Native American John Duran On Free Soloing 5.13 And Using Climbing For Communal Good

I’ve developed a climbing area in Beijing. My wife and I found it—a gargantuan granite wall. In China, unless the local community supports it, you’re not allowed to climb. So I got the backing of the [village]. We were up there last weekend, and there must have been 50 people. Climbing is a real picnic time here, a family time—it’s a total hoot.

I was born in Alamosa, Colorado. My folks were teachers. My family is from Ignacio, from the Southern Ute Indian Reservation. My father is Taos Pueblo Native and Latino. My mom is Southern Ute and Navajo and Latina. She has a legal land allotment in the reservation from her mom.

My dad died 10 years ago .… I’d been teaching in Sedona. I moved up to Ignacio to help my mother, and when I went back there were no jobs. I started Montessori education online, and got a job in Warsaw for a year. I ended up in China to teach, and that’s where I met my wife, Liu Zheng. Her English name is Rita.

I started teaching in 1994 in Shiprock: K, 1, and 2 on the Navajo Reservation. The government was offering grants. No one was doing anything about it. I encouraged the teachers I worked with, and we got that grant, and then we had so many materials and programs, and got other schools to apply. I was the salesman. I had to convince [other teachers] they were capable. They didn’t have the confidence. In climbing, you have to have the confidence to do it. Climbing goes into your community and life, and you can use it—not just for yourself.

My parents were staunch about the value of education. My father’s parents were hard-rock miners. My dad met my mom in high school. She pushed him to become who he was: a coach, teacher, and guidance counselor. They got their master’s degrees.

My dad was athletic. We were always out skiing, hiking, camping, and fishing. I grew up doing football, wrestling, and track, and was a freak for weightlifting.

  We had family discussions about politics and our upbringing: OK, you’re this person, you’re not the dominant culture, so you have to make your way as a minority to achieve what you want … Now I’m in China. I’m still the minority, but [laughs] I kind of fit in.

I learned to accept who I was … to use it and see the good points. I learned to be humble enough to say, OK, these are my talents; these are my weaknesses. We all struggle. I’ve had three DUIs; I’ve been married three times. You have these different identity crises. You’ve gotta accept yourself when you’re down, and keep going.

At Cochiti Mesa, we’d heard rumors of a Todd Skinner 5.13, the Fainting Imam [shown]. I led it and was solid, and thought, Oh, this is not so high; I could actually solo this. I toproped it a couple times and then got on it … I fell off halfway up and luckily I hit sod and dirt—15 feet, soft landing.

I cleaned my shoes and got back up and did it.

I was just in the place mentally to be able to get it done.

I had a real purist’s attitude. I learned to block out the fear: OK, you have to perform and get in that place, be in the zone, not worried, confident. I was Catholic, and I would pray an hour with a rosary before my hardest climbs. I needed to calm myself. The religious [aspect]was my foundation. Later, I transferred those skills from prayer into Buddhism. I could be so singularly focused: I have this goal, I need to get a job, I want to do this climb, I need to be a better person.

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