The Nugget Climbing Podcast
EP 201: James Pearson — The Full Redemption Story, Proposing the Mythical Grade of E12, and Climbing Harder After Kids
Episode guests
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
- James Pearson overcame setbacks, including grading controversies, and found inspiration through his climbing journey.
- James Pearson's partnership with Caroline Ciavaldini and structured training led to significant improvement in his sport climbing performance.
- James Pearson discusses the complexities of trad climbing grades and the emotional and professional implications they can have.
- James Pearson regained his love for climbing by embracing new challenges, including climbing Rhapsody and marking a turning point in his career.
- James Pearson's experience as a parent has changed his perspective on climbing, teaching him to find balance and prioritize what truly matters.
Deep dives
Overcoming Challenges and Finding Inspiration
James Pearson, a world-renowned trad climber, reflects on his climbing journey, the challenges he faced, and the inspiration he found along the way. He discusses how he overcame setbacks, including the controversial grade of the Walk of Life route, and shares insights into his mindset and approach to climbing.
Transitioning to Sport Climbing
After struggling with sport climbing, James Pearson meets Caroline Ciavaldini, an accomplished competition climber. With her guidance, he begins a structured training program and focuses on improving his sport climbing fitness. Through their partnership, James experiences significant improvement, eventually climbing his first 8C and 9A routes.
Exploring the Complexity of Trad Route Grades
James Pearson delves into the complexities of trad climbing grades, particularly the UK's E-grade system. He explains how the assigned grade of a route can vary based on the combination of difficulty and danger. James reflects on his own experiences with grading routes and the emotional and professional implications of those grades.
The Journey of Rediscovery
James reflects on his climbing journey, describing how he regained his love for climbing and embraced new challenges.
The Significance of Rhapsody
James explains why climbing Rhapsody was important to him and how it marked a turning point in his climbing career.
Understanding Grades and Public Perception
James discusses his evolving understanding of grading and the impact of public opinion on his decision to assign a grade to Bon Voyage.
The Search for the Perfect Hard Trad Project
After completing Rhapsody, the speaker embarked on a search all over the world for a challenging trad climbing project. However, with the realization that becoming a parent was a priority, plans and aspirations were put on hold. Initially scared and uncertain about fatherhood, the speaker grew to understand and appreciate the profound impact and meaning it brought to their life. Reflecting on their own journey, they now aim to help others navigate the transition to parenthood with greater comfort and ease.
Training with Ollie Tor and the Mental Side of Climbing
During the pursuit of their hard trad project, the speaker trained with Ollie Tor to enhance their climbing ability. This training focused not only on physical stamina and technique, but also on the mental preparation required for challenging climbs. The speaker's background in bold climbing and performing well under the pressure of potential danger contrasted with their struggle to perform under regular, safe pressure. The blend of training and mental preparation ultimately tied into the speaker's journey as a new parent, providing valuable insights for both climbing and life outside of it.
The joys and challenges of parenting
The podcast episode explores the experiences of the speaker and his partner becoming parents and the ups and downs they faced. They discuss how quickly Cara got pregnant and how being parents at a younger age turned out to be a positive thing. They also share the challenges of the early months with their first child, Arthur, who experienced constant crying and needed constant attention. However, as he started to sleep better, their lives improved. The speaker reflects on the incredible love and joy that comes from being a parent and how it has changed his perspective on life and climbing.
Climbing and parenting: Finding balance and perspective
The speaker shares how parenting has influenced his climbing and brought about a change in perspective. He discusses the impact of climbing while being a parent, emphasizing the importance of making adjustments and finding a balance. He highlights the role of children in helping him cherish the small details in life and appreciate the joys of exploration, even in familiar surroundings. The speaker also reflects on how becoming a dad has changed his approach to success and failure in climbing, teaching him not to put unnecessary pressure on himself and to prioritize what truly matters.
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
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