The Nugget Climbing Podcast

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 mo...

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: thenuggetclimbi...

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. Suppo...

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...

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 Podcas...

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: thenuggetcl...

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 Pa...

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...

Christine Deyo is a professional route setter, and the former head route setter at the Austin Bouldering Project. We talked about Christine’s path to route setting, learning to be creative, setting challenges and games, the Fontainebleau circuit system, the responsibility of route setters, competitions, the role of diversity in setting, and the future of the climbing industry. Support the Podcast:...

This full episode is available for Patrons right now! This is a teaser of a follow-up call with Dru Mack. We talked about how his approach has changed since our first conversation, the process of sending ‘Life of Villains’ 14d, and how he used a hangboard to improve his power endurance for the route, intentional breathing, rest day adventures, recent books, new music, and the goal of 5.15. Become...

Hazel Findlay is a professional climber and mental training coach from the UK, known for her boldness on dangerous and difficult trad routes. We talked about common themes in mental coaching, how the ego manifests in our climbing, supporting your partners, fear of falling, and Hazel’s mental approach while projecting the legendary ‘Magic Line’, her first 5.14c. Support the Podcast Become a Patron...

Robb Wolf is a former research biochemist and 2x New York Times best-selling author of The Paleo Solution and Wired To Eat . We talked about his breakfast, how he tackles nutrition with his two kids, his path to the paleo diet, why low-carb is not necessarily ideal for hard-charging athletes, the importance of protein and sleep, and about his latest book Sacred Cow . Support the Podcast Become a P...

This full episode is available for Patrons right now! This is a teaser of a follow-up call with Ron Kauk. We tackled listener questions about bouldering without crash pads, favorite routes, the legendary “fight” in camp 4, the influence of native culture, how to stay present when projecting, and the plane that crashed in Lower Merced Pass Lake in 1977. Become a Patron to get access to the full epi...

Dr. Tyler Nelson is the owner of Camp4 Human Performance and specializes in tendon loading, strengthening, and rehabilitation. We talked about blood flow restriction training (BFR), and how it can be used for injury rehab, active recovery, or getting stronger. We also talked about finger training, and why most hangboard protocols are more similar than different. Support the Podcast Become a Patron...

Jason Kehl is a professional rock climber known for his highball bouldering ascents, and unique artistic expression. We talked about karate and how screaming helps his climbing, roof climbing in his parents' basement, a chronology of his haircuts, vans he’s lived in, having kids, bouldering with cargo nets in Hueco Tanks, and notable highball ascents like ‘Evilution’ and ‘The Fly’. Support the Pod...

Allison Vest is a 3x Canadian National Champion in bouldering. We talked about her mindset after a recent competition, moving to SLC and training with her roommate Kyra Condie, goals and confidence, the downward spiral of failure, her training schedule, the secrets to one-arm hangs and campusing, having fun, Instagram challenges, and learning how to topout boulders. Support the Podcast Become a Pa...

This full episode is available for Patrons right now! This is a teaser of a follow-up call with Shanjean Lee. We talked about her recent free ascent of ‘Freerider’ on El Cap in Yosemite, and had some good laughs along the way. SJ also shared some of the biggest mental challenges she faced during the ascent, and a very “memorable” (and hilarious) moment from the side of the big cheese.  You can sup...

Ethan missed the Q&A and had a question he wanted to ask me. ⁠

In Q&A 2, I tackle patron questions about party tricks vs. useful exercises, training for long-term goals and what I am doing to train for Just Do It, how to prepare our bodies for tweaky moves, podcast behind-the-scenes secrets, my experience with feeling light vs. feeling strong, how I manage my weight after an eating disorder, favorite workouts for sport climbing, octopus wrestling, and much mo...

John Long is an American rock climber and author, and one of the original “Stonemasters”. We talked about his early climbing at Tahquitz and Suicide Rock, life in Yosemite in the early 70s, climbing The Nose in a day with Bridwell and Westbay, most humbling moments, John’s new book Icarus Syndrome , and his recent article about alcoholism and drug abuse in climbing. Support on Patreon:   patreon.c...

This full episode is available for Patrons right now! This is a teaser of a follow-up call with William Woodward. We talked about William’s sailing trip to Hawaii, living at sea for a month, being present, navigating digital minimalism as a business owner, top vanlife tips, how William and I each do our dishes, beta for showering, wiping your butt with wet wipes, my favorite things in my van, and...

Tom Randall is one of the Wide Boyz , and the cofounder of Lattice Training . We talked about Tom’s cellar, meeting Ollie Torr and starting a coaching company, how he and Ollie trained each other's weaknesses, having patience, key shoulder exercises, hangboard principles, stories from the Late Night Climbing Show, and Tom shared his insights into my own finger strength journey. Support on Patreon:...

Kyle O’Meara is a high-level boulderer, route climber, and successful climbing coach. He’s a total lifer. We talked about his early climbing and development in the PNW, some of his favorite first ascents, outdoor bouldering vs. indoor training, climbing and life goals, discovering coaching, leading by example, and sharing the love of climbing with his team. Support on Patreon:   patreon.com/thenug...

This full episode is available for Patrons right now! This week's follow-up call is with Katie Lambert. We talked about her recent haircut, and how that led to getting her body painted for a photo shoot. We also talked about Katie’s new goal to climb 300 5.13s by the age of 50, how she has been integrating outdoor climbing with training, and how she structured her latest sport climbing trip to the...

This is part 2 of my conversation with Eric Hörst. We talked about the differences between Eric and his sons’ (Cameron and Jonathan) training plans, advice for parents who want to get their kids into climbing, how to train pinch and sloper strength, why Eric started PhysiVantage , and the importance of collagen for building stronger fingers. Discount code:  “NUGGET15” for 15% off of full-priced Ph...