Climbing Sensei

From 2004 onward, he has left his mark on elite climbing objectives across the country. In 2008, he established the “hardest free big wall” in the world, Magic Mushroom (5.14a VI) on El Cap in Yosemite. This 28-pitch epic project took him and partner Tommy Caldwell 5 long days on the wall to complete. Justen also established his dream climb, The Pre-Muir (5.13d), on El Cap, in 2007. In a post-send interview with Rock and Ice, he reported that “by the time you reach the 5.13d crux at pitch 25, you have done eight 5.12 pitches and three 5.13 pitches down low in the ‘easy’ section. The second-to-last pitch is 5.13c. There are 10 five-star high-quality pitches on the route.”

Justen is also an accomplished coach. He has been coaching climbers since 1994, and in that time he has helped people of all abilities push their limits. He specializes in evaluating climbing movement and provides drills to improve an athlete’s weaknesses. With a balance of intensity and light-heartedness, he explains complex ideas in a simple, logical manner so that his clients understand the long-term direction and goals. Justen has had the honor of coaching some of the best climbers in the world, including Daniel Woods & Emily Harrington since they were little crushers.