The Nugget Climbing Podcast

The podcast delves into Davis Ngo's journey as a climber and Instagram personality, discussing his rise on social media, challenges faced after breaking his back while highballing, the need for pro climbers to be compensated fairly, his dream of creating a bouldering competition in Bishop CA, and overcoming fear post-injury.

Stefano Ghisolfi is an Italian professional climber and one of the most accomplished sport climbers in the world. We talked about racing bikes growing up, discovering climbing, using humor in his YouTube videos, how having fun helps him send, why he loves projecting limit routes, chasing the impossible, trying ‘Silence’ 9c, sending ‘Excalibur’ 9b+, two drills for legendary endurance, supporting his girlfriend Sara through hard times with her health, and much more!Become a Patron - 7 Day Free Trial!patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing Watch the Video Interview:EP 210: Stefano Ghisolfi — Uncut Video!Check out Crimpd!crimpd.comOr download the Crimpd app for free!The Nugget is sponsored by BetterHelp!betterhelp.com/NUGGETUse this link for 10% off your first month!Check out Mad Rock!madrock.comUse code “NUGGET” at checkout for 10% off your next order!Check out PhysiVantage!physivantage.com (link includes 15% off coupon)Use code "NUGGET15" at checkout for 15% off your next order! We are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:Michael Roy, Craig Lee, Mark and Julie Calhoun, Yinan Liu, Zach Emery, Alex Pluta, and Matt WalterShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/stefano-ghisolfiNuggets:(00:00:00) – Intro(00:01:28) – Young Stefano(00:08:18) – Humor and fun(00:12:09) – The Dawn of Climbing(00:14:20) – The whole process(00:17:41) – Trying ‘Silence’ 9c(00:20:52) – Chasing the impossible(00:23:33) – Learning new skills on ‘Silence’(00:25:53) – Comparing ‘Silence’ and ‘Excalibur’ 9b+(00:28:45) – Limiting factors on ‘Silence’(00:36:08) – Tips for building legendary endurance(00:44:49) – ‘Excalibur’ and ‘Burden of Dreams’ 9A(00:55:35) – Trying ‘Excalibur’ with Adam Ondra and Will Bosi(01:02:14) – The sword earring(01:04:06) – How ‘Excalibur’ got its name(01:09:22) – Trying ‘Hubble’ 8c+/9a(01:11:41) – Engaging with climbing history(01:14:48) – Stefano’s climbing heroes(01:17:51) – ‘Demencia Senil’ 9a+(01:20:29) – Fortnite and Mario Kart strength(01:22:52) – Sara’s health challenges(01:29:29) – Supporting one another(01:33:28) – Wrap up and EXTRA for Patrons!

Graham Zimmerman is an award-winning alpinist, writer, filmmaker, and climate advocate. We talked about his harrowing ascent of Mt. Bradley in his early 20s, getting injured in New Zealand, how his relationship with risk has evolved, losing friends in the mountains, the mystery of passion, the 100-year-plan, falling in love with his wife Shannon, getting shut down on K2 by global warming, the climate crisis, the concept of imperfect advocacy, and his new book, A Fine Line: Searching for Balance Among Mountains.Become a Patron - 7 Day Free Trial!patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing Watch the Video Interview:EP 209: Graham Zimmerman — Uncut Video!Check out Chalk Cartel!chalkcartel.comUse code "NUGGET" at checkout for 20% off your next order!Check out Tindeq!tindeq.comUse code “nugget” for $10 off your order!Check out KAYA!kayaclimb.comUse code "NUGGET" at checkout for 20% off your first year of KAYA PRO!Check out Rhino Skin Solutions!rhinoskinsolutions.comUse code “NUGGET” at checkout for 20% off your next order! We are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:Michael Roy, Craig Lee, Mark and Julie Calhoun, Yinan Liu, Zach Emery, Alex Pluta, and Matt WalterShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/graham-zimmermanNuggets:(00:00:00) – Intro(00:01:38) – Daddy style(00:03:59) – Mt. Bradley(00:12:23) – The recipe for success(00:14:32) – How I related to the book(00:19:03) – Graham’s injury in New Zealand(00:21:54) – The Burger King story(00:24:04) – Falling for mountains(00:30:24) – The mystery of passion(00:32:07) – Mark Allen(00:40:45) – What makes alpinism hard?(00:44:04) – The logistics of mountain ascents(00:48:11) – Building a relationship with places(00:52:09) – The 100-Year Plan(00:57:48) – Shannon(01:04:06) – Compromise and purpose(01:08:30) – Getting engaged(01:16:13) – Loss and risk(01:25:58) – K2 and climate(01:34:16) – Imperfect advocacy(01:43:15) – Voting(01:50:40) – Energy and water(01:51:39) – POW(01:52:29) – Don’t stop climbing(01:54:11) – Graham’s book and EXTRA teaser

Jesse Grupper, 27-year-old Olympian, shares his unique climbing approach in a nomadic lifestyle. Topics include optimistic training, turning around bouldering, balancing work with Olympic prep, and soft robotics applications.

Will Bosi is back to talk about sending ‘Return of the Sleepwalker, his third V17/9A! We talked about surprising himself by sending the stand start in three sessions, why ROTS suited his style better than he expected, how he trained during the bad weather breaks, his process, how he felt on the send, how ROTS stacks up against his other hardest boulders, plans to try Megatron V17 and return to Terranova V16 and Excalibur 5.15c, what he plans to try next, and more!Will’s Original Episode:EP 166: Will Bosi

Physiotherapist Paul Houghoughi shares tips on rehabbing finger injuries, wrist strengthening, causes of synovitis and capsulitis, and how to avoid common climbing injuries. Topics include lumbrical injuries, training with hypermobile fingers, preventing injuries, grip gears, rehab techniques, and managing elbow pain. Paul emphasizes proper diagnosis, stretching, and strengthening exercises for climbers to stay injury-free.

Charlie Schreiber returns to the podcast! Charlie joins me from Fontainebleau to talk about the epiphany he had in Rocklands, leaving his job to focus on Paradigm Climbing, teaming up with Alex Johnson, getting obsessed with ‘The Big Island’ 8C/V15, building a perfect replica of the boulder, how to train on your limit projects, the concept of the “ideal circuit”, and much more!Become a Patron - 7 Day Free Trial!patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing The Nugget is sponsored by BetterHelp!betterhelp.com/NUGGETUse this link for 10% off your first month!Check out PhysiVantage!physivantage.com (link includes 15% off coupon)Use code "NUGGET15" at checkout for 15% off your next order!Check out Chalk Cartel!chalkcartel.comUse code "NUGGET" at checkout for 20% off your next order!Check out Crimpd!crimpd.comOr download the Crimpd app for free! We are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:Michael Roy, Craig Lee, Mark and Julie Calhoun, Yinan Liu, Zach Emery, Alex Pluta, and Matt WalterShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/charlie-schreiber-returnsNuggets:(00:00:00) – Intro(00:02:49) – Eating mangos in Fontainbleau(00:05:00) – Epiphanies from his Rocklands trip(00:09:15) – Capacity and the group psych(00:12:06) – Strategy and resting hard(00:15:22) – Sleep(00:16:58) – Partnering with Alex Johnson(00:20:45) – What is Paradigm Climbing?(00:23:11) – Solving coaching puzzles(00:25:22) – 9-week cycles(00:27:34) – Deloads(00:29:19) – The brain adapts faster than the body(00:31:12) – Looking back and ahead(00:36:46) – Stacking training programs(00:42:15) – “It’s not your last day”(00:45:31) – Having Martin Keller as a mentor(00:46:37) – The similarity between training and performing(00:48:13) – Supplemental training on trips(00:50:44) – Conditions in Font, and ‘Karma’ 8A+/V12(00:53:06) – ‘Getting psyched on The Big Island’ 8C/V15(00:57:59) – Blanancing trips with his marriage(01:00:15) – Building ‘The Big Island’ replica(01:11:34) – How much does the replica cost?(01:14:14) – Training on the replica(01:22:21) – How to train on your project(01:27:45) – How much progress did he make on the replica?(01:29:16) – Progress and time remaining on his trip(01:32:32) – How he is projecting the actual boulder, mobility, and sore ankles(01:35:45) – Will Charlie train this way on future projects?(01:38:40) – Will replicas unlock V18?(01:40:15) – Nalle’s FA of ‘Burden of Dreams’ 9A/V17(01:42:20) – The Ideal Circuit(01:46:43) – Setting specific comp boulders for Adam Shahar(01:51:32) – How you win comps vs. not lose comps(01:54:42) – How to create your own Ideal Circuit(01:56:30) – Creating your own boulders(01:59:08) – Imposing demands(02:01:48) – Wrap up and EXTRA teaser!

Kai Lightner is back on to talk about his recent send of 'Life of Villains' 5.14d/9a at the Hurricave! We talked about the emotional rollercoaster of sending 'LOV', how it felt to send 9a in his current body, not rushing the process, his trip to Jamaica, bolting his first route, what's going on with Climbing 4 Change, and more!Donate to C4C:climbing4change.orgKai’s Original Episode:EP 55: Kai LightnerNuggets:(00:00:00) – Kai’s upcoming trip and project(00:03:41) – Self-preservation(00:05:11) – The emotional rollercoaster of ‘Life of Villains’ 5.14d/9a(00:07:57) – How it felt to send ‘LOV’ in his current body(00:13:40) – Not rushing the process(00:16:50) – Expanding his technical arsenal(00:18:15) – Bad weather, broken holds, and the send(00:23:07) – His trip to Jamaica(00:27:00) – Building a climbing gym in the National Training Center(00:28:42) – Bolting his first route(00:33:31) – The food(00:35:34) – What’s going on with C4C(00:37:49) – Paying it forward(00:41:35) – How to support C4C(00:45:47) – Testifying in Washington to get climbing gyms recognized as sports facilities(00:54:02) – Bouldering with Drew Ruana, and negative temperatures

Adrian Vanoni is an up-and-coming finger crack wizard who has been on fire for the last few years. We talked about him breaking into 5.14, freeing El Cap ground up and then in a day, training for the famous ‘Cobra Crack’ using a campus board, doing the first free ascent of a 5.14 finger crack in the alpine, lucid dreaming about beta, going after hard routes that will force you to grow as a climber, and much more!Become a Patron - 7 Day Free Trial!patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing Check out KAYA!kayaclimb.comUse code "NUGGET" at checkout for 20% off your first year of KAYA PRO!Check out Mad Rock!madrock.comUse code “NUGGET” at checkout for 10% off your next order!Check out Tindeq!tindeq.comUse code “nugget” for $10 off your order!Check out Rhino Skin Solutions!rhinoskinsolutions.comUse code “NUGGET” at checkout for 20% off your next order!We are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:Michael Roy, Craig Lee, Mark and Julie Calhoun, Yinan Liu, Zach Emery, Alex Pluta, and Matt WalterShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/adrian-vanoniNuggets:(00:00:00) – Intro(00:02:04) – Mustaches, haircuts, and wired headphones(00:05:16) – Our conversation about trying to climb 5.14(00:07:42) – Geeking out about ‘Badman’ 5.14a(00:08:40) – Collecting unfinished business, and sticking with it on projects(00:11:04) – Little Si, and a new crag in WA(00:13:30) – Adrian’s lifestyle(00:16:04) – The glamorous life of an amateur climber(00:20:29) – His beginnings in trad climbing(00:23:29) – Developing the skills to free El Cap(00:24:16) – Freeing ‘Golden Gate’ ground up with Sam Stroh(00:26:14) – Comparing his and Sam’s tick lists(00:30:54) – Putting ‘El Corazon’ in a day into context(00:40:44) – Will’s impressive belay season(00:41:25) – Blue-collar sending(00:46:39) – ‘Mr. Chicken’(00:53:38) – Trying hard is trainable(00:58:50) – Anticipation, expectation, and redpoint stress(01:00:59) – Living in the present, and appreciating the journey(01:04:00) – Sending ‘Cobra Crack’ 5.14b(01:10:25) – Training for Cobra on the campus board(01:17:31) – Visualization and lucid dreaming(01:21:30) – More ‘Badman’ beta(01:25:01) – The nuance of resting on sport routes(01:29:09) – Beta depends on context(01:35:58) – Prusik Peak and ‘Prayer for a Friend’(02:00:24) – The style of big wall ascents(02:10:06) – Street credit(02:18:07) – Sending ‘Prayer for a Friend’ 5.14-(02:22:56) – Goal routes and boulders(02:31:42) – Social media vs. inspiration(02:39:41) – Not everything is for everyone(02:45:54) – My climbing as a more public person(02:49:26) – Growing to meet a route where it is(02:51:26) – Get on the hard thing you want to do(02:57:57) – ‘Freerider’ in a day(03:13:19) – Wrap up and EXTRA teaser!

Anak Verhoeven is a professional climber from Belgium and one of the most accomplished female sport climbers ever. We talked about growing up with her mom as coach and dad as trainer, why she quit competitions, dealing with a strange injury that plagued her for 3+ years, winning her first World Cup, building 9a+ endurance with mediocre training facilities, making up rules in the gym, her onsighting strategy, being public about her faith, and much more!Become a Patron - 7 Day Free Trial!patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing Check out Rhino Skin Solutions!rhinoskinsolutions.comUse code “NUGGET” at checkout for 20% off your next order!Check out Green Chef!greenchef.com/60nuggetUse code "60nugget" at checkout for 60% off plus 20% off your next two months!Check out Crimpd!crimpd.comOr download the Crimpd app!The Nugget is sponsored by BetterHelp!betterhelp.com/NUGGETUse this link for 10% off your first month!We are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:Michael Roy, Craig Lee, Mark and Julie Calhoun, Yinan Liu, Zach Emery, Alex Pluta, and Matt WalterShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/anak-verhoevenNuggets:(00:00:00) – Intro(00:03:14) – Living in a small motorhome with her parents on long trips(00:06:40) – Anak’s 9a and harder resume, and her level of fame in Belgium(00:10:03) – How Anak makes a living(00:13:51) – The advantages of doing everything herself(00:15:48) – How her mom and dad became her coach and trainer(00:17:58) – Practicing her autograph as a kid(00:20:13) – Competing in her first international competition(00:22:34) – Struggling in early competitions, and navigating disappointment(00:25:54) – Setting the bar high(00:27:47) – Family meetings(00:31:24) – Rest days, exercises, and hair washing(00:37:04) – Leading her first route at age 4(00:41:08) – Getting injured and falling in love with climbing(00:44:19) – The variety within climbing(00:50:50) – Why Anak quit competitions(00:56:51) – Anak’s strange arm injury(01:06:46) – Working on her shoulder mobility(01:10:21) – Keeping her arm injury a secret(01:14:08) – Current status of her arm(01:17:05) – Understanding what folks with chronic illness go through(01:20:59) – What does Anak miss the most about competitions?(01:25:46) – Longer trips, and the stress of competitions(01:30:43) – Winning her first World Cup in Arco(01:34:05) – The satisfaction of sending Ciudad de Dios pa la Enmienda(01:42:15) – Getting fresh air during competitions(01:44:59) – Anak’s training shed(01:47:57) – Training on the same routes for 3 years, and motivation vs. fancy facilities(01:53:01) – Anak’s strategy for onsighting comp routes(01:57:11) – Making up rules at the gym(02:01:36) – How Anak built her endurance(02:07:15) – Mental endurance(02:11:27) – 9b and trad climbing goals for 2024(02:14:43) – Why she is open about her faith(02:22:33) – How do climbers react to her faith?(02:29:46) – The pressure I felt as a kid to spread faith, and moving away from religion(02:33:09) – How Anak thinks about sharing her faith, and her lack of judgment toward other people(02:34:57) – Choosing her faith for herself(02:37:57) – Wrap up and EXTRA teaser!