EP 201: James Pearson — The Full Redemption Story, Proposing the Mythical Grade of E12, and Climbing Harder After Kids

EP 201: James Pearson — The Full Redemption Story, Proposing the Mythical Grade of E12, and Climbing Harder After Kids

James Pearson is one of the world’s best trad climbers. We discussed a 15-year-old controversy that nearly ended his career, how meeting his wife Caroline saved him, climbing his first 9a after learning how to train, eGrader and quantifying E grades, his decision to suggest E12 for his new route ‘Bon Voyage’, why he was afraid of becoming a dad, what kids taught him, and much more! This was one of my all-time favorite interviews.

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We are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:

  • Michael Roy, Craig Lee, Mark and Julie Calhoun, Yinan Liu, Zach Emery, Alex Pluta, and Matt Walter

Show Notes:

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/james-pearson

Nuggets:

(00:00:00) – Intro

(00:01:35) – Getting settled

(00:03:13) – Why I feel like I know James

(00:05:33) – Introducing the Redemption Story

(00:08:10) – Internet backlash

(00:10:05) – Coming full circle

(00:13:33) – Why it felt important to grade ‘Bon Voyage’

(00:17:10) – The full story

(00:28:47) – Compassion for himself

(00:30:53) – Moving to Innsbruck to work on his sport climbing

(00:36:05) – Thinking his pro climbing life was over, meeting Caroline, and their trip to Turkey

(00:41:18) – Learning how to train

(00:46:33) – 7b+ to 8c+ in 6 months

(00:52:32) – Fun and performance

(00:53:23) – E grades

(00:56:16) – Trying to flash E10 in Pembrook, and falling in love with climbing again

(00:59:43) – Returning to ‘Rhapsody’

(01:02:10) – Flashing V13 (8B), and his struggle with projecting pressure

(01:08:50) – Climbing V15, craving the next level, and living the pro climber dream with Caro

(01:17:10) – Why he left the UK, and why it felt important to return to ‘Rhapsody’

(01:24:53) – Searching for his hardest trad route

(01:25:59) – Making the Redemption film

(01:29:21) – eGrader, and understanding E12 and beyond

(01:35:47) – Climbing a 9a right after ‘Bon Voyage’

(01:37:15) – Talking to Hazel Findlay, and PTSD

(01:38:58) – Presenting E12 again 15 years later

(01:45:04) – Backlash about grades, and Anna Hazelnutt’s thoughts about Walk of Life

(01:49:02) – Breaking down E12 and ‘Bon Voyage’

(02:00:53) – Finding ‘Bon Voyage’

(02:08:08) – How dangerous is ‘Bon Voyage’?

(02:20:23) – Being more scientific about grades

(02:24:54) – Why give ‘Bon Voyage’ an E grade?

(02:38:44) – Becoming a dad

(02:47:47) – What kids taught him

(02:53:57) – Rules for climbing with kids, and sending without expectations

(02:58:17) – Tips for climbers with kids

(03:03:36) – James’ advice for his younger self

(03:11:15) – Climbing matters

(03:16:45) – Accepting some selfishness, and Caro’s mom

(03:23:36) – Training with Ollie Torr for ‘Bon Voyage’, and Caro’s journey back to hard climbing after pregnancy

Episoder(381)

EP 291: Charlie Boscoe — Pro Climbing League: Comps Are About to Change Forever

EP 291: Charlie Boscoe — Pro Climbing League: Comps Are About to Change Forever

Charlie Boscoe is a former IFSC commentator, writer, and co-founder of the Pro Climbing League, a bold new head-to-head bouldering series debuting on February 28. We talked about his first experience ...

26 Jan 1h 18min

EP 290: Chris Schulte — Developing Your Own Style, Age-Proof Motivation, and Redefining Progress Beyond Grades

EP 290: Chris Schulte — Developing Your Own Style, Age-Proof Motivation, and Redefining Progress Beyond Grades

Chris Schulte is an elite boulderer known for bold first ascents, compression mastery, and a thoughtful approach that prioritizes style over grades. We talked about his evolution as a climber, develop...

12 Jan 2h 25min

EP 289: Christian Beckwith — The 10th Mountain Division, WW2 Guerrilla Warfare Stories, and the Birth of Modern Climbing Gear

EP 289: Christian Beckwith — The 10th Mountain Division, WW2 Guerrilla Warfare Stories, and the Birth of Modern Climbing Gear

Christian Beckwith is the former editor of The American Alpine Journal and Alpinist Magazine, and the creator of the award-winning podcast, Ninety-Pound Rucksack. We talked about the formation of the ...

15 Des 20251h 49min

EP 288: Carol Simpson Returns — Life After 80 Years Old, Longevity Routines, and Training for a World Record

EP 288: Carol Simpson Returns — Life After 80 Years Old, Longevity Routines, and Training for a World Record

Carol Simpson returns to the podcast to talk about life after 80 years old, and everything she does to stay healthy and climb hard. We talked about making the move to Salt Lake, discovering Dr. Peter ...

1 Des 20251h 48min

EP 287: Domen Škofic — The Red Bull Plane Project, Rediscovering Passion in Flatanger, and Trying Silence 9c

EP 287: Domen Škofic — The Red Bull Plane Project, Rediscovering Passion in Flatanger, and Trying Silence 9c

Domen Škofic is a Slovenian professional climber and a 5x World Cup gold medalist. We talked about his Red Bull Plane Climb project, skydiving, building a climbing gym with his father, retiring from t...

17 Nov 20251h 43min

EP 286: Steve Moss — Why Discomfort Fuels Breakthroughs, Double V12 Days at Age 40, and 455 V-Points in 24 Hours

EP 286: Steve Moss — Why Discomfort Fuels Breakthroughs, Double V12 Days at Age 40, and 455 V-Points in 24 Hours

Steve Moss is a high-level boulderer and the co-founder of a brewery and pizzeria in Spokane, WA. We talked about finding climbing at age 24, his breakthrough season climbing three V12s in less than t...

3 Nov 20252h 47min

EP 285: Tyler Stableford — Finding More Joy in Climbing, Breaking Plateaus, and Inputs Over Outcomes

EP 285: Tyler Stableford — Finding More Joy in Climbing, Breaking Plateaus, and Inputs Over Outcomes

Tyler Stableford is a lifelong climber and psychotherapist specializing in trauma resolution and treatment-resistant conditions. We talked about how to find more joy in our climbing, whether high perf...

20 Okt 20251h 57min

EP 284: Four PTs — The Case for Taking a Break, Heel Hooking Injuries, & Off-the-Wall Strength Training

EP 284: Four PTs — The Case for Taking a Break, Heel Hooking Injuries, & Off-the-Wall Strength Training

Dr. Jared Vagy returns to the podcast and is joined by three physical therapy students and graduates, Sarah Kremer, Dawson Freeze, and Michael Larson. We talked about three recent articles covering th...

6 Okt 20251h 24min

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