Main Face, learning to trust friction on slabs, and trying to stop over-gripping everything in the Land of Confusion.
Why This Blog?
I am not a pro. I am not a complete novice. I am somewhere in the messy middle.
I created Open Hand Press to cut through the noise of modern climbing media, which often feels like a mix of elite pros you can’t relate to and influencers trying to sell you something. I want to share a transparent look at the journey: the training that worked, the gear that didn’t, the things I’m proud of, and the mistakes along the way.
If you’re navigating the messy middle of climbing too, you’re in the right place.
