Ian Walters

For KRUX athlete Ian Walters, climbing isn’t something to chase. It’s something to come back to. Based in the Bay Area, he climbs on the coast more than most, because he loves the ocean as much as the rock.

When Nature Won

At 17, Ian took two less-experienced friends up Fairview Dome in Tuolumne. Three or four pitches up, lenticular clouds drifted over the dome. He had learned what they can mean just the day before.

“Guys, I know this is gonna sound crazy, but we gotta bail. Now, now, now.”

Within 20 minutes, there was thunder and hail, and the ropes were blowing sideways.

Too Good to Stop

On his first trip to the Buttermilks, the climbing was so good that he didn’t stop. Afterward, it was two days before he could climb again.

“But, you know, climbing’s so good, like, you can’t stop.”

For Ian, recovery also means stepping away: fishing, or cooking a slow meal outside with friends, before coming back to the rock.

That’s where KRUX fits into his routine: taking care of his skin after the send, so he can get back to it.