EP 193: Mat Wright — Risking It All to Send, The Power of Specific Goals, and Relaxing Hard to Climb Harder

Mat Wright has quickly established himself as one of the best trad climbers in Britain and is a world-class all-rounder having climbed E11, 5.14c, and V15. We talked about his humble beginnings in low-income government housing, teaching himself how to rope solo as a teenager, reaching V13 and 5.14c in his first three years of climbing, pivoting to hardcore trad climbing, his upcoming film in the Brit Rock Film Tour, and much more!

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Show Notes:

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/mat-wright

Nuggets:

0:00:00 – Intro/Ads

0:05:35 – Why Mat wears sunglasses when he climbs

0:07:02 – Mat’s difficult upbringing, and growing up in a council estate (low-income government housing)

0:11:41 – Meeting his dad at 13 and moving in with him, and how Mat got himself into rock climbing

0:15:47 – Building a board in his mom’s back garden, and sending 8c+ and 8B (5.14c and V13) within his first 3 years of climbing

0:17:21 – What climbing brought to Mat’s life

0:19:51 – Neil Gresham’s masterclass videos, and setting his eyes on Hubble

0:23:13 – Sending Hubble, and the negative side of punching the clock on projects

0:29:39 – Being optimistic, and why Mat resonates with hard scary trad climbing

0:32:39 – The line between optimism vs. recklessness

0:35:17 – How Mat “caught up” with his education, and the appeal of climbing for someone with a busy mind

0:39:39 – Mat’s partner Anna Taylor, and her role in The House of the Gods film (I said Argentina but it was in Venezuela)

0:41:37 – Coasteering with Anna

0:45:40 – Wildlife, nerding out, and how he and Anna relax

0:47:28 – Living in a van, fingerboarding, and going with the flow with his climbing

0:49:25 – Sprinting toward a goal, and spending 60-70% of his time chilling

0:54:34 – What Mat’s training looked like early on, how it’s evolved over time, and addressing specific weaknesses

0:57:34 – Understanding your climbing pace, and the dance of sport climbing

1:00:24 – How Mat guides his clients with their climbing pace

1:06:19 – Our tendance to overthink things, and not believe in ourselves

1:08:29 – The power of specific goals, and asking yourself what you really want to get out of climbing

1:12:35 – Balancing short-term and long-term goals

1:16:51 – How to get coaching from Mat

1:18:21 – Climbing his first V15 shortly after Hubble, and pivoting to trad and sending Lexicon E11

1:23:03 – The reaction to him sending Lexicon

1:26:27 – Feeling desensitized to exposure, and early free soloing

1:28:24 – The effect that online comments have on real people

1:32:31 – Our brains’ negative bias, and trolling as an outlet for frustration

1:35:21 – Anna’s harassment, and Mat’s controversial reputation

1:40:29 – What happens when you respond to negative comments with kindness

1:42:36 – Stepping into a protective role for his partner, and losing his sponsors

1:44:29 – Mat as a Berghaus athlete

1:49:19 – Mat’s film ‘Hard Git’ in the upcoming Brit Rock Film Tour

1:55:49 – A deep dive into Mat’s FA of Magical Thinking E10, and finding flow on the send

2:01:13 – Mat’s FA of Black Thistle E10, and converting E grades to the American YDS grades

2:04:04 – The animalistic nature of trad, why the Brits don’t bolt everything, and the American healthcare system

2:07:35 – Challenge vs. difficulty

2:10:26 – James Pearson as the best trad climber in the world, and Mat’s kinship to Dave MacLeod

2:12:25 – Mat and I each talk about our experiences trying the keto diet

2:16:18 – I recap my story with disordered eating and recovery, and Mat describes his experience with burnout after Hubble

2:22:05 – What happened with Rhapsody, and his thoughts on returning

2:27:21 – Mat’s rope solo setup

2:29:43 – Go-to music

2:30:15 – Mat’s dream climbing expedition, the adventure and fun of climbing, and sending Gaia E8

2:34:46 – Think more about yourself and less about other people

2:35:44 – Cycle touring, and Mat’s thoughts on taking long breaks from climbing

2:42:36 – Where to connect with Mat, and details about the upcoming Brit Rock Film Tour