EP 145: Katie Lamb — Breaking Into V14, Embracing Micro Beta, and How Climbers Can Be Leaders in the Climate Movement

Katie Lamb is one of the top female boulderers in the world. We talked about her early climbing and falling in love with bouldering, climbing her first V14 and what led to her breakthrough in the last two years, projecting tips, superpowers, lifting weights, balancing training with outdoor climbing, what it will take for her to reach the next level, and working in climate data science.

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Show Notes:

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/katie-lamb

Nuggets:

0:05:35 – Getting over being sick, and covid

0:09:40 – Sewing

0:14:51 – Katie’s lifted Toyota Prius

0:18:17 – Her background in sport climbing, falling in love with bouldering, and why she quit competing

0:24:05 – Katie’s progression during college from V10 to V14

0:25:12 – Katie’s climbing philosophy

0:28:12 – External pressure vs. internal motivation, and Katie’s experience on Jade V14 (8B+)

0:31:11 – The great paradox of performance climbing

0:31:59 – Katie’s first V13 (8B), Nothin But Sunshine

0:34:22 – Her summer of 2019, and adventure bouldering

0:42:37 – Katie’s accomplishments in the past two years, and what she attributes her breakthrough to

0:46:01 – Focused sessions, and diving into the nitty gritty

0:47:35 – Getting better, getting stronger, and having more time

0:50:23 – The balance of indoor training and outdoor climbing

0:51:19 – Katie’s superpowers, and growing an inch in her 20s

0:54:57 – The mechanics of crimping

0:58:58 – Patron question from Justin: How much time does Katie spend trying things that are in her style vs. outside of her style?

1:01:32 – What drives Katie to pick specific projects

1:02:10 – Injuring her finger in June of 2022, and rehabbing in Rocklands

1:08:57 – Sending Book Club V14 (8B+) less than two months after her finger injury

1:13:49 – Balancing projecting with quick ticks

1:16:41 – Why making excuses can be helpful

1:21:08 – Playing the long game with projecting, and going easy on herself

1:22:29 – How Katie is training for the next level

1:24:27 – Lifting weights

1:30:20 – The Never Ready

1:31:21 – What will it take for Katie to climb V15?

1:34:13 – Patron question from Jacob: When are we going to see a female ascent of V16?

1:37:22 – Balancing professional climbing with working in climate science, and how Katie created flexibility in her job

1:44:53 – Working in climate data science

1:47:25 – What Katie wishes more people knew about climate

1:48:40 – What we can do on an individual level to affect the climate (Katie’s answer might surprise you!)

1:50:40 – Where our electricity comes from, and the fossil fuel industry

1:53:27 – How climate change is putting our electrical grid at risk

1:54:51 – Hopeful things happening in climate

1:56:43 – How climbers can be leaders in the climate movement

1:58:28 – Wrap up