The Nugget Climbing Podcast

Leo Houlding is one of the greatest adventure climbers of all time. He’s put up new free routes worldwide from the Amazon Rainforest to the remote regions of Antarctica. We talked about his upcoming trip to Baffin Island, his childhood in the UK, using the fix-and-follow system to climb 2000’ big walls with his kids, epic stories from his El Cap days, what he learned from his worst injury, and much more!Check out The Nugget on YouTube:youtube.com/@thenuggetclimbingCheck out PhysiVantage!physivantage.com (link includes 15% off coupon)Use code "NUGGET15" at checkout for 15% off your next order!Check out Rocky Talkie!RockyTalkie.com/NuggetUse this link to get 10% off your first order of backcountry radios!Check out Rumpl!rumpl.com/nuggetUse code "NUGGET" at checkout for 10% off your first order! We are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:Leo Franchi, Michael Roy, David Lahaie, Robert Freehill, Jeremiah Johnson, Scott Donahue, Eli Conlee, Skyler Maxwell, Craig Lee, Mark and Julie Calhoun, Yinan Liu, Renzollama, Zach Emery, and Brandt MickolasBecome a Patron:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/leo-houldingNuggets:0:02:54 – Prepping for his trip to Baffin Island0:07:16 – Enjoying the logistics, and planning the food for a month-long expedition for three people0:13:50 – Leo’s beta knowledge for expeditions, and going beyond roads0:16:01 – Leo’s “little issue”, and base jumping off the top of Mount Asgard0:23:56 – The challenge of attempting to free climb Asgard again0:27:29 – Leo’s Instagram cover photo0:29:16 – Writing his book, his mom and dad, and his adventurous spirit as a kid0:33:39 – Leo’s first big adventure climb, Old Man of Hoy0:37:24 – How his life has turned out compared to how he imagined it as a kid0:38:24 – Being born at the right time0:42:45 – Generations in Yosemite0:45:18 – “Climb that goddamn mountain.”0:49:49 – Adventuring with his kids0:53:59 – Using the fix-and-follow system with the kids to climb big walls1:00:56 – Climbing in the Wind River Range with Llamas and the kids1:05:11 – Tips for keeping the morale high for kids1:13:13 – Compromises with kids, and plans to take them out of school for an around-the-world mission1:16:41 – “The days are long but the years are short.”1:17:10 – My travels with my family around South America as a 5-year-old, and seeing the developing world as a kid1:20:34 – A final tip for parents who want to adventure with kids1:22:41 – Rest in peace Ammon McNeely ❤1:23:34 – The Alfa Romeo badge story1:35:41 – Question from Sam Stroh: What are Leo’s thoughts on going ground up on The Prophet?1:42:51 – Getting caught in one of the worst storms in Yosemite history, and doing the first free ascent of The Prophet1:48:41 – Closer to the Edge1:49:29 – The end of his Yosemite chapter1:52:03 – Leo’s accident on Cerro Torre1:56:41 – Leo’s expeditions to Antarctica2:02:11 – Kite skiing2:07:11 – Rock climbing at the end of the world2:08:42 – “I wanted the most hardcore trip ever, and I got it.”2:09:52 – His trip to the Amazon rainforest, and making The House of the Gods film2:13:58 – Dropping loads out of an airplane into the rainforest2:18:21 – Free climbing a new route on Mount Roraima2:20:31 – More about Leo’s book Closer to the Edge, and the film 2.4 about adventuring with kids2:23:35 – Why we should travel to the developing world2:24:41 – Wrap up

An interesting conversation with Ron Kauk. Enjoy :)Donate to Sacred Rok:sacredrok.orgSupport the Nugget and Sacred Rok:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingRon's Other Episodes:EP 69: Ron Kauk (May 17, 2021)Follow-Up: Ron Kauk (Jul 29, 2021) 

Karly Rager is back on the podcast and is joined by Casey Elliott to talk about the factors that affect climbing performance. We’ve got three engineers in one podcast, and we geek out on the data! Do things like weight, height, and ape index affect how hard you can climb? Is max finger strength more important than days spent climbing outside? Listen to find out!Check out The Nugget on YouTube:youtube.com/@thenuggetclimbingThe Nugget is brought to you by BetterHelp!betterhelp.com/NUGGETUse this link for 10% off your first month!Check out Crimpd!crimpd.comOr download the Crimpd app!Check out Green Chef!greenchef.com/nugget60Use code "NUGGE60" at checkout for 60% off plus free shipping!Check out Rumpl!rumpl.com/nuggetUse code "NUGGET" at checkout for 10% off your first order!Check out Rhino Skin Solutions!rhinoskinsolutions.comUse code “NUGGET” at checkout for 20% off your next order!And check out EP 22 with Justin Brown to learn more about how to use Rhino products! We are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:Leo Franchi, Michael Roy, David Lahaie, Robert Freehill, Jeremiah Johnson, Scott Donahue, Eli Conlee, Skyler Maxwell, Craig Lee, Mark and Julie Calhoun, Yinan Liu, Renzollama, Zach Emery, and Brandt MickolasBecome a Patron:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/karly-and-caseyNuggets:0:06:18 – Karly’s time in El Salto, Mexico0:09:39 – Casey joins us from a legit recording studio, his engineering studies, and coaching vs. engineering0:16:06 – An update from Karly on Project Direct, and how she got connected to Casey0:19:19 – Decision fatigue, and wearing lots of hats0:20:42 – Casey’s climbing and coaching background0:25:51 – Mikey Schaefer calls out Casey, and the connection between dating and projecting routes0:30:03 – What was the goal of this multi-variate statistical analysis?0:32:59 – What is a multivariate statistical analysis, and how does it work?0:40:09 – The 600 people whose data was used in this analysis, and getting away from statements like “I have 5.13 finger strength”0:49:12 – What % of climbers have climbed 5.13?0:50:56 – List of the variables used in this analysis0:53:45 – Casey’s simple model using three variables0:55:15 – How important is climbing outside vs. max finger strength?0:56:35 – Why climbing outside ended up being the most heavily weighted variable in the multivariate model0:59:10 – Higher-end statistics require interpretation1:00:47 – Check out their blog post and the climbing calculator!1:02:08 – Do height, weight, wing span, or BMI affect how hard you can climb?1:07:57 – Thoughts on how age affects how hard you can climb, and playing to your strengths as a short climber1:09:37 – What the data doesn’t tell us1:11:06 – The range of climbing abilities in the 600 participants1:12:36 – How the coefficient for max hangs turned out to be negative, and what that likely means1:18:08 – What should people spend their time on to get better at climbing?1:20:59 – How training can lead to expectations, and getting good before you get strong1:24:38 – Getting creative with skill drills1:25:34 – Watching climbing videos, and filming your Kilter Board sessions1:27:49 – Diving deeper into what you should do to climb harder boulders and sport routes1:32:06 – Looking for low-hanging fruit1:35:03 – How Karly used the online calculator before her trip to El Salto1:36:08 – How to use the online climbing calculator, and how to take the assessment1:39:34 – How many outdoor days does it take to be a master?1:42:35 – Injury prevention isn’t captured in the model1:43:41 – What variables would Karly and Casey like to see in their dream multi-variate statistical analysis?1:46:39 – What is Mikey Schafer up to?1:48:16 – Skiing this winter, and finishing his masters1:48:52 – The momentum that comes with doing hard things, and looking at high performers1:51:56 – Final thoughts and wrap up

This full episode is available for Patrons right now! Steve Bechtel is back on the podcast for a deep dive into active recovery. We discuss what the research says about active vs. passive recovery, what methods work best, why it’s better than sitting on the couch on your rest days, and we also tackle the practical side of things and discuss realistic options for active recovery between burns at the crag, how to have active rest days without doing too much, what deload weeks should look like, and common pitfalls to avoid.Become a Patron to get access to the full episode! And support the podcast! *The full version is 1:30:02.*Watch the uncut video interview here!patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingSteve’s Other Episodes:EP 35: Steve Bechtel (Sept 14, 2020)Follow-Up: Steve Bechtel (Jan 21, 2021)Follow-Up #2: Steve Bechtel (Nov 11, 2021) 

Scott Johnston is a world-class coach who specializes in mountain endurance sports. This episode is a masterclass in training principles and is packed full of nuggets for climbers, including boulderers. We talked about why it’s a mistake to mimic top athletes, tips for balancing climbing with other sports, capacity vs. utilization, why to back off after a personal best, developing layers of endurance, the flaw with HRV, how to test your recovery before training, how to fail successfully, the future of alpinism and mountain running, and much more!Check out The Nugget on YouTube:youtube.com/@thenuggetclimbingCheck out PhysiVantage!physivantage.com (link includes 15% off coupon)Use code "NUGGET15" at checkout for 15% off your next order!Check out Athletic Greens!athleticgreens.com/NUGGETUse this link to get a free year's supply of vitamin D + 5 travel packs!Check out Rumpl!rumpl.com/nuggetUse code "NUGGET" at checkout for 10% off your first order!Check out Rocky Talkie!RockyTalkie.com/NuggetUse this link to get 10% off your first order of backcountry radios!Check out Tindeq!tindeq.comUse code “NUGGET” for $10 off!I recommend the Progressor 150 for finger training and testing. We are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:Leo Franchi, Michael Roy, David Lahaie, Robert Freehill, Jeremiah Johnson, Scott Donahue, Eli Conlee, Skyler Maxwell, Craig Lee, Mark and Julie Calhoun, Yinan Liu, Renzollama, Zach Emery, and Brandt MickolasBecome a Patron:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/scott-johnstonNuggets:0:04:56 – Inventing telescopes, and refurbishing European sports cars0:11:25 – Being a cross-country ski racer, climbing with Steve House, and getting into coaching0:13:22 – Why Scott and Steve decided to write Training for the New Alpinism0:15:30 – Partnering with Kilian Journett on a second book Training for the Uphill Athlete0:19:00 – The mistake of trying to mimic people like Killian Journett or Adam Ondra0:23:05 – Sound bites, the dumbing down of our attention spans, and applying traditional training methods to unconventional sports0:25:09 – Who is the Uphill Athlete book for?0:27:56 – Being a general outdoor athlete and a climber0:28:54 – Patron question from Alex: Tips for training for bouldering and sport climbing during ski season and vice versa?0:34:42 – Why more training isn’t always better0:37:39 – Building capacity, and why you rarely perform well while you’re training0:39:19 – Block periodization0:42:09 – Monitoring your recovery, using a hangboard to check in, and the restorative effect of easy aerobic activity0:46:59 – Capacity vs. utilization training0:54:26 – Training vs. randomly exercising0:57:16 – Fundamental qualities of sports, and building capacity in different qualities1:03:32 – Putting money in the bank vs. spending it1:07:18 – Why you should back off after you hit a PR in your training1:12:24 – Deloads1:16:40 – Non-linear periodization1:18:54 – The aerobic system, and the vacuum cleaner analogy1:25:54 – Developing layers of endurance1:27:52 – How and why boulderers and sport climbers should train endurance1:31:56 – More about the layers of endurance1:38:25 – My upcoming Follow-Up with Steve Bechtel,  why training needs to be more specific at higher levels, and how recovery makes you stronger1:41:33 – How important is active recovery?1:44:32 – The flaw with HRV for measuring recovery1:50:20 – Tuning in to your body, and how to test your level of fatigue1:53:34 – Using the Tindeq to test your finger strength before training (use code NUGGET for $10 off)1:56:47 – Why monitoring your progress leads to mental toughness2:03:19 – How to get the experience you need to climb technical mountains and alpine routes2:06:25 – The Dreaded Water Carries, and improving muscular endurance2:19:29 – How long and how often should our training blocks be?2:22:20 – Losing two climbing partners on K22:27:33 – How to fail successfully2:34:09 – Inventing challenges, and the essential parts of being human2:38:02 – Scott’s current outdoor lifestyle, and trying to slow the decline as aging athletes2:42:26 – Doing max strength to recover from hard endurance work2:46:15 – A teaser for how to increase your weighted pull-ups2:50:29 – Where to find Scott2:52:33 – What excites Scott the most about the future of alpinism and mountain running2:56:40 – Understanding training principles, and the key takeaway from this episode

Don McGrath is the author of Vertical Mind and an expert on mental training for climbing. We talked about the two simple diet changes he made to get back in shape in his 60s, our untapped potential in mental training, debunking and rewriting unhelpful scripts, how to tackle fear of falling and fear of failure, pre-climb rituals, how to use your climbing partner as a coach, how to stay in love with climbing as we age, duct tape and baling wire, embracing the suck, and much more!Check out The Nugget on YouTube:youtube.com/@thenuggetclimbingCheck out Crimpd!crimpd.comOr download the Crimpd app!Check out Rhino Skin Solutions!rhinoskinsolutions.comUse code “NUGGET” at checkout for 20% off your next order!And check out EP 22 with Justin Brown to learn more about how to use Rhino products!Check out Rumpl!rumpl.com/nuggetUse code "NUGGET" at checkout for 10% off your first order! We are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:Leo Franchi, Michael Roy, David Lahaie, Robert Freehill, Jeremiah Johnson, Scott Donahue, Eli Conlee, Skyler Maxwell, Craig Lee, Mark and Julie Calhoun, Yinan Liu, Renzollama, Zach Emery, and Brandt MickolasBecome a Patron:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/don-mcgrathNuggets:0:03:56 – The love/hate relationship to climbing in Rifle and Smith Rock0:07:49 – Living in Colorado Springs, spending the winter in the gym, and working with a coach0:08:52 – The two simple diet changes Don made to lose his “60-year-old belly”0:10:56 – Increasing his climbing volume, getting on harder routes in the gym, and the accountability of a coach0:12:31 – Whiskey time, habits, and alcohol substitutes0:16:16 – Turning 60, being retired, and setting the goal of climbing 5.12+/13- (7c/+) again after a decade0:18:07 – Don’s coach Kevin Branford0:20:40 – Don’s introduction to climbing, and how he became interested in writing and mental training0:27:27 – Shame Theory, and Fear of Failure0:30:43 – How the mental aspect of training is overlooked, and diving into movement, emotions, and thoughts0:34:03 – How to tackle fear of falling, scripts, working on one thing at a time, and the arsenal of uneventful falls0:39:16 – The story of the woman in The Gunks, and understanding irrational fear0:42:29 – Debunking scripts0:45:40 – The script that was holding Don back when he was one-hanging routes in Rifle0:47:49 – Don’s mantra, and “one move at a time”0:52:20 – Pre-climb ritual0:56:38 – Don’s first breakthrough with his mental game0:58:11 – Most common unproductive scripts1:04:23 – The best piece of onsighting advice I’ve gotten1:05:25 – Opening and closing your focus1:08:53 – What musical instruments and karate have to do with climbing1:10:30 – Warmups as a big missed opportunity1:13:56 – Cocreative coaching with your climbing partner1:17:43 – Shoulds elicit a shame response1:21:02 – Recommendations for couples who are also climbing partners1:23:25 – The area of mental game that I’ve been focused on, more about scripts, and breaking into new grades1:29:32 – Patron question from Gromstoph: Do you have any strategies for getting comfortable on a route more quickly?1:33:05 – “Just go find out.”1:37:29 – Patron question from Caden: Are there any ways to practice commitment with new moves when doing new climbs?1:40:37 – Main takeaway about mental training1:41:24 – How to love your sport as you age, play, and innovate1:46:24 – Why climbing is unique1:48:06 – Duct tape and baling wire1:49:40 – Don’s advice for those of us in our 20s and 30s1:51:52 – Socio-behavioral changes, and employing winning tactics1:54:28 – Don’s book The Climb1:56:38 – What’s the next book?1:57:15 – Don’s writing practice, and how a book develops a life of its own1:59:01 – Advice from Les Brown: “Every point should have a story, and every story should have a point.”2:00:41 – Have fun, enjoy the process, and embrace the suck2:03:30 – Getting inspiration from watching kids2:04:53 – Inspiration from good coaches, and the book Running With the Buffalo2:06:25 – What’s next?2:07:23 – Wrap up, and how to connect with Don

Have you listened to Climbing Gold?! The new season is here! Check out the first episode of the new season, and subscribe to Climbing Gold on your favorite podcast app for more great climbing stories. Enjoy :)In the 1970’s, no flame burned brighter than Hot Henry Barber. Often heralded as the first traveling climber, Henry redefined standards for free climbing and free soloing not just the US, but every country he visited. Along the way, he shattered egos before learning to check his own.Check out Climbing Gold!climbinggold.comInstagramListen on Apple PodcastsListen on Spotify   

Alex Honnold, professional climber and star of the film Free Solo, joins the podcast. They discuss his unknown epic solos, near misses, lessons learned from climbing legends, pooping while free soloing, the success of Free Solo, commitment to excellence, and more!

Will Bosi is a 24-year-old climber from Scotland who has emerged as one of the best climbers in the world. This interview is hot off the press! Will made the second ascent of ‘Burden of Dreams’ V17 less than two weeks ago and joins us for a proper geek out about the send. We talked about his process of projecting the replica and the actual boulder, his feats of finger strength and where to draw the line between party tricks and useful strength, doing the second ascent of ‘Mutation’ at Raven Tor, his absolute dream project, and much more!Check out The Nugget on YouTube:youtube.com/@thenuggetclimbingThe Nugget is brought to you by BetterHelp!betterhelp.com/NUGGETUse this link for 10% off your first month!Check out Crimpd!crimpd.comOr download the Crimpd app!Check out Rhino Skin Solutions!rhinoskinsolutions.comUse code “NUGGET” at checkout for 20% off your next order!And check out EP 22 with Justin Brown to learn more about how to use Rhino products!Check out Green Chef!greenchef.com/nugget60Use code "NUGGE60" at checkout for 60% off plus free shipping!Check out Rumpl!rumpl.com/nuggetUse code "NUGGET" at checkout for 10% off your first order! We are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:Leo Franchi, Michael Roy, David Lahaie, Robert Freehill, Jeremiah Johnson, Scott Donahue, Eli Conlee, Skyler Maxwell, Craig Lee, Mark and Julie Calhoun, Yinan Liu, Renzollama, Zach Emery, and Brandt MickolasBecome a Patron:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/will-bosiNuggets:(00:00:00) – Intro(00:05:18) – The emotions we experience after a big send, and looking for new projects in Scotland(00:07:56) – How sending Burden of Dreams has changed his self-perception, and the style of hard project that Will is searching for(00:10:53) – Being from Scotland and currently based in Sheffield(00:12:17) – Following Will’s journey trying the replica with Aidan and Stefano, live streams from Finland, and taking seven years for Burden to get repeated(00:15:38) – Mutation continuing to go unrepeated again after Will did it(00:17:23) – Is Will the first person to have climbed V17 and 5.15c? (9A boulder and 9b+ sport)(00:20:07) – Will’s first time trying the Burden replica in Aidan’s shed(00:23:32) – Will’s thoughts on Shawn’s progress on Burden(00:25:10) – The warmup game on Burden, and the last move(00:30:16) – Will’s standard training session, and what his process looked like training on the Bruden replica(00:33:45) – Doing the first move 5 times in a session, and feeling stronger every session(00:36:26) – How similar the replica is to the actual boulder, and what surprised Will the most when he tried Burden(00:41:12) – How Will’s beta compared to Nalle’s, and the heal hook beta(00:46:17) – What a full session looked like on the replica,  and how that compared to a session on the actual boulder(00:51:28) – His skin when he sent the boulder, feeling strongest on his first try of the day, and the send(00:54:48) – How long a pair of shoes lasts on the boulder(00:57:33) – Will’s shoe selection for Burden, and struggling with the second move(00:58:53) – The pulley setup on the replica, comparing it to Katie Lamb’s experience on Spectre, and the usefulness of power spots(01:08:50) – Will replicas change the way we think about flashing boulders?(01:12:03) – The future of replica training, and the Alphane replica in Aidan’s shed(01:15:35) – Will’s thoughts on the grades of Burden, Alphane, and his FA Honey Badger(01:26:27) – Will’s feats of finger strength on the hangboard(01:30:57) – Where is the line between party tricks vs. functional finger strength?(01:34:21) – A breakdown of Mutation 9a+/b(01:38:24) – Bigger edge training vs. micros(01:40:52) – How often throughout the year Will does his go-to style of training session, and building volume vs. intensity(01:46:28) – Will’s absolute dream in climbing, and his experience on Excalibur 5.15c (9b+)(01:49:10) – Breakdown of the moves on Excalibur(01:52:21) – What’s next for Will, and potential plans for the summer(01:53:59) – Will’s thoughts on endurance training, and his story of sending Estado Critico 9a(01:55:13) – Being more thoughtful about your climbing(01:57:17) – Feeling excited to relax and chill, and plans to release a film of Burden(01:58:22) – Subscribe to Will’s YouTube channel for send footage!

This full episode is available for Patrons right now! This is a teaser of a follow-up with Katie Lamb. We talked about her recent send of Spectre V14 in Bishop CA, breaking down crux moves into multiple pieces, how she trains on a spray wall, her top 5 go-to lifts in the weight room, projecting tricks, dopamine snacks vs. substance, what she learned from Spectre, having the travel bug, goals for 2023, and more!Become a Patron to get access to the full episode! And support the podcast! *The full version is 1:12:49.*Watch the uncut video interview here!patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingKatie’s Original Episode:EP 145: Katie Lamb