The Nugget Climbing Podcast

Latest Episodes:

EP 88: Ben Ditto — Early Climbing and Photography, Dynafit Dangling, and Adventures With the ‘Wild Bunch’ Sep 27, 2021

Show notes

Ben Ditto is a professional climber and photographer from Bishop, California. We talked about Ben’s upbringing and early climbing, competing against Chris Sharma and Tommy Caldwell, falling in love with the mountains, Dynafit dangling and near-death experiences, advice for aspiring photographers, The Adventures of the Dodo, and climbing ‘Father Time’ with his wife Katie Lambert. You can learn more about Ben at bendittophoto.com

Support the Podcast:

thenuggetclimbing.com/support

Become a Patron:

patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing

Show Notes:

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/ben-ditto

Nuggets:

3:26 – Filming a car commercial

4:54 – Ben’s studio, and staying interested in learning new things

6:58 – Ben’s photography, Instagram captions, and visual storytelling

9:18 – Getting started in photography, Ben’s first camera, and photography as a ticket to freedom

11:42 – Pursuing a life that doesn’t fit in a box, growing up in Chattanooga TN, and Ben’s dad

16:01 – Early climbing

19:34 – ‘Scared guy’

24:18 – Hunter S Thomson quote, “the edge is still out there.”

25:05 – Belaying his dad, improving, getting into competition climbing, and flying to San Francisco

34:54 – Failing to perform well on a national stage, and competing at Mission Cliffs against Chris Sharma and Tommy Caldwell

39:09 – Early sponsorships

42:28 – Moving to Salt Lake, working at the Patagonia store, and falling in love with mountains

44:46 – Climbing in the Wasatch, climbing with heroes, American Fork, and finding a different crew

50:28 – Career choices, going with what feels natural, and delaying big decisions

53:38 – Making stuff, trade booths, getting back into photography, noticing the impact we have on the planet, studying photojournalism, and learning by managing other photographers

1:01:30 – Ben’s advice for aspiring photographers

1:05:22 – Patron Question from Elliot: How to take photos while alpine climbing?

1:08:01 – Behind the scenes of great alpine photography

1:10:40 – Climbing and photography as separate things

1:13:38 – Patron Question from Tim: What location or climber are you most proud of photographing?

1:18:55 – ‘Dynafit dangler’

1:32:48 – Processing risk and death, and “You owe it to your climbing partners to really want to be there.”

1:38:01 – Stacking the odds in your favor, and being involved in search and rescue

1:44:17 – Driving as a pet peeve, and environmental considerations

1:47:17 – The Wild Bunch

1:57:11 – Harmonica, traveling solo in Patagonia, and sailing to Greenland

2:04:20 – ‘The Adventures of the Doto’

2:10:32 – The group’s current adventures

2:13:29 – Climbing ‘Father Time’ with Katie, and the strategy vs. ethics of big wall free climbing

2:30:16 – Relaxing after the climb, and difficulty of the route

2:34:08 – Beefing up the resume, and jumping into the commercial world

2:38:11 – Gratitude, and plans for a trip to the South

2:40:24 – Update on my climbing, Ben’s website, and working on accident reports

EP 87: Alita Contreras — Learning Languages, Coaching Women to Climb Powerfully, and Translating Training Books Sep 20, 2021

Show notes

Alejandra (Alita) Contreras is a half Colombian half Venezualan professional rock climber, coach, and translator. We talked about the economic situation in Venezuela and why she moved to Colombia six years ago, about living in Germany and translating training books by Udo Neumann, about coaching women, our global climbing family, and her current 5.14a project.

Support the Podcast:

thenuggetclimbing.com/support

Become a Patron:

patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing

Show Notes:

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/alita-contreras

Nuggets:

1:50 – Alegria

3:52 – Alita vs. Alejandra

6:40 – The situation in Venezuela, and why Alita emigrated to Columbia

14:21 – Studying languages, Alita’s father, singing opera, and becoming interested in Germany

18:48 – Separating languages in your head

21:13 – Tips for learning a new language

25:36 – Thinking differently, and having different personalities in different languages

28:13 – Bad milk

29:42 – The many things Alita does for work, and coaching a women’s group

34:05 – Patterns Alita notices in working with women climbers, and what she works on with her group

39:23 – Empowering girls and educating guys

41:46 – Researching a new project to help women with cancer regain physical and emotional health through climbing

45:55 – Translating Udo Neuman’s books into Spanish

48:30 – Parallels with translating and the podcast, and the big takeaways from Udo’s books

54:51 – In Search of Greatness (documentary), going with the current of motivation, and being honest with yourself

59:11 – The powerful 13a that Alita is most proud of (even though she has climbed 13d)

1:02:29 – My season of seeking out obscure 12d’s at Smith, and the benefit of climbing easier routes outside of your best style

1:05:16 – Alita’s 14a project

1:08:59 – Macheta climbing area, and a description of the 14a

1:10:45 – Alita’s video of ‘Los Tenahos Contratican’, and similarities to Hueco

1:11:33 – Dreams of climbing at the Red, and climbing in Europe

1:12:53 – Alita’s favorite climbing destinations

1:15:00 – Living and climbing near the equator, and tactics for projecting when you don’t have seasons

1:19:10 – How Alita thinks about yearly goals

1:21:12 – Continuing to improve, and enjoying the process

1:26:07 – Living in Canada, competing in one competition, and Alita’s hype-up song

1:31:33 – Patron question from Eli: What is the local climbing like in your area? Similarities and differences in climbing cultures around the world?

1:36:18 – Gratitude for Alegria (her dog)

1:39:46 – A new opportunity

1:37:25 – Aspirations to be a pro-climber?

1:39:01 – Vulnerability and the gift of sharing

1:40:10 – Gratitude, and meaningful connections

EP 86: Dylan Barks — Spray Wall Sessions, RMNP Rampaging, and Recovering From an Eating Disorder Sep 13, 2021

Show notes

Dylan Barks is an elite-level boulder and sport climber, and a dark horse in the climbing scene. He sent ‘Creature from the Black Lagoon’, his first V16, just two weeks after this interview. We talked about how Dylan uses a spray wall for 95% of his training, how he prepares for both bouldering and sport climbing trips, and about recovering from an eating disorder to climb his hardest ever.

Support the Podcast:

thenuggetclimbing.com/support

Become a Patron:

patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing

Show Notes:

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/dylan-barks

Nuggets:

4:00 – Vanlife pipedreams, Dylan’s work and school, and finding his groove climbing outside

7:05 – Being in both the competition and outdoor worlds

8:30 – Bad haircut timing, and the alpine as a harsh and special place

11:32 – How Dylan prepared for his trip to RMNP, and spray wall training for both bouldering and sport climbing

14:11 – Dylan’s training philosophy, and why he uses the spray wall

16:24 – The value of benchmarks, and mixing limit bouldering with perfect repeats

17:58 – ‘A Day in Boone’, how Dylan has trained his capacity, and session format

21:40 – The line between capacity training vs. junk mileage

23:45 – Deep dive: spray wall session format

26:32 – 60 move circuits, running, and pushing through vs. resting

31:23 – Watching Dylan on ‘Wild Cat’, and his story about competing against Daniel Woods

37:00 – Internalizing the feeling of a move, and bringing intention to all of your climbing

39:17 – Sending ‘White Noise’, and finding another gear on this trip

40:20 – Taking the lower grade, and being his own harshest critic

41:32 – Where Dylan sees a lot of climbers going wrong in their training and improvement

43:44 – Coaching Jon, and coaching the team in MI

45:43 – Starting climbing at summer camp

46:33 – ‘Southern Smoke Direct’, taking a hiatus due to an eating disorder, and the light at the end of a dark tunnel

48:52 – Sharing about an eating disorder, and how Dylan’s struggle started

51:51 – Dysmorphia, and “Your body’s got it.”

56:00 – A couple of paragraphs from ‘Weighing In’

1:01:13 – Trusting the process, seeing things working, and the tricks our mind can play on us

1:04:57 – Looking at old pictures

1:06:04 – What 18-year-old Dylan needed to hear

1:08:28 – Going to the hospital, rebuilding relationships, and turning things around

1:10:48 – Mike, and “feed the beast”

1:12:14 – Untapped potential for strength, and thoughts vs. actions

1:15:08 – Navigating negative thoughts

1:17:00 – Using your climbing and training as the main driver for body composition

1:20:19 – Climbing ‘Arrested Development’ second try

1:24:15 – Mindful climbing, and being in the present moment

1:25:52 – Practicing mindfulness

1:26:52 – If you could only do one more hard rock climb…

1:28:35 – That “click”

1:30:14 – Southern sandstone

1:31:21 – Go-to climbing shoes

1:33:02 – Warming up your technique

1:34:35 – Trying ‘Creature from the Black Lagoon’

1:36:04 – School, and getting out his “ya yas”

1:37:25 – Aspirations to be a pro-climber?

1:39:01 – Vulnerability and the gift of sharing

1:40:10 – Gratitude, and meaningful connections

Follow-Up: Steve Maisch — My Summer Training Plan, Listener Q&A, and Steve’s Go-To Training Exercises (Teaser) Sep 09, 2021

Show notes

This full episode is available for Patrons right now! This is a teaser of a follow-up call with Steve Maisch. We talked about the aerobic system and oxygen testing with Tyler Nelson, how to maintain climbing fitness during mountain biking season, my summer training program and my plan for the fall and winter, how Steve is preparing for his own trip to Hueco this winter, and we did a listener Q&A from our last episode.

Become a Patron to get access to the full episode! And support the podcast!

*The full version is 2:45:31.

patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing

EP 85: Emil Abrahamsson — Trying Hard Projects, Hangboarding Two Times Per Day, and a Career on YouTube Sep 06, 2021

Show notes

Emil Abrahamsson is an elite boulderer, route setter, and YouTuber from Sweden. We talked about goal setting and projecting his first V15 as a V9 climber, the importance of psych and inspiration, experimenting with hangboarding two times per day, how to do one-arm pullups, sharing the experience of outdoor climbing through films, and making a living through his YouTube channel.

Support the Podcast:

thenuggetclimbing.com/support

Become a Patron:

patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing

Show Notes:

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/emil-abrahamsson

Nuggets:

3:11 – Building a van and planning a bouldering trip around Europe

6:01 – My bouldering goals, Emil’s progression, and setting goals

9:27 – Trying a V15 as a V9 climber, and how a lot of climbers stay “comfortable” at a specific level

12:53 – ‘The Big Island’

17:17 – Emil’s first day of climbing, struggling early on, and getting hooked

19:38 – Alternating difficulty and volume goals

21:32 – ‘The Queen Mother’ (Emil’s first 8B/V13 project in Stockholm), and the limiting power of expectations

29:21 – Reflecting on ‘The Queen Mother’, and prioritizing psych and motivation

32:00 – Felix

37:13 – “Swiss Recruitment”, or the Swiss style of projecting

41:00 – How Emil got into YouTubing, capturing the experience of outdoor climbing, and my impression as a viewer

44:27 – Forgetting to charge the batteries, and the stress vs. fun of filming

47:42 – Work-life balance when you love your work, and turning YouTubing into a career

49:34 – How to balance capturing footage with training or performing, and capturing the good and the bad

51:15 – Emil’s “No Hangs” hangboard video, and his caveat for training advice

56:00 – Quick overview of the “No Hang” hangboard protocol, and Emil’s theory of why his fingers got stronger

1:00:16 – We get most of our strength through climbing

1:01:41 – 4x4s and other climbing games

1:04:10 – Training your strengths, and practicing weaknesses through climbing

1:06:59 – How Emil structures his training, and embracing the stretching “pain game”

1:11:49 – Turning challenges into positives, and the benefits Emil has noticed from stretching

1:14:46 – Patron question from Florian about avoiding crimping early on in his climbing, and how Emil worked to improve his crimp strength later

1:18:34 – How Emil rewired his brain to think, “Full crimps are comfortable. I can enjoy these.”

1:19:32 – Emil’s crimp progression and current level

1:21:53 – One-arm pull-ups, 4mm crimps, front levers, and getting weaker on purpose to get better at technique

1:28:55 – Emil’s recommendations for progressing to a one-arm pullup

1:33:41 – How Emil pronounces his name, and a Patron question from Flynn about training for indoors vs. outdoors and competing in World Cups

1:41:12 – Flash training

1:43:44 – World Cup goals, and the flame of competition

1:47:34 – What is one of the weirdest/worst training experiments that you’ve tried?

1:50:24 – Favorite films, the critical eye, and the need for consistent content

1:54:48 – Recommendations for new viewers

1:56:35 – Emil’s dream collaboration

1:58:17 – Gratitude

2:01:03 – Finishing the van, and plans for Switzerland and Italy

EP 84: Boone Speed — Training in the Hell Cave, the Grasshopper Board, and the Future of Artificial Climbing Aug 30, 2021

Show notes

Boone Speed is a photographer, innovator, and was the first American to climb 5.14b with his route ‘Super Tweak’ in Logan Canyon, UT. We talked about Boone’s upbringing, discovering climbing in American Fork, most memorable routes and trips, bolting and training in the Hell Cave, creating the Grasshopper Board, and his vision for the future of artificial climbing.

Support the Podcast:

thenuggetclimbing.com/support

Become a Patron:

patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing

Show Notes:

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/boone-speed

Nuggets:

2:17 – The Paleo Diet, and Boone’s lunchables

4:51 – Twitching on airplanes, and cutting out sugar

6:09 – Being a picky eater as a kid

6:47 – Growing up in Lindon UT, and the development of Silicon Slope

8:11 – Working at the bronze foundry as a teenager, and Boone’s dad

12:48 – The expectations Boone’s parents had for him, and being proud of how he’s lived his life

14:42 – Thriving in the chaos, and Boone’s beautiful and art-filled house

15:35 – Boone’s sister, ‘Frequent Flyers’, and advice from his mom about raising his son

21:07 – Ignoring bad behavior and praising good behavior

22:20 – His son being surrounded by art, and getting into product design

24:34 – How Boone got “bitten” by climbing, Smith Rock, and early “sport climbing” in 1986

27:17 – Ice climbing and telemark skiing

29:32 – Climbing his first 5.13 in 1987, getting the power drill, and developing sport routes at Red Rocks

33:33 – Studying photography and design at BYU

33:59 – Hanging out in American Fork as a kid, and discovering climbing there

37:04 – The Hell Cave

44:37 – Milestones in The Hell Cave for Boone

47:33 – The steepest crag in the world

49:35 – Establishing the rest of Hell

50:44 – The first snowbird comp, and getting validation from the guys in the magazines

52:49 – Getting recognition, developing the VRG, and texting Ondra after he did ‘Necessary Evil’

56:23 – Boone’s first climbing gym in a storage unit in 1987, and training by climbing every single day

58:55 – Working at IME, Boone’s mom, and the structure of a photograph

1:03:12 – Climbing as a healthy addiction, and blending climbing with art

1:06:31 – The photography Boone has in his house

1:08:28 – The throughline of innovation, and creating stuff for themselves

1:10:37 – The first crash pads, and climbing ‘Midnight Lightning’ with The Spot

1:14:12 – The “need” that lead to starting Grasshopper

1:19:14 – How I could train for ‘Just Do It’ on the Grasshopper board

1:21:03 – My experience with training on a home woody, repetition as a path to mastery, and running laps in the Hell Cave

1:23:18 – A day in the Hell Cave

1:25:17 – ‘Ice Cream’ in Hell

1:27:57 – The two moments in climbing that have blown Boone away

1:29:09 – The responsibility of pushing climbing forward, and passing the torch to Chris Sharma

1:34:47 – Memories from a trip to China with Sharma and MC, and other favorite memories

1:36:31 – Watching old climbing films with his wife Bailey

1:37:23 – Working on Grasshopper with MC and Bailey

1:43:45 – Addressing the climbing need, and installing a Grasshopper at a brand new HOA

1:47:38 – Training on ergonomic vs. sharp and tweaky holds

1:52:24 – What products Grasshopper is currently offering

1:56:21 – Creating products as an excuse “to make good photos again”, and finding product-market fit with the Grasshopper board

2:02:06 – The route function

2:10:12 – ‘Necessary Evil’, yoga, and strengthening

2:12:57 – Tequila, surfing, wanting to perform, and using the board to stay within striking distance

2:19:03 – What is standing between Boone and ‘Necessary Evil’, and Boone’s pandemic routine

2:21:37 – How to be a fit 56-year-old

2:24:20 – Yoga

2:25:56 – Gratitude

2:26:29 – Good things take time

2:28:42 – How Boone and I met

Follow-Up: Nathan Hadley — Two Routes on The Diamond (Teaser) Aug 28, 2021

Show notes

This full episode is available for Patrons right now! This is a teaser of a follow-up call with Nathan Hadley. We talked about his recent 10-day trip to RMNP, in which he sent ‘The Honeymoon is Over’ and flashed the ‘Gambler’s Fallacy’ on The Diamond. We talked about how Nathan prepared for the trip, how he and his partner Mike Kerzhner sussed ‘The Honeymoon’, and the day of the send.

Become a Patron to get access to the full episode! And support the podcast!

*The full version is 1:03:36.

EP 83: Neely Quinn — Lessons from the TrainingBeta Podcast, Nutrition Advice for Climbers, and Kids vs. Houses Aug 23, 2021

Show notes

Neely Quinn is the founder of TrainingBeta, and the long-time host of The TrainingBeta Podcast. We talked about Neely’s health journey and discovering paleo, not wanting a boss, why she decided to create TrainingBeta, lessons learned from hosting 160+ interviews, injuries and surgery, project piano pieces, kids vs. houses, and her new puppy named Willa.

Support the Podcast:

thenuggetclimbing.com/support

Become a Patron:

patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing

Show Notes:

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/neely-quinn

Nuggets:

2:30 – The other side of the mic

4:11 – Singing and piano, and hating performing

7:21 – Connections between podcasting, climbing, and music

10:00 – Not wanting a boss, creating TrainingBeta, and Neely’s background in the paleo world

11:40 – Neely’s initial plan for TrainingBeta, and the podcast as an afterthought

12:35 – Scratching her own itch, getting fired, and brainstorming

16:48 – Downloads and reads, the weight loss topic, and my eating disorder story

20:58 – How to talk about fat loss, and how to do that in a healthy manner

24:09 – Writing a book about the paleo diet, Neely’s health journey, and the impact of food on health

29:15 – Neely’s diet before paleo

30:19 – Why Neely rarely recommends the paleo diet, and the individuality of nutrition coaching

32:42 – Neely’s most common nutrition recommendations (carb sources, protein, and artificials)

37:06 – Neely’s diet

39:06 – Chocolate

40:14 – Common symptoms that are often connected to food

44:14 – How to think about doing an elimination diet (if you are having symptoms)

47:44 – Patron question from PogoStickJoe: Efficacy from Collagen?

50:34 – Probiotics

53:48 – Neely’s nutrition coaching and program

55:22 – Neely’s surprise at the success of the TrainingBeta podcast and blog

56:56 – The early days, growing TrainingBeta, and different measures of success

1:01:31 – Balancing a business with climbing

1:02:27 – Commitment, and the entrepreneurial spirit

1:04:46 – Top lessons that Neely has learned from hosting 160+ episodes of the TrainingBeta podcast

1:07:54 – Mindset, self-improvement, and the early days of training content

1:10:31 – Some of the training exercises that helped Neely get to be her strongest ever, and wrist curls

1:14:02 – Injuries, handstands, and wrist surgery

1:16:26 – The ebbs and flows of motivation, and learning to be kinder to ourselves

1:18:23 – Imposter syndrome, and being a conduit for information

1:20:06 – ‘Tomb Raider’, and being enough

1:20:53 – Depression, comparison, and putting things in perspective

1:23:59 – Piano, music, and balancing passions

1:27:24 – Reality TV, and the Bachelorette

1:28:36 – Children vs. house

1:29:26 – Kids

1:32:36 – Willa and projecting

1:34:18 – Patron question from Howard: Favorite local gym and favorite front range crag?

1:35:32 – Rifle and the Red River Gorge

1:36:29 – Getting recognized at the crag

1:37:45 – New stuff with TrainingBeta, and adult climbing teams

1:39:56 – Gratitude

1:40:51 – Upcoming climbing trips, and closing thoughts

EP 82: Christine Deyo — Learning Creativity, Fontainebleau Circuits, and the Role of Diversity in Route Setting Aug 16, 2021

Show notes

Christine Deyo is a professional route setter, and the former head route setter at the Austin Bouldering Project. We talked about Christine’s path to route setting, learning to be creative, setting challenges and games, the Fontainebleau circuit system, the responsibility of route setters, competitions, the role of diversity in setting, and the future of the climbing industry.

Support the Podcast:

thenuggetclimbing.com/support

Become a Patron:

patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing

ClimbWell Retreat:

climbwell.co/retreat-rifle

Use code "NUGGET10" for 10% discount!

Show Notes:

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/christine-deyo

Nuggets:

2:30 – Christine’s dad, and falling in love with bouldering

4:44 – Why Oregon?

6:02 – Studying biochemistry, unemployment, and discovering route setting

9:38 – The Nightly Business Report on PBS

11:58 – Christine’s early route setting education

14:26 – How route setting qualifications have evolved, and what Christine looks for when hiring a route setter

18:57 – Three notable chapters in Christine’s evolution as a route setter

28:36 – What makes a good setter?

34:33 – The circuit system at the Bouldering Projects

36:33 – How circuits work in Fontainebleau

41:22 – How grades work within circuits

44:23 – Combining the circuit system with the training boards, and improving at climbing aside from strength

47:10 – How Christine uses the circuit system for training purposes

50:45 – Patron question from Tyler: What are your thoughts on parkour-style setting and balancing that with movement found on real rock?

58:16 – Patron question from Joe: Are there ways to get setters around the world to collaborate more?

1:03:17 – Patron question from Tim: Where do you draw inspiration from when setting routes? (Christine’s collection of note cards.)

1:07:30 – Creativity can be learned, creating constraints, and route setting challenges/games

1:13:01 – Tonde’s email, the responsibility of setters, and the role of diversity in route setting

1:20:31 – Questions from Tonde: What value do female setters bring to a setting team? Why bother with diversity?

1:26:28 – More questions from Tonde: Is setting art? Where is setting going? The future of setting for competitions?

1:30:45 – The role route setters play in competitions

1:44:52 – What is the value of route setters in the climbing industry?

1:47:50 – Safety in route setting

1:53:06 – Setter salaries, ages, and turnover

1:56:54 – How we move setting forward as a profession

2:02:03 – Christine’s tips for taking care of yourself as a route set

2:09:04 – Christine’s career, and what’s next

2:14:19 – Learning to set dynos

2:19:55 – Gratitude

Follow-Up: Dru Mack — Play Hard. Rest Hard. (Teaser) Aug 12, 2021

Show notes

This full episode is available for Patrons right now! This is a teaser of a follow-up call with Dru Mack. We talked about how his approach has changed since our first conversation, the process of sending ‘Life of Villains’ 14d, and how he used a hangboard to improve his power endurance for the route, intentional breathing, rest day adventures, recent books, new music, and the goal of 5.15.

Become a Patron to get access to the full episode! And support the podcast!

*The full version is 48:46.

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