Alex Stiger is a good friend of mine and one of the most interesting people I know. She's been a mentor to me in climbing, riding horses (she was my trainer for a while), and chess (she taught me how to do tournaments). She's not only a V9 and 5.13 climber - she's also the highest rated female chess player in Colorado, a badass breakdancer, and a bona fide horse whisperer. 

She's a 27-year-old, 5'0" woman who discovered climbing 12 years ago. She's gone through her ups and downs with climbing, but has recently enjoyed consistent progress through training and nutrition. 

During her time as the head coach of the kids' climbing team at the Spot Gym in Boulder, Colorado, she's seen a lot of improvements in her own climbing. I wanted to ask her about how she coaches her kids, and how she's gotten so strong in the past couple years. 

What We Talked About

• How she trains her kids team