Working -- Kenny Ristau

HE IS

Teaching people to fight gravity

LOOKS CAN BE DECEIVING

Don’t let the friendly smile and charming personality fool you. Kenny

Ristau will work you until your muscles are so fatigued you will

literally lose your grip.

Ristau, a 24-year-old rock climbing instructor at Rockreation in Costa

Mesa, encourages his students to push themselves and tackle challenging

routes.”The only person you are competing with in this sport is

yourself,” Ristau said.

RISING TO THE OCCASION

Ristau anchors himself to his climbers -- physically supporting the

ropes his clients dangle from -- while providing reassurance from the

ground.

“Dig your foot into that groove.”

“Balance your feet before you reach for that grip.”

“Let your legs do the work.”

“You can do it, just stretch and reach.”

If his enthusiasm isn’t enough to propel you up the wall, his rock

climbing expertise will guarantee your ascent. Ristau has been climbing

for 10 years. Not just inside, where the padded floor will soften the

blow of a 20-foot fall, but on cliff sides, where a wrong decision could

cost his life.

Luckily, he has never been seriously injured.

“Just bloody knuckles and scraped knees,” he said.

CLIMBING FOR FITNESS

His passion for climbing is strengthened by his students’

accomplishments. Ristau works with children, senior citizens, disabled

and autistic children, as well as anyone who wants to be active. The

feeling that comes from helping people master a difficult climb on a

30-foot wall outweighs the lure of a job with a hefty paycheck, he said.

“Obviously, money isn’t the reason. Doing what you love is a greater

motivation than payment,’ he said. “Plus I don’t have to be at work until

noon.”

Climbing can help people overcome a fear of heights, poor body image,

improve overall muscle tone and boost self confidence, Ristau said.

Now lean and toned, Ristau said he started climbing because he was a

chubby kid. He couldn’t find a place in organized sports, he said, but

felt right at home on the face of a rock. The instructor works to instill

that same sense of belonging and accomplishment in his students, whether

they pursue serious climbing endeavors or just use the various courses to

stay in shape.

“I really do love working with people -- especially kids,” Ristau

said.

* Story by Lolita Harper