EP 201: James Pearson — The Full Redemption Story, Proposing the Mythical Grade of E12, and Climbing Harder After Kids

James Pearson is one of the world’s best trad climbers. We discussed a 15-year-old controversy that nearly ended his career, how meeting his wife Caroline saved him, climbing his first 9a after learning how to train, eGrader and quantifying E grades, his decision to suggest E12 for his new route ‘Bon Voyage’, why he was afraid of becoming a dad, what kids taught him, and much more! This was one of my all-time favorite interviews.

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We are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:

• Michael Roy, Craig Lee, Mark and Julie Calhoun, Yinan Liu, Zach Emery, Alex Pluta, and Matt Walter

Show Notes:  

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/james-pearson

Nuggets:

(00:00:00) – Intro

(00:01:35) – Getting settled

(00:03:13) – Why I feel like I know James

(00:05:33) – Introducing the Redemption Story

(00:08:10) – Internet backlash

(00:10:05) – Coming full circle

(00:13:33) – Why it felt important to grade ‘Bon Voyage’

(00:17:10) – The full story

(00:28:47) – Compassion for himself

(00:30:53) – Moving to Innsbruck to work on his sport climbing

(00:36:05) – Thinking his pro climbing life was over, meeting Caroline, and their trip to Turkey

(00:41:18) – Learning how to train

(00:46:33) – 7b+ to 8c+ in 6 months

(00:52:32) – Fun and performance

(00:53:23) – E grades

(00:56:16) – Trying to flash E10 in Pembrook, and falling in love with climbing again

(00:59:43) – Returning to ‘Rhapsody’

(01:02:10) – Flashing V13 (8B), and his struggle with projecting pressure

(01:08:50) – Climbing V15, craving the next level, and living the pro climber dream with Caro

(01:17:10) – Why he left the UK, and why it felt important to return to ‘Rhapsody’

(01:24:53) – Searching for his hardest trad route

(01:25:59) – Making the Redemption film

(01:29:21) – eGrader, and understanding E12 and beyond

(01:35:47) – Climbing a 9a right after ‘Bon Voyage’

(01:37:15) – Talking to Hazel Findlay, and PTSD

(01:38:58) – Presenting E12 again 15 years later

(01:45:04) – Backlash about grades, and Anna Hazelnutt’s thoughts about Walk of Life

(01:49:02) – Breaking down E12 and ‘Bon Voyage’

(02:00:53) – Finding ‘Bon Voyage’

(02:08:08) – How dangerous is ‘Bon Voyage’?

(02:20:23) – Being more scientific about grades

(02:24:54) – Why give ‘Bon Voyage’ an E grade?

(02:38:44) – Becoming a dad

(02:47:47) – What kids taught him

(02:53:57) – Rules for climbing with kids, and sending without expectations

(02:58:17) – Tips for climbers with kids

(03:03:36) – James’ advice for his younger self

(03:11:15) – Climbing matters

(03:16:45) – Accepting some selfishness, and Caro’s mom

(03:23:36) – Training with Ollie Torr for ‘Bon Voyage’, and Caro’s journey back to hard climbing after pregnancy