The Nugget Climbing Podcast

In Q&A 3, I tackle patron questions about my two most successful winters of training on my home wall back in Bend, how my training has evolved and what it looks like now, how to maintain strength while living on the road and climbing full-time, advice for nomadic living, life mottos, try-hard mindset, hair dye, M&Ms, singalong jams, and much more.Become a Patron:  patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing One-On-One Consultations:thenuggetclimbing.com/coachingShow Notes:  http://thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/qa-3Nuggets:0:00 – Q&A 3 overview, and info about Patreon and one-on-one consultations5:05 – Faelan’s Question: Lessons from two winters of training on my (Steven’s) home wall, and my best week of climbing ever16:20 – Andrew K’s Question: Have you ever visited The New or other east coast crags? What areas do you dream of visiting?17:44 – Jimmy’s Question: How much running should someone do for sport climbing to build cardio?20:39 – Joe’s Question: Am I limiting myself by only climbing near home in Tahoe? Which areas should I travel to in order to grow the most as a climber?25:03 – Joe’s Question: Any advice for me as I pursue a new video project and start creating content?28:19 – Andrew W’s Question: Why have you struggled to make gains in your training in the past? How has your training evolved? How do you train now?35:30 – Andrew W’s Question: Tips for building and maintaining community while living on the road?38:08 – Andrew W’s Question: Do you have a quote or motto that best describes your approach to living?41:26 – Casey’s Question: Any advice for training/maintaining strength while living on the road?48:42 – Clay’s Question: How do you think about the question, “How do you think about that?”51:19 – Casey M’s Question: Did you really dye your hair blonde? Why not purple?52:44 – Casey M’s Question: Any person totally non-climbing-related that you would love to have on the podcast?55:52 – Casey M’s Question: Have you ever absentmindedly picked all of the M&Ms out of someone else's trail mix? 56:19 – Casey M’s Question: You are riding in the car with a friend and you are the DJ: what do you pick to sing along to?57:23 – Casey M’s Question: What mindset do you try to channel when trying hard?59:00 – Casey M’s Question: When will you start trying to do stunts in videos? Can we send you skateboard tricks?

This full episode is available for Patrons right now! This is a teaser of a follow-up call with Allison Vest. We talked about her sends of ‘Throwin’ the Houlihan’ and ‘Rodeo Free Europe’ (both 5.14a) at the Wild Iris, how she trained her fingers for the savage monos, stories and laughs from her road trip with Alex Johnson, rapping, reciting the Periodic Table of Elements in under 45 seconds, music collaborations, and much more.Become a Patron to get access to the full episode! And support the podcast! *The full version is 53:16.patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing

Ben Ditto is a professional climber and photographer from Bishop, California. We talked about Ben’s upbringing and early climbing, competing against Chris Sharma and Tommy Caldwell, falling in love with the mountains, Dynafit dangling and near-death experiences, advice for aspiring photographers, The Adventures of the Dodo, and climbing ‘Father Time’ with his wife Katie Lambert. You can learn more about Ben at bendittophoto.comSupport the Podcast:thenuggetclimbing.com/supportBecome a Patron:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/ben-dittoNuggets:3:26 – Filming a car commercial4:54 – Ben’s studio, and staying interested in learning new things6:58 – Ben’s photography, Instagram captions, and visual storytelling9:18 – Getting started in photography, Ben’s first camera, and photography as a ticket to freedom11:42 – Pursuing a life that doesn’t fit in a box, growing up in Chattanooga TN, and Ben’s dad16:01 – Early climbing19:34 – ‘Scared guy’24:18 – Hunter S Thomson quote, “the edge is still out there.”25:05 – Belaying his dad, improving, getting into competition climbing, and flying to San Francisco34:54 – Failing to perform well on a national stage, and competing at Mission Cliffs against Chris Sharma and Tommy Caldwell39:09 – Early sponsorships42:28 – Moving to Salt Lake, working at the Patagonia store, and falling in love with mountains44:46 – Climbing in the Wasatch, climbing with heroes, American Fork, and finding a different crew50:28 – Career choices, going with what feels natural, and delaying big decisions53:38 – Making stuff, trade booths, getting back into photography, noticing the impact we have on the planet, studying photojournalism, and learning by managing other photographers1:01:30 – Ben’s advice for aspiring photographers1:05:22 – Patron Question from Elliot: How to take photos while alpine climbing? 1:08:01 – Behind the scenes of great alpine photography1:10:40 – Climbing and photography as separate things1:13:38 – Patron Question from Tim: What location or climber are you most proud of photographing?1:18:55 – ‘Dynafit dangler’1:32:48 – Processing risk and death, and “You owe it to your climbing partners to really want to be there.”1:38:01 – Stacking the odds in your favor, and being involved in search and rescue1:44:17 – Driving as a pet peeve, and environmental considerations1:47:17 – The Wild Bunch1:57:11 – Harmonica, traveling solo in Patagonia, and sailing to Greenland2:04:20 – ‘The Adventures of the Doto’2:10:32 – The group’s current adventures2:13:29 – Climbing ‘Father Time’ with Katie, and the strategy vs. ethics of big wall free climbing2:30:16 – Relaxing after the climb, and difficulty of the route2:34:08 – Beefing up the resume, and jumping into the commercial world2:38:11 – Gratitude, and plans for a trip to the South2:40:24 – Update on my climbing, Ben’s website, and working on accident reports

Alejandra (Alita) Contreras is a half Colombian half Venezualan professional rock climber, coach, and translator. We talked about the economic situation in Venezuela and why she moved to Colombia six years ago, about living in Germany and translating training books by Udo Neumann, about coaching women, our global climbing family, and her current 5.14a project.Support the Podcast:thenuggetclimbing.com/supportBecome a Patron:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/alita-contrerasNuggets:1:50 – Alegria3:52 – Alita vs. Alejandra6:40 – The situation in Venezuela, and why Alita emigrated to Columbia14:21 – Studying languages, Alita’s father, singing opera, and becoming interested in Germany18:48 – Separating languages in your head21:13 – Tips for learning a new language25:36 – Thinking differently, and having different personalities in different languages28:13 – Bad milk29:42 – The many things Alita does for work, and coaching a women’s group34:05 – Patterns Alita notices in working with women climbers, and what she works on with her group39:23 – Empowering girls and educating guys41:46 – Researching a new project to help women with cancer regain physical and emotional health through climbing45:55 – Translating Udo Neuman’s books into Spanish48:30 – Parallels with translating and the podcast, and the big takeaways from Udo’s books54:51 – In Search of Greatness (documentary), going with the current of motivation, and being honest with yourself59:11 – The powerful 13a that Alita is most proud of (even though she has climbed 13d)1:02:29 – My season of seeking out obscure 12d’s at Smith, and the benefit of climbing easier routes outside of your best style1:05:16 – Alita’s 14a project1:08:59 – Macheta climbing area, and a description of the 14a1:10:45 – Alita’s video of ‘Los Tenahos Contratican’, and similarities to Hueco1:11:33 – Dreams of climbing at the Red, and climbing in Europe1:12:53 – Alita’s favorite climbing destinations1:15:00 – Living and climbing near the equator, and tactics for projecting when you don’t have seasons1:19:10 – How Alita thinks about yearly goals1:21:12 – Continuing to improve, and enjoying the process1:26:07 – Living in Canada, competing in one competition, and Alita’s hype-up song1:31:33 – Patron question from Eli: What is the local climbing like in your area? Similarities and differences in climbing cultures around  the world?1:36:18 – Gratitude for Alegria (her dog)1:39:46 – A new opportunity1:37:25 – Aspirations to be a pro-climber?1:39:01 – Vulnerability and the gift of sharing 1:40:10 – Gratitude, and meaningful connections

Dylan Barks is an elite-level boulder and sport climber, and a dark horse in the climbing scene. He sent ‘Creature from the Black Lagoon’, his first V16, just two weeks after this interview. We talked about how Dylan uses a spray wall for 95% of his training, how he prepares for both bouldering and sport climbing trips, and about recovering from an eating disorder to climb his hardest ever.Support the Podcast:thenuggetclimbing.com/supportBecome a Patron:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/dylan-barksNuggets:4:00 – Vanlife pipedreams, Dylan’s work and school, and finding his groove climbing outside 7:05 – Being in both the competition and outdoor worlds8:30 – Bad haircut timing, and the alpine as a harsh and special place11:32 – How Dylan prepared for his trip to RMNP, and spray wall training for both bouldering and sport climbing14:11 – Dylan’s training philosophy, and why he uses the spray wall16:24 – The value of benchmarks, and mixing limit bouldering with perfect repeats17:58 – ‘A Day in Boone’, how Dylan has trained his capacity, and session format21:40 – The line between capacity training vs. junk mileage23:45 – Deep dive: spray wall session format26:32 – 60 move circuits, running, and pushing through vs. resting31:23 – Watching Dylan on ‘Wild Cat’, and his story about competing against Daniel Woods37:00 – Internalizing the feeling of a move, and bringing intention to all of your climbing39:17 – Sending ‘White Noise’, and finding another gear on this trip40:20 – Taking the lower grade, and being his own harshest critic41:32 – Where Dylan sees a lot of climbers going wrong in their training and improvement43:44 – Coaching Jon, and coaching the team in MI45:43 – Starting climbing at summer camp46:33 – ‘Southern Smoke Direct’, taking a hiatus due to an eating disorder, and the light at the end of a dark tunnel48:52 – Sharing about an eating disorder, and how Dylan’s struggle started 51:51 – Dysmorphia, and “Your body’s got it.”56:00 – A couple of paragraphs from ‘Weighing In’ 1:01:13 – Trusting the process, seeing things working, and the tricks our mind can play on us1:04:57 – Looking at old pictures1:06:04 – What 18-year-old Dylan needed to hear1:08:28 – Going to the hospital, rebuilding relationships, and turning things around1:10:48 – Mike, and “feed the beast”1:12:14 – Untapped potential for strength, and thoughts vs. actions1:15:08 – Navigating negative thoughts1:17:00 – Using your climbing and training as the main driver for body composition1:20:19 – Climbing ‘Arrested Development’ second try1:24:15 – Mindful climbing, and being in the present moment1:25:52 – Practicing mindfulness1:26:52 – If you could only do one more hard rock climb…1:28:35 – That “click”1:30:14 – Southern sandstone1:31:21 – Go-to climbing shoes1:33:02 – Warming up your technique1:34:35 – Trying ‘Creature from the Black Lagoon’1:36:04 – School, and getting out his “ya yas”1:37:25 – Aspirations to be a pro-climber?1:39:01 – Vulnerability and the gift of sharing 1:40:10 – Gratitude, and meaningful connections

This full episode is available for Patrons right now! This is a teaser of a follow-up call with Steve Maisch. We talked about the aerobic system and oxygen testing with Tyler Nelson, how to maintain climbing fitness during mountain biking season, my summer training program and my plan for the fall and winter, how Steve is preparing for his own trip to Hueco this winter, and we did a listener Q&A from our last episode.Become a Patron to get access to the full episode! And support the podcast! *The full version is 2:45:31.patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing

Emil Abrahamsson is an elite boulderer, route setter, and YouTuber from Sweden. We talked about goal setting and projecting his first V15 as a V9 climber, the importance of psych and inspiration, experimenting with hangboarding two times per day, how to do one-arm pullups, sharing the experience of outdoor climbing through films, and making a living through his YouTube channel.Support the Podcast:thenuggetclimbing.com/supportBecome a Patron:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/emil-abrahamssonNuggets:3:11 – Building a van and planning a bouldering trip around Europe6:01 – My bouldering goals, Emil’s progression, and setting goals9:27 – Trying a V15 as a V9 climber, and how a lot of climbers stay “comfortable” at a specific level12:53 – ‘The Big Island’ 17:17 – Emil’s first day of climbing, struggling early on, and getting hooked19:38 – Alternating difficulty and volume goals21:32 – ‘The Queen Mother’ (Emil’s first 8B/V13 project in Stockholm), and the limiting power of expectations29:21 – Reflecting on ‘The Queen Mother’, and prioritizing psych and motivation32:00 – Felix37:13 – “Swiss Recruitment”, or the Swiss style of projecting41:00 – How Emil got into YouTubing, capturing the experience of outdoor climbing, and my impression as a viewer44:27 – Forgetting to charge the batteries, and the stress vs. fun of filming47:42 – Work-life balance when you love your work, and turning YouTubing into a career49:34 – How to balance capturing footage with training or performing, and capturing the good and the bad51:15 – Emil’s “No Hangs” hangboard video, and his caveat for training advice56:00 – Quick overview of the “No Hang” hangboard protocol, and Emil’s theory of why his fingers got stronger1:00:16 – We get most of our strength through climbing1:01:41 – 4x4s and other climbing games 1:04:10 – Training your strengths, and practicing weaknesses through climbing1:06:59 – How Emil structures his training, and embracing the stretching “pain game”1:11:49 – Turning challenges into positives, and the benefits Emil has noticed from stretching1:14:46 – Patron question from Florian about avoiding crimping early on in his climbing, and how Emil worked to improve his crimp strength later1:18:34 – How Emil rewired his brain to think, “Full crimps are comfortable. I can enjoy these.”1:19:32 – Emil’s crimp progression and current level1:21:53 – One-arm pull-ups, 4mm crimps, front levers, and getting weaker on purpose to get better at technique1:28:55 – Emil’s recommendations for progressing to a one-arm pullup1:33:41 – How Emil pronounces his name, and a Patron question from Flynn about training for indoors vs. outdoors and competing in World Cups1:41:12 – Flash training 1:43:44 – World Cup goals, and the flame of competition1:47:34 – What is one of the weirdest/worst training experiments that you’ve tried?1:50:24 – Favorite films, the critical eye, and the need for consistent content1:54:48 – Recommendations for new viewers1:56:35 – Emil’s dream collaboration1:58:17 – Gratitude2:01:03 – Finishing the van, and plans for Switzerland and Italy

Boone Speed is a photographer, innovator, and was the first American to climb 5.14b with his route ‘Super Tweak’ in Logan Canyon, UT. We talked about Boone’s upbringing, discovering climbing in American Fork, most memorable routes and trips, bolting and training in the Hell Cave, creating the Grasshopper Board, and his vision for the future of artificial climbing.Support the Podcast:thenuggetclimbing.com/supportBecome a Patron:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/boone-speedNuggets:2:17 – The Paleo Diet, and Boone’s lunchables4:51 – Twitching on airplanes, and cutting out sugar6:09 – Being a picky eater as a kid6:47 – Growing up in Lindon UT, and the development of Silicon Slope8:11 – Working at the bronze foundry as a teenager, and Boone’s dad 12:48 – The expectations Boone’s parents had for him, and being proud of how he’s lived his life14:42 – Thriving in the chaos, and Boone’s beautiful and art-filled house15:35 – Boone’s sister, ‘Frequent Flyers’, and advice from his mom about raising his son21:07 – Ignoring bad behavior and praising good behavior22:20 – His son being surrounded by art, and getting into product design24:34 – How Boone got “bitten” by climbing, Smith Rock, and early “sport climbing” in 198627:17 – Ice climbing and telemark skiing29:32 – Climbing his first 5.13 in 1987, getting the power drill, and developing sport routes at Red Rocks33:33 – Studying photography and design at BYU33:59 – Hanging out in American Fork as a kid, and discovering climbing there37:04 – The Hell Cave44:37 – Milestones in The Hell Cave for Boone47:33 – The steepest crag in the world49:35 – Establishing the rest of Hell50:44 – The first snowbird comp, and getting validation from the guys in the magazines52:49 – Getting recognition, developing the VRG, and texting Ondra after he did ‘Necessary Evil’56:23 – Boone’s first climbing gym in a storage unit in 1987, and training by climbing every single day58:55 – Working at IME, Boone’s mom, and the structure of a photograph 1:03:12 – Climbing as a healthy addiction, and blending climbing with art1:06:31 – The photography Boone has in his house1:08:28 – The throughline of innovation, and creating stuff for themselves1:10:37 – The first crash pads, and climbing ‘Midnight Lightning’ with The Spot1:14:12 – The “need” that lead to starting Grasshopper1:19:14 – How I could train for ‘Just Do It’ on the Grasshopper board1:21:03 – My experience with training on a home woody, repetition as a path to mastery, and running laps in the Hell Cave1:23:18 – A day in the Hell Cave 1:25:17 – ‘Ice Cream’ in Hell1:27:57 – The two moments in climbing that have blown Boone away1:29:09 – The responsibility of pushing climbing forward, and passing the torch to Chris Sharma1:34:47 – Memories from a trip to China with Sharma and MC, and other favorite memories1:36:31 – Watching old climbing films with his wife Bailey1:37:23 – Working on Grasshopper with MC and Bailey1:43:45 – Addressing the climbing need, and installing a Grasshopper at a brand new HOA1:47:38 – Training on ergonomic vs. sharp and tweaky holds1:52:24 – What products Grasshopper is currently offering 1:56:21 – Creating products as an excuse “to make good photos again”, and finding product-market fit with the Grasshopper board2:02:06 – The route function2:10:12 – ‘Necessary Evil’, yoga, and strengthening2:12:57 – Tequila, surfing, wanting to perform, and using the board to stay within striking distance2:19:03 – What is standing between Boone and ‘Necessary Evil’, and Boone’s pandemic routine2:21:37 – How to be a fit 56-year-old2:24:20 – Yoga2:25:56 – Gratitude2:26:29 – Good things take time2:28:42 – How Boone and I met

This full episode is available for Patrons right now! This is a teaser of a follow-up call with Nathan Hadley. We talked about his recent 10-day trip to RMNP, in which he sent ‘The Honeymoon is Over’ and flashed the ‘Gambler’s Fallacy’ on The Diamond. We talked about how Nathan prepared for the trip, how he and his partner Mike Kerzhner sussed ‘The Honeymoon’, and the day of the send.Become a Patron to get access to the full episode! And support the podcast! *The full version is 1:03:36.

Neely Quinn is the founder of TrainingBeta, and the long-time host of The TrainingBeta Podcast. We talked about Neely’s health journey and discovering paleo, not wanting a boss, why she decided to create TrainingBeta, lessons learned from hosting 160+ interviews, injuries and surgery, project piano pieces, kids vs. houses, and her new puppy named Willa.Support the Podcast:thenuggetclimbing.com/supportBecome a Patron:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/neely-quinnNuggets:2:30 – The other side of the mic4:11 – Singing and piano, and hating performing 7:21 – Connections between podcasting, climbing, and music10:00 – Not wanting a boss, creating TrainingBeta, and Neely’s background in the paleo world11:40 – Neely’s initial plan for TrainingBeta, and the podcast as an afterthought12:35 – Scratching her own itch, getting fired, and brainstorming16:48 – Downloads and reads, the weight loss topic, and my eating disorder story20:58 – How to talk about fat loss, and how to do that in a healthy manner24:09 – Writing a book about the paleo diet, Neely’s health journey, and the impact of food on health29:15 – Neely’s diet before paleo30:19 – Why Neely rarely recommends the paleo diet, and the individuality of nutrition coaching32:42 – Neely’s most common nutrition recommendations (carb sources, protein, and artificials)37:06 – Neely’s diet39:06 – Chocolate40:14 – Common symptoms that are often connected to food44:14 – How to think about doing an elimination diet (if you are having symptoms)47:44 – Patron question from PogoStickJoe: Efficacy from Collagen?50:34 – Probiotics53:48 – Neely’s nutrition coaching and program55:22 – Neely’s surprise at the success of the TrainingBeta podcast and blog56:56 – The early days, growing TrainingBeta, and different measures of success1:01:31 – Balancing a business with climbing1:02:27 – Commitment, and the entrepreneurial spirit1:04:46 – Top lessons that Neely has learned from hosting 160+ episodes of the TrainingBeta podcast1:07:54 – Mindset, self-improvement, and the early days of training content1:10:31 – Some of the training exercises that helped Neely get to be her strongest ever, and wrist curls1:14:02 – Injuries, handstands, and wrist surgery1:16:26 – The ebbs and flows of motivation, and learning to be kinder to ourselves 1:18:23 – Imposter syndrome, and being a conduit for information1:20:06 – ‘Tomb Raider’, and being enough1:20:53 – Depression, comparison, and putting things in perspective1:23:59 – Piano, music, and balancing passions1:27:24 – Reality TV, and the Bachelorette  1:28:36 – Children vs. house1:29:26 – Kids1:32:36 – Willa and projecting1:34:18 – Patron question from Howard: Favorite local gym and favorite front range crag?1:35:32 – Rifle and the Red River Gorge1:36:29 – Getting recognized at the crag1:37:45 – New stuff with TrainingBeta, and adult climbing teams1:39:56 – Gratitude1:40:51 – Upcoming climbing trips, and closing thoughts