Kolin Powick

Canada

I am originally from Canada (Toronto Area & Calgary Area) but have called Salt Lake City home for the last ten years.  In 1998, my wife and I got married and along with our two dogs, went on a one year honeymoon climbing roadtrip through the U.S.  In month twelve we travelled through Salt Lake City and never went back.  I have a Mechanical Engineering degree, and a Teaching degree, but have been working as an engineer for nearly 20 years, and have been Black Diamond's Director of Quality since 2002. I oversee the testing of all of Black Diamond's gear from the prototype phase through continual final production random sample testing. I am a jack of all trades and master of none when it comes to climbing. I do it all, but do nothing well.  I love climbing rocks, ice, mountains and alpine climbing.  I’m also a bit of a backcountry skier and snowboarder.  I usually get out a ton, though seem to be perpetually injured lately - the price you pay for getting older I guess.  I don’t really sleep much, I love my dogs, and kinda wish I was a rock star, but am probably best known as “the strong girl’s husband” as my wife is sick-strong and routinely warms up on my projects – no joke.

Birthday? 16/09/68 – yes, I’m 40, though I’m told I look 30 and act 18…

Year you first started at Black Diamond? 2002. I had been in Salt Lake for about 2 years and was working for a company that did some work for BD, so I had met some of the guys through that, as well I was often bumping into some of the BD crew out at the crags. A position opened up and they needed a climber/skier/engineer/gear freak kind of guy, so after about 15 interviews with over a dozen different folks, I started and haven’t looked back.

Memory/story of your first week at Black Diamond? This place is like a maze. I was always worried that I wouldn’t be able to find my way back to my desk…After six years I think I have it dialed now.

What does working at Black Diamond mean to you? Let’s put it this way, it’s definitely a lot more than a job to me. Yeah, I need to make money, just like the next guy, but BD truly does encompass my life whether I like it or not. Almost all of my friends work at BD. I go on climbing trips with all of the guys from BD. I climb and ski before and after work with the guys from BD. When I have a party, or go to a party, 90% of the people there are my friends from BD. I’ve used BD gear for years, and now I’m able to be involved in the design, development and testing of the gear – it’s awesome. I like being part of something that’s my passion – climbing.

If you weren't working for Black Diamond, what would you be doing? I’d probably be doing some type of engineering work at some company that manufactures something that I don’t really care about that much… and I would be miserable.

Worst job you've ever had? I’ve been pretty lucky. None of my jobs have been all that bad. I worked at a paper mill in Ontario during the summers while at University. It was super hot, humid and heinous and didn’t smell the best, but the money was good… but all-in-all I’ve had it pretty good job-wise.

Do you have any pets? Yup. We had two awesome labs, Ellis & Yukon, for a lot of years – unfortunately they recently passed away- it was crushing. After about two years without a dog, my wife and I decided to take the plunge again and now have a new little (but getting big fast) lab in our home. “Rumple” hangs with me every day at the office, and after work and every weekend at the crags. Everyone wonder’s “what” he is because he’s pretty unique looking. Technically he’s a yellow lab, but he’s really dark, pretty much redish, they’re known as “fox-red” labs. Rumple rules.

Favorite sports/activities? Climbing! I love climbing, all types, though alpine climbing is probably my favorite. Unfortunately alpine climbing isn’t readily accessible here in SLC so I end up spending most of my time sport climbing. The ease of access and the fact that, with the willingness to drive a few hours, you can sport and trad climb year-round is awesome - It also doesn’t hurt that my wife is my rope-gun. I also dabble in shooting photos and playing guitar, real guitar, not Guitar Hero.

Favorite climbing/skiing area and why? I love ice and alpine climbing in the Canadian Rockies. Though the rock is usually pretty junky, the ice is amazing, and when you get to a summit in the Canadian Rockies you find yourself staring out over a sea of peaks. It’s what it’s all about if you ask me. I don’t think you can beat the access or snow conditions of the Wasatch. It still blows my mind when you can hike for a couple thousand vertical of boot high fresh powder and still be to work by 8am. It’s insane.

Best climbing experience? There’s been so many, it’s hard to nail it down to one. If I had to I guess I would say my trip to the Bugaboos with my wife in 2007. We had just lost both of our dogs and were bummin’. We decided a trip to the Bugs to attempt my dream route, The Beckey/Chouinard, was what we needed. All we wanted was one day of good weather to try the uber classic. We arrived at basecamp, and the forecast was good - we fired it off first thing the next day – it’s the best rock route I’ve ever done. As luck would have it we ended up having 8 days straight of perfect weather, climbing a classic route on a classic spire every single day. It was the best once week climbing trip in the history of time.

What's your dream trip? Where? With who? Just one? Impossible. Therefore, in no particular order:

• The Cassin (on McKinley) with Metcalf. I’d love to do it in a push.
• The Infinite Spur (on Foraker) with Rolo and Belcourt. Two Alaska veterans that are hilarious.
• The Lotus Flower Tower with my wife, Ellen.
• A month in Kalymnos with my wife, Ellen. 6 weeks in the Valley with a mix of YOSAR buddies, young hot-shots, and climbing friends
• Pakistan with Raphael Slawinski
• Ama Dablam with Bill Crouse and my wife.

Guilty pleasure? I read every single word in every climbing magazine. Every photo caption, who was the photographer, every advertisement, circulation info, everything…I don’t know why I do that…

BD gear you use every time you go climbing/skiing? Spot headlamp.

What/who inspires you? People who try really REALLY hard at whatever they do.

What's in your iPod? The biggest cross section you could think of right now. From some classic Canadian bands: The Tragically Hip, the Headstones, Colin James and Wide Mouth Mason, to Alice in Chains, Clutch, An Horse, John Butler Trio, the Alarm, the Who, Ben Harper, the Black Keys, the White Stripes, Brad Sucks, Brian Setzer Orchestra, Citizen Cope, Dispatch, the Clash, Eminiem, Foo Fighters, U2 and RadioHead.

Strangest place you've ever woken up? I woke up UNDER a Ford Explorer in upper New York State once. We were there to kayak and celebrate a friend’s wedding. After digging a huge pit, building the fire and burying a pig for a mega Hawaiian pig-roast we paddled all day, came back, there was a low key wedding ceremony, and then the kegs started to flow. I’m not exactly sure how or why I was under the Explorer?

Strangest person you've ever woken up with? This guy from South Africa. My wife and I were descending from the 17,000ft camp on McKinley. There was this lone climber making his way down the steep slope from 16K to 14K. He was weaving and wobbling all over the place so we tied him into our rope and helped him back to camp…We threw him in our tent and we all crashed out. I woke up and was all weirded out, like, “who is this guy in our tent?”

Three things you'd never travel without? Wedding ring, iPod, toothbrush

Superstitions? Not really a superstition, but I ALWAYS put my left rock shoe on first. I can’t NOT do that.

What's your dream job? Honestly, I pretty much have it. My parents always asked what I wanted to do when I grew up. I always said if I can wear shorts, t-shirt and sandals, and bring my dog to work, then it’s my dream job. Well as I type this, I’m wearing shorts, a t-shirt and sandals, and Rumple is sitting at my feet. The fact that I’m able to do that and happen to be working on climbing gear, my passion, is a super bonus.

If you could steal one thing and not get caught, what would it be? Probably Jimi Hendrix’s ‘68 white Fender Strat that he played at Woodstock in August of ’69. Now THAT, would be sick.

If you could have dinner with three people (dead or alive) who would they be?

• Alex Lowe – I never met him and feel like I really missed knowing such a great guy. So many guys around BD knew Alex well and have all kinds of funny stories and nothing but great things to say about him. Since I first started climbing I always looked up to him, and still do, as a great all around climber. He embodied climbing the way I see it and is the type of climber I only wish that I could be. He also basically started the QA department at BD years ago, and was the first QA Manager. So when I started, I had his old job – I even had his old phone. It was rad.
• Jimi Hendrix – the guy could make a guitar to do things that no one else could. To sit and chat with him and then maybe jam out a bit would blow my mind.
• George Mallory – I’d ask him if he made it…

Do you have any tattoos or piercings? Negative, but I have a bunch of scars from recent surgeries…does that count?