How a LatticePlan helped a climber of 10-years break into a new grade: onsighting 7a in Kalymnos and flashing 5.13- within months.

Story from Dylan Miller, main image by Kieran Duncan.

I've been climbing for over 10 years, but have never really trained specifically for it, beyond going to the gym a few times a week to meet friends and the occasional outdoor day.

A Trip to Kalymnos

Last fall, a close friend asked me to join her in Kalymnos, Greece in April 2026. At the time, I was projecting a 5.12a route outside that took 13 attempts to send.

Choosing How to Train

My friend and I had been discussing how to prepare for Kalymnos. We considered options like the Rock Climbers Training Manual, hiring a private coach (through Lattice, a local coach, or other options available remotely), or purchasing a pre-prepared plan. The timing of the Lattice app release coincidentally lined up with when we wanted to start training and we decided to give a LatticePlan a try!

We had enough time before the trip that we were able to do a short 4 week plan (to adjust to the app/training), some rest/fun weeks, and then a second, longer plan, before heading to Kalymnos.

The Short Training Plan

Having a specific plan really helped to show up to the gym with more focus each day. Towards the end of the 4 week plan, I noticed some improvement in general endurance and power endurance.

I tried my best to use the open climbing days for outdoor climbing. I live in Colorado, where it is possible to climb outside most of the year. At some point during the short plan, I onsighted my first 5.11b outside. A few more 5.11 range routes were sent shortly after as well.

## The Longer Training Plan

Starting our longer plan, stoke was high as we knew our trip was getting closer, and some outdoor success came my way. Using the same approach as the first plan, I tried to use open climbing days for outdoor days.

For the later stages of the plan, I had my eye on a 5.12a and a 5.12b outside to test where I was at ahead of the trip. The 12a, I almost flashed, reaching the final holds below the chains before misreading the route and missing the finish jug. I sent the 12b in only 2 attempts.

Rock Climbing in Kalymnos

In Kalymnos, I onsighted/sent multiple routes in the 7a (~5.11d) range over the 4 days we had climbing there. My favourite of these was a 50m long route, the longest single pitch sport route I've ever done.

Kieran Duncan (@kieranjduncan)Kieran Duncan (@kieranjduncan)Kieran Duncan (@kieranjduncan)## After the Trip

In the weeks following, I flashed 5.13- in the gym and sent several other harder routes I would have struggled with before.

What's Next?

Looking towards the future, I'm in the process of finding a 5.13 outdoor project. My climbing partner and I also decided to train for a route in El Potrero Chico, Monterey, Mexico called Time Wave Zero. It is a 5.12a, 23 pitch sport route, approximately 2,300ft long. Mostly 5.10 and below up to pitch 20 (the 12a pitch). We plan to attempt the route in January 2027. We've just started our third LatticePlan to begin our preparation for this route.

On the Recent App Updates

The recent app updates that include preferences for boulders vs routes, what equipment you have at home vs the gym, and being able to input grades/weights while in an exercise have been great and were much needed improvements!

I am excited to see where I will be over the course of the next year as I feel the last 6 months or so have resulted in the most improvement I've made in a long time.

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