About
My Story
Hello! I’m Peter Colantes, a competitive climber and coach from Redmond, WA currently studying kinesiology at Western Washington University. I plan on becoming a physical therapist specializing in climbers.
I started climbing in 2022 after growing up as a gymnast. It quickly became my entire life after falling in love with the community and the challenging, mastery-oriented, playful nature of the sport. I joined my local youth team for two years, and am now training independently and competing in the open and collegiate series with the goal of making it to World Cups. I’ve had the opportunity to travel the US competing up to the National and North American Cup level, visiting places I’ve always dreamt of traveling to and competing with climbers I’ve idolized since I started climbing. I have experience competing in all three disciplines, as well as bouldering up to V11 outdoors.
Over the past several years of climbing and competing, I’ve both observed and experienced poor coaching, and am far too aware of its consequences. My experience has shown me the acute need for quality coaching: coaches who not only understand the unique demands of climbing, but also the unique demands of being human. Coaches who look beyond tactics and basic technique drills, into how humans actually acquire new skills. Coaches who truly individualize programs, understanding that everyone—from recreational gym climbers to Olympic athletes—is human.
One of my primary focuses over these years has been to help fulfill that need. As a coach, I make training plans and privately coach fellow athletes and youth competitors; as an aide at a climbing PT clinic, I help teach exercises and coach efficient, injury-free climbing. And in my free time, you’ll find me researching climbing, training, and coaching theory. Helping people break through plateaus, accomplish what they thought was impossible, and experience this amazing sport is one of my favorite feelings ever. Climbing and coaching is my passion, and I can’t wait to work with you and uncover what you’re capable of!
My coaching Philosophy
In most performance situations, you probably won’t be able to have me by your side to help you with every step. For that reason, my ultimate goal with coaching an athlete is to get them to a point where they don’t need a coach in the first place.
While I know quite a bit about climbing, I don’t have all the answers, and neither do I need to as your coach. I don’t want to give you all the answers. I want to guide you to them, giving you the tools and creating the environment to foster independence, creativity, adaptability, and the traits necessary to improve and perform anytime, anywhere, without me.
Climbing is extremely technical, and most of my coaching revolves around movement and skill development. While training is important and is almost always part of my coaching process, it doesn’t matter how many one-arms on a 6 mm edge you can do; if you can’t apply the physical fitness that you currently have on the wall, gaining more probably won’t do much. We’re climbers, and the emphasis should always be on climbing.