Daily Inspiration: Meet Max Gunther

Today we’d like to introduce you to Max Gunther.

Hi Max, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m a clinical psychologist and I started rock climbing in college at Emory University in Atlanta. I headed the student outdoor activity organization and got really involved in climbing. After college, I pinched a nerve (while climbing) and wasn’t really able to climb for a long time. When everything shut down in March 2020, I began spending as much time outside as I could and I started to wonder if I might be able to get back out on the rocks again. I called my best friend who used to work full time as a guide and asked him if he still remembered how to set up ropes and headed down to Alabama to see if I’d be able to climb. My pinched nerve was feeling fine and I was immediately hooked back into the sport. As the pandemic wore on, all I did was climb. I began losing weight and gaining strength and flexibility. Keep in mind, I had never climbed in a climbing gym before. I had only climbed outside on an actual rock. A lot had changed since I was in college.

Climbing gyms weren’t really a thing when I was growing up. I eventually joined the gym Climb Nashville and was blown away by how much things had progressed. People had become such strong climbers because of gyms and the routes in the gym were really fun and challenging. Once I started to meet people I was amazed by the community. Climbers are such great souls. My people! So kind and so fun. One of my friends calls us “hippie jocks” because a lot of us look like hippies but we’re really strong and athletic. As I became more involved in the community, it rekindled my love of guiding and taking people on trips. I still wasn’t feeling very confident in my technical skills as a trip leader and so I started taking several training classes. A friend suggested that I get a certification from the American Mountain Guide Association (AMGA) to be a guide and instructor and once I dove into their curriculum it really opened my eyes to the professional and technical side of the industry. I loved the challenge of all the rope systems and it made me much more confident on the rock. Getting that certification was the hardest thing that I’d done since I took the professional licensure exam to be a practicing psychologist. Passing the AMGA exam felt like such an accomplishment. I’d been taking friends out climbing this whole time and then began to realize that I could actually make a business out of it. There is a huge demand around Nashville for educators to teach people how to safely move from gym climbing to actual rocks and there are very few guides. The sport is really in a renaissance right now and has become really popular. Since taking the steps to formalize the business, I’ve been very busy teaching and guiding and have just had a blast.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in teaching gym climbers how to safely climb outside.

I think my training as a psychologist really helps my clients get over the fear that people often experience climbing. I’ve also been a university professor for over a decade and I think that lets me engage people in the learning process. I tell my clients that I have 3 goals for every trip 1) no one gets hurt 2) we have fun and 3) we make some lifetime memories. That usually makes for a great day.

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
For people who are interested in learning how to safely climb outside, I would really encourage folks to hire an AMGA guide. The training that the AMGA puts us through is rigorous and so you’re getting a lot for your money. I see a lot of people climbing outside who are not doing it safely because they never learned the right way to do things and unfortunately folks get hurt unnecessarily because of this.

Hire a guide. I also tell people that my job is to work myself out of the equation so that all my clients can safely and confidently climb without me and hopefully pass that knowledge on to other climbers.

Pricing:

• 1 Person $385
• 2 People $195
• 3 People $185
• 4 People $170
• 5-6 People $165

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.spunkyadventures.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spunkyadventures.llc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpunkyAdventures
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/spunky-adventures-nashville

Image Credits:
Max Gunther, Andrea Pruijssers, and John Mactavish