Photo: Claudia Lopez

The Piz crushing his test piece horizontal roof crack Army of Darkness (5.13) - Photo: Marni Mattner

ROB PIZEM

PROFILE | BIO

We’ve hit a dull spot in the conversation we’re having and for no apparent reason Rob Pizem shrieks, then breaks out laughing. You wonder what is going on under his flat red afro. Searching for an answer, I stumble upon the source of Pizem’s charm and ultimately, I think, the reason for his success. He is psyched beyond belief. It doesn’t take much to trigger an impulsive laugh, inexplicable shout or otherwise loud noise from the Piz, and while his antics are laughable, it would be a mistake to not take him seriously.

Rob’s is a world most of us will never understand. He is a spaz that routinely pioneers and trounces the country’s most difficult, airy and scary trad routes. On its face, this is a conundrum, maybe even a liability. Scary and spaz are two words that do not belong in the same sentence and run counter to much of the ‘yeah brah’ drone of mainstream climbing. Put Rob in a popular bouldering or sport area and a few things become immediately apparent. First, you know he’s there. You hear him shouting and you feel his energy. Second, you notice reactions from those around you. Some people get energized, others get frustrated. Finally, you feel a strong urge to make your own assessment. That Rob has gained the mutual admiration of the world’s most elite climbers and is considered a modern icon by the American Alpine Club should offer a little guidance into how you might make that assessment. To become annoyed or frustrated with Rob Pizem is to ignore your own inner urge to let psych trump logic or your sense of what those around you think.

Rob’s commitment to training, climbing and establishing new routes is unparalleled. In a recent conversation, I asked him if he ever had intentions to go free the test piece El Cap route Free Rider. I followed up by asking whether he thinks he would be able to send it easily. He reckons he could probably onsight Free Rider without much issue given the proper training and right partner. Mike Anderson, one of his go-to big wall partners, accomplished this feat several years ago in a two day push so he has a pretty good idea of what the route serves up and one thing you learn quickly about Rob is that when he says he is capable of something, he usually makes it happen.

Even as I talk with him, I am dreaming. An onsight free ascent of Free Rider. For most of us, this would be a dream come true. Yet a guy like Piz has no ambitions to simply bag this or that route. He would rather put his time and energy into establishing dramatic new routes and developing new areas. He says he may be more interested in freeing established routes when he is no longer capable of pushing it as hard as he does now. But rather than be roped in by the temptation of high publicity sends, Rob continues to pound the pavement, accumulate the air miles and spook the hell out of himself chasing the next free line.

We’ve driven with Rob from Denver to Zion and watched his head bob relentlessly for the entire 9 hour drive. His head grooves to its own rhythm, out of sync with the music or conversation that would otherwise be conducting the tempo of the times (my neck aches thinking about it). Watching ‘Bobble-Head Rob’ in action, I realize that he is truly marching to the beat of his own drum.

This is ultimately what we respect most about him here at CAMP and why we are honored to have him as a member of the CAMP team. What we aim to accomplish by sponsoring the Piz is to give him the tools he needs to continue to rock to his own rhythm and ultimately to make sure our gear is up to the task.

By Jesse Mattner