EP 107: Tim Emmett — How to Climb Harder After 40, The Magic Formula for Climbing 9a, and Life Philosophies

Tim Emmett is a professional climber from the UK who practices everything from cutting edge ice climbing to deep water soloing to hard sport climbing. We talked about the gritstone scene in the UK, the “why” behind taking risk, climbing his hardest after age 40 and becoming a parent, training finger strength to try to climb ‘Era Vella’ 9a (5.14d), and passing on life philosophies to others.

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Show Notes:  

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/tim-emmett

Nuggets:

0:07:15 – Being a morning person as a parent

0:10:33 – Coffee and morning rituals

0:12:00 – Podcasting as an excuse to have amazing conversations

0:17:29 – The Gritstone scene “back in the day”, living with Neil Gresham in Sheffield, and falling off of the ‘End of the Affair’ E8

0:22:50 – Tim explains the gritstone E grade system

0:24:15 – Trying for the second ascent of ‘Meshuga’, and close calls on the grit

0:35:43 – The “Why” behind grit climbing

0:42:45 – The opportunity to do things you find easy, vs. things you find difficult or challenging, and how breakdowns lead to breakthroughs

0:45:32 – Creativity, and why taking risk is an essential step in doing your best work

0:47:10 – “People want to look good”, embracing vulnerability, and choosing the meaning we give to our lives

0:51:10 – Letting go of being “right”

0:52:54 – Switching to an “us” perspective, and asking questions rather than telling

0:55:31 – The ego journey, and doing things that bring us into the moment

1:04:40 – Trying ‘Era Vella’ 5.14d (9a), and Tim’s journey of discovery, and changing the word “failure” to “learning”

1:09:47 – What Tim has changed to try to get higher on ‘Era Vella’, the magic of finger strength training, and the 10 dials

1:12:15 – How Tim became a stronger climber after turning 40 and becoming a parent, and some of Tim’s inspirations in climbing

1:20:46 – Being out in nature, Tim’s philosophy for staying stoked, and choosing to see the positive

1:28:13 – “The magic formula is having strong fingers.”

1:33:03 – How some specific training and some consistency can transform your climbing

1:34:21 – Tim’s 4-month protocol for getting ready for ‘Era Vella’ (eating whole foods, cutting alcohol, running, etc.)

1:41:51 – Recent injuries, and Tim’s progress on the hangboard

1:48:39 – How Tim’s climbing fitness ebbs and flows,  how he structures his 4-month lead up to a goal, and his specific strength training plan for ‘Era Vella’

1:59:26 – How Tim and his friends would train for hard ice climbing in Helmken Falls

2:01:00 – Core exercises, pushups, and antagonist training

2:02:20 – Power endurance training, and how Tim trained power endurance for ‘Era Vella’ in his gym in Squamish using circuits

2:07:23 – Combining hangboarding to failure with bouldering to simulate route climbing

2:07:59 – Applying breathing techniques (hypoxic training) from freediving to sport climbing or high-altitude climbing

2:11:33 – Cold-water swimming

2:13:17 – Bringing breathing techniques from freediving into rock climbing and ice climbing, pressure breathing, and Wim Hof breathing techniques

2:21:35 – What connects all of Tim’s different interests, collecting life experiences, and curiosity of human performance

2:25:23 – Public speaking, inspiring kids to open up their lives, and giving them the tools to take on their dreams

2:29:34 – Having an open mind, and Tim’s other life philosophies

2:32:30 – Being friendly, and listening to people

2:34:29 – Where to connect with Tim, and more about his coaching

2:37:08 – “Life is what’s happening right now.”