The Nugget Climbing Podcast EP 91: Craig DeMartino — Amputating His Leg to Climb Again, El Cap Stories, and Embracing a New Normal
Craig DeMartino is a rock climber, motivational speaker, and teacher. His life changed in 2002 when he took a 100-foot ground fall. We talked about Craig’s accident and recovery, the decision to amputate his leg, climbing harder than ever after the accident, doing El Cap in a day, dealing with chronic pain, teaching adaptive climbing, and embracing a new normal.
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Show Notes:
thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/craig-demartino
Nuggets:
3:28 – El Cap, Craig’s son, and owning what you like
6:09 – His kids catching the climbing bug, and watching sports from the sidelines
8:12 – Adaptive sports, ball sports, and exploring sports outside the box
9:30 – Bouldering with a prosthetic leg
11:30 – Craig’s recent broken foot
15:23 – Trauma, avoiding getting hurt gain, and the hardware in his foot
17:00 – Being in Estes, relistening to EP 11 of the Enormocast, and sitting down in person
20:30 – Craig’s accident
36:05 – Waking up in the hospital, moving to an assisted living home, and eventually returning home
42:52 – The human body is amazing
43:51 – “Fuck it. I’m gonna cut my leg off and see what happens.” -Craig DeMartino
54:40 – “Who am I in this new form?”
56:04 – The barking dog, and the human barometer
58:42 – Pain and visualization
1:02:05 – Being honest about the ups and downs, and moving away from the accident
1:05:03 – New identities, and Hugh Herr
1:06:00 – “I would never change it”, and finding purpose in teaching adaptive sports
1:11:06 – Craig’s life before the accident, helping people now, and inclusivity
1:15:22 – Being a climber first, and the first all-adaptive ascent of El Cap
1:16:40 – Helping trauma patients find flow state through climbing
1:19:56 – Working through triggers and PTSD
1:22:56 – Craig’s recovery status
1:24:55 – How to hack the perspective without the injury, and how Will’s (Craig’s son’s) coach Mikey influenced him
1:29:15 – Question from Chris Kalous: “Why do you swear so much, Craig?”
1:31:54 – Patron question from Tyler: What made your story so captivating when you shared it on the Enormocast?
1:35:35 – Talking with Steve and remembering the accident, and going back to ‘White Man’
1:38:52 – Rannveig’s story, self-blame, and moving forward
1:41:48 – Patron question from Graham: How can people in the helping professions provide better opportunities for empowerment for people with disabilities?
1:47:23 – Patron question from Levi: How could we go about making a centralized group for adaptive climbers?
1:51:07 – How to connect with Craig
1:52:00 – Patron question from Andrew: Have you tried custom prosthetics for a specific move or route?
1:55:54 – Craig’s quiver of legs, and our amazing feet
1:58:24 – Patron question from Eli: What have been some of the hardest lessons, and best and encouraging ones since your fall?
2:00:40 – “When you get up there, don’t take no for an answer.” - HK
2:01:56 – Rock climbing is hard, and explaining rock climbing to your Grandma
2:04:04 – Patron question from Eli: What advice might you have for other climbers with kids?
2:09:09 – Most meaningful climbs since the injury, speed climbing El Cap with Hans Florine, and sport climbing with Cindy (Craig’s wife)
2:16:30 – Climbing his hardest after the accident
2:19:18 – Sending ‘Dirty Smelly Hippie’, soft grades, and feeling confident at 12d
2:23:16 – The steep style of the Red, climbing with one leg, and Tommy Caldwell as the most famous amputee
2:26:55 – Patron question from Ken Klein: Moving to Puerto Rico, what will you miss most about the Fort Collins scene? How has it evolved in your time there?
2:28:53 – Continuing the work in Puerto Rico, and chasing shorts weather
2:32:54 – Why Craig hates pants
2:34:44 – What Craig hopes to still accomplish in his climbing
2:36:48 – How the experience of climbing scales
2:37:58 – Grateful for opportunities
2:39:00 – We are all struggling with something
2:41:38 – Life is fluid