The Nugget Climbing Podcast EP 97: Austin Hoyt — Favorite Zones in the Northeast, Rediscovering Old Projects, and Being a GUNKaholic
Austin Hoyt is an 18-year-old kid from New York whose tick list rivals some professional climbers. We talked about balancing school with climbing, what he learned from his first coach, his FA of ‘Flashing Lights’ V14, his love of The Gunks, making old-school climbing films, the support from his dad, and his ongoing goal to develop the bouldering scene in the Northeast.
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Show Notes:
thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/austin-hoyt
Nuggets:
4:30 – Austin’s bouldering stats at age 18, and how he fits climbing in while going to school
8:12 – Some of Austin's typical weekend destinations
9:48 – Favorite areas in the Northeast
11:38 – How Austin started climbing (Ninja Warrior + ice cream shop), and doing V3 his first week
15:11 – Crediting everything to his first coach Charlie, and negative reinforcement
18:41 – Drills and spray wall climbing
23:34 – Climbing at Powerlines, and getting into doing first ascents (FAs)
25:25 – “Chase me”, and what Austin learned from watching his coach Charlie climb
27:25 – Finding new boulders in famous areas
29:17 – The Gunks, and Austin’s Gunkaholics film series
33:40 – The season in The Gunks, and what Austin does when it rains for two weeks
34:44 – Balancing projecting, outdoor climbing for volume, and indoor training
37:15 – The mental battle of projecting, and the first ascent of ‘Flashing Lights’ V14
43:14 – ‘Nuclear War’ V13
45:52 – Filmmaking, and Austin’s film equipment and influence
49:18 – College plans and dreams to make adventure films
52:00 – Plan for a gap year, and comp training
54:42 – Dave Graham
56:18 – How Austin trains power on a spray wall
57:30 – Guidance for setting a spray wall, and the skill of making up hard climbs to train on
1:00:24 – What a spray wall session looks like, and training strengths vs. weaknesses
1:02:28 – Patron Question from Brandon: Do you have any roped ambitions in New England?
1:04:22 – Bouldering vs. trad in The Gunks
1:05:44 – Patron Question from Will: What is your favorite crag north of The Gunks?
1:07:48 – Patron Question from Jack: What is your favorite problem on the Speed Boulder at GB?
1:08:55 – Patron Question from Avery: How did you become the master of vert?
1:11:25 – Austin’s dad, motocross, and broken bones
1:14:13 – How his dad supported him in climbing ‘Nuclear Base’ V14
1:17:39 – Austin’s new project
1:19:18 – Climbing algorithms, “The Formula”, and Austin’s perspective on grades
1:22:36 – The dream of becoming a pro climber, the current goal of developing the Northeast, my experiences in Leavenworth, and making lists
1:26:05 – Applying to colleges near climbing
1:27:07 – Beta Labs, and ideas for building his own business
1:30:54 – Shoutouts to his sponsors