Powerbar athlete profiles Meet the athletes who represent the energy and spirit of PowerBar

Ryan Waters
  • Ryan Waters
  • Hometown: Boulder, Colorado and Bariloche, Argentina
  • Birthdate: 27-August-73
  • Favorite PowerBar Product:
  • POWERBAR® RECOVERY Orange
Ryan Waters

Ryan Waters’ climbing resume includes dozens of expeditions in the Andes, Himalayas (3x to Everest), Cho Oyu, K2, Broad Peak, and Pumo Ri. Ryan is a certified Wilderness First Responder, certified AIARE Level II, and is an environmental geologist.

Q & A with Ryan Waters
  • Biggest obstacle/challenge
  • Convincing my family that leaving a full-time “normal career” to become a climber and outdoor instructor was good decision-making.
  • Superstitions
  • Before trips in the Himalayas, we have a Puja ceremony with the Sherpas, a prayer to the mountain for safe passage.
  • Nobody knows…
  • I failed my first year of pre-school.
  • Biggest athletic accomplishment
  • Guided and summitted Mount Everest from both the Nepal and Tibet sides and was the leader of 10 Himalayan Expeditions
  • Favorite thing about training
  • If I am climbing a harder, shorter route, then I want to be light and wiry-strong. Conversely, for a mountain like Everest, I train like I did while playing football. Here the emphasis is on adding bulk, trying to get bigger, faster, and stronger. Cardio is always a huge emphasis, no matter what.
  • Least favorite thing about training
  • Starting from scratch after a long Himalayan Expedition where I lose muscle and weight. Once after working on three 8,000 meter mountains in Tibet and Pakistan back to back to back for 4 months, I had lost 25 pounds.
  • I work out to…
  • All types of music motivate me, it ranges anywhere from The Killers to Emylou Harris
  • Unusual training regimens
  • If I am climbing a harder, shorter route, then I want to be light and wiry-strong. Conversely, for a mountain like Everest, I train like I did while playing football. Here the emphasis is on adding bulk, trying to get bigger, faster, and stronger. Cardio is always a huge emphasis, no matter what.


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