Climb Hard.

I have been working with Galina for about four years now. When I started, I had a few clear goals: Move from doing V4/V5s to more complex routes, improve my skills outdoors, and focus on body weight exercises as a form of training. Over the course of those four years, I flashed my first V6, completed my first V7, sport climbed a few 5.13s, and started doing complex calisthenic exercises, such as one-arm pull ups. Galina’s approach is very methodic: She slowly builds up your technique with regular routines of increasing difficulty, reviews your form to make sure it is up to date, and works around your schedule and availability. She is very flexible and eager to switch goals and routines if something (an injury or a trip) comes up, extremely responsive, and drives results. At this point, her track record during our work together just speaks for itself.

I have had the privilege of working with Galina as my climbing instructor for over a year and a half, and I am extremely impressed with the experience. I have been climbing for about 10 years and have grown tired of setting up my own training routine. Furthermore, my lifestyle is very flexible, and I never know what routine would be best for me. One of Galina’s standout qualities is that she is an excellent one-on-one coach. Sometimes, I have to be flexible with my schedule, and she can quickly adapt the training to meet my needs. She is always there to offer encouragement and help ensure progress. Galina can easily tell when the training starts feeling burned out and will switch it up. Safety is also a top priority for Galina, and she ensures we use the correct form (sending her videos is important). If I feel something is wrong, she will talk to me about the correct form and provide videos to stretch the area. I had a sore shoulder at the beginning of last year, and my training included 15-30-minute stretching videos. Furthermore, Galina has incredible knowledge of climbing techniques and strategies. She breaks down complex movements into manageable steps and offers clear explanations. I send her videos of my projects, and she provides suggestions on how to work through the cruxes and offers words of encouragement. Finally, what truly sets Galina apart is her sincere passion for climbing and her commitment to fostering a supportive community. There have been many instances where I felt inadequate or body-shamed, and she listened and helped me feel better. Every conversation with Galina leaves me feeling inspired and motivated to keep climbing and pushing my limits.

Galina has been an incredible resource for me during the end of my youth climbing career and into my collegiate one. I feel as though she understands my motivations, and I never feel pressure to push myself harder than what I feel is necessary. Although I am extremely goal-oriented, I wanted a coach who would just help me increase my overall fitness considering in youth climbing I had too much tunnel vision with grade-chasing and being on the leaderboard. Being in college, it’s also extremely hard to stick to consistent schedules, and I’ve appreciated having someone track my progress while also being understanding of my hectic workload and personal life. I love the online format almost more than in person because it’s taught me more self discipline, and it allows me to constantly be examining myself since I take a lot of videos for her to assess. I would’ve never tried lifting (which I now love) if I didn’t have someone like Galina to coach me through it. It also definitely helps that we’re the same gender and have a similar body-type which has motivated me considering she knows how it feels to be in the body I’m in, and she at some point was at the level I’m at.

Galina has more knowledge in the sport than anyone I’ve been coached by, and not just because she’s extremely strong, but because she knows the micro-beta for working out outside of climbing as well.

Needless to say, when I started coaching with Galina a year ago today, my goal was to make it to collegiate nationals and to increase my general fitness for outdoor climbing. I have achieved exactly what I set out to, thanks to her support, and I’ve gained a new found love for the sport after believing that I was burnt out beforehand. I genuinely have such a better and healthier relationship with not only the sport, but my body and mind after being coached by her.