As physicians… we learn the parts of a human body, but there’s a difference between understanding the pieces of an instrument, and making Mozart come out of it. I’d put Ian in the latter category when it comes to analyzing human bodies and being able to tweak them to bring out performance. That is, if Mozart was punctuated with sarcastic comments, cackling, and a sly grin. If you train at Ascension, you’ll notice that there are quite a few of us medical types hanging around. I train with surgeons, specialists, GP’s, nurses, physiotherapists and other allied health folks who all value Ian’s opinion on rehabilitation and athletic programming. 

I’m stubborn, and have had my share of injuries. Most recently I fell trad climbing, cracking my ribs and collapsing my lung. This isn’t the first or the last injury Ian has helped me deal with. He can completely overhaul a program in minutes to deal with each athlete’s specific weaknesses, and will find ways to make you stronger than you anticipate. I haven’t climbed outside for months, and haven’t actually been going to the climbing gym much. When I stopped in Squamish last weekend, I warmed up on a boulder problem I couldn’t even send last season. It felt easy. I was pleasantly surprised. As a climber, having a thoughtfully crafted cross-training program is clearly making a difference, and I’m looking forward to seeing the effects on my trad climbing this season. Although I have a diploma in mountain medicine, Ian is who I would ask regarding mountain performance. 

The tribe at Ascension is full of wildly inspiring athletes. There are rock climbers, ice climbers, skiers, mountain bikers, power lifters ..… people who push themselves, work hard, and get stronger. The only limit is how hard you want to work. The tools, the culture, and the knowledge to get you there are all here.