The Nugget Climbing Podcast

This full episode is available for Patrons right now! This is a teaser of a follow-up call with Blake Cason. We talked about sending her multi-season project ‘Joe SixPack’ at the VRG, transitioning in and out of training phases, embracing curiosity to overcome fear, and reflecting on lessons learned.You can support the podcast and get access to follow-up conversations for $5 per month on Patreon at patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing. The full version of this follow-up call is 33:57.

18 Feb 202110min

Kai Lightner is a professional climber and the founder of Climbing for Change. We talked about how Kai discovered climbing, his reflections on an eating disorder, the importance of flexibility for tall climbers, early racist encounters, starting a non-profit to help open doors for other people, and some of Kai’s favorite training music.  Support Climbing for Change:  donorbox.org/climbing-for-change-launch  Support the Podcast:    patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing  Show Notes:   http://thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/kai-lightner  Nuggets:  2:53 – Tension boarding, creativity in climbing, and Kai’s first experience with hangboarding  6:55 – Kai’s go-to training music  8:01 – Halloween costumes, and the Tupac and T.I. quotes Kai shared in his graduation speech  10:39 – The Olympics, Kai’s early role models, Chris Brown’s music, and Kai’s mom  11:24 – Growing up climbing everything, the flagpole story, and Kai’s first day in a climbing gym  16:16 – Kai’s first climbing gym, climbing on the same route to prepare for nationals for five years, and driving 6 hours to get coaching  19:13 – Getting into competitions climbing, and most memorable competitions from 14 years of competing  22:15 – Going climbing outdoors at the New River Gorge, being the only black people in a 50-mile radius, and navigating unwelcoming areas  25:19 – Kai’s first racist encounter, and “the race talk”   28:25 – Outdoor climbing as a break from the pressure of competitions, and taking a break from competing to go to college on a full scholarship  31:01 – ‘Reflections on My Climbing Journey’, and Kai’s struggle with an eating disorder  36:33 – Quick vs. sustainable, and finding a better way to be better  38:10 – Thinking about food in a healthier way, climbing 5.14+ at 5’3” and 6’3”, and adapting to a grown-up body  40:27 – Kai’s feelings about projecting, and his longest project to date  41:59 – How Kai’s training has changed as an adult, a typical week of training, and Kai’s coach  45:40 – Looking up to Adam Ondra, stretching for one hour every morning, and Kai’s drop knee stretch  52:05 – Why being more flexible = being a better climber  53:38 – Why Adam Ondra is the best  55:00 – Feeling more complete as a person by helping people  56:04 – Kai’s thoughts on climbing pace  58:31 – Patron Question: What is it like being the tallest professional climber out there? Does Kai run into any situations in which he thinks, “Damn, I wish I were shorter…” If so, how often?  1:01:35 – Patron Question from Joe: I’m 6’5” and I wonder if Kai has any rules or beta for climbing through scrunchy moves that you can’t reach past?  1:02:42 – Volunteering with diversity and inclusion organizations, opening doors for others, and bridging gaps  1:07:29 – Climbing for Change (C4C), partnering with One Climb in Atlanta, and launching scholarships for individuals  1:10:47 – Patron Question from Nathan: What challenges have you faced in developing C4C?  1:12:18 – How to donate to C4C  1:13:03 – Patron Question from Nathan: What are the benefits of having your mom as a coach? What are some of the difficulties?  1:16:34 – Patron Question from Nathan: Do you think you will ever get into trad climbing? How about big walls?  1:18:11 – Kai’s (very impressive) trip to the Hurricave, and aspirations to climb 5.15  1:21:12 – Patron Question from Anna: Having grown up in the spotlight, how does Kai view his private life vs. his public life, and does he struggle to find a balance?  1:23:43 – Patron Question from Sarah: If you could get every young climber to internalize one message what would it be?  1:25:24 – Most recent meal, Asian food, Cheetos, favorite songs, and the crying laughing emoji  1:30:27 – Family  1:31:04 – Excited about Climbing for Change  1:31:57 – Instagram, outfits, and sharing experiences to help others

15 Feb 20211h 39min

Matt Segal is a professional rock climber and the founder/owner of Alpine Start, a company that makes “Instant Coffee That Actually Tastes Good”. We talked about how Matt got started in climbing, his nickname ‘Miami Vice’, early mentors, losing friends in the mountains, recovering from a paragliding accident, starting a business, and innovating new products.  Alpine Start Kickstarter:  https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mikeycrouch/alpine-start-with-benefits  Support the Podcast:  patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing   Show Notes:   http://thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/matt-segal  Nuggets:  2:49 – “Still starting at the bottom and trying to go to the top”  3:53 – Miami Vice, training at a young age, Tony Yaniro, and the PCA   7:19 – Matt’s first highball in Hueco  13:32 – Mentorship of Eric DeCaria, Micah Dash, and Jonny Copp  17:55 – Losing friends  20:13 – Yuji Hirayama, kids bicycles, and Beat Kammberlander  22:10 – Studying Tibetan Buddhism and Psychology in school  25:07 – The beginning of Alpine Start, and Matt’s role with the company  32:00 – “You should surround yourself with people that are smarter than you.”  34:12 – Hiring good employees  36:59 – Waterproof Mini Notebook  37:57 – Matt’s writing practice, and writing letters that you don’t send  39:13 – Fulfilment and focus   39:59 – Paragliding with Cedar Wright, and Matt’s accident  44:44 – Recovery, skiing, and building back up to 5.14  47:07 – Returning to trad climbing, and trying ‘The Path’  49:06 – Calming his mind for a headpoint attempt   49:45 – Patron Question about Matt’s accident, dark times, and “My number had been called”  52:41 – Another Patron Question, and unfinished business  54:22 – Patron Question: Any tips for training for trad climbing specifically?  55:44 – Patron Question about small gear, and Matt’s story about ripping gear in China  59:16 – Sneaky ways to equalize gear  1:00:25 – Climbing ‘Primate’ in the Flatirons  1:01:33 – Cutting his hand open at a silent zen retreat, proving the doctors wrong, and teaching Ethan Pringle how to trad climb  1:03:46 – Takeaway from the Bugaboo saga, and “partnerships are way stronger than names and grades”  1:04:58 – Grateful for wine, and cooking  1:07:27 – New products from Alpine Start and the Kickstarter (link above in show notes)  1:10:49 – Matt’s upcoming St. George trip  1:13:08 – The project on Mt. Hooker, local projects, and Matt’s cooking/climbing mashup road trip  1:16:26 – Freedom of the Wheels …2?

8 Feb 20211h 22min

This full episode is available for Patrons right now! This is a teaser of a follow-up call with Mike Doyle. We talked about some of the exercises that have helped Mike in his recovery from his elbow injury, working with Natasha Barnes and retraining his brain to reduce pain, and Mike shared his go-to hangboard protocol for maintaining finger strength throughout the year between training blocks. You can support the podcast and get access to follow-up conversations for $5 per month on Patreon at patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing. The full version of this follow-up call is 30:04.

4 Feb 202114min

This is part 2 of my conversation with Jon Glassberg. We talked about flexibility training, how Jon uses the MoonBoard and why he thinks it is such a useful tool, why how he structures a six-week training block, an example training day, the value of training with a partner, favorite Louder Than Eleven films, and foreign haircuts.  Support on Patreon:   patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing   Show Notes:   http://thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/jon-glassberg-part-2  Nuggets:  4:34 – Flexibility training, and the pain cave  10:34 – Jon’s improvement in the spits  13:30 – Why splits training probably isn’t that important, and practicing climbing in a small box  14:56 – The distinction between training vs. just bouldering in the gym, and the value of the training boards (MoonBoard, Tension, etc)  16:11 – Jon’s MoonBoard training, and the “Top 10 climbs in a day” system  21:20 – How MoonBoard gains transfer to outdoor bouldering, and learning to execute  22:46 – How Jon structures his training week  27:36 – An example training day, mock comps, and climbing with a weight vest  31:40 – Indoor projecting days, and how Jon structures a six-week training block, and resting  34:24 – Some of the testing Jon did with Steve Maisch  37:14 – Building up your training capacity, why it’s ok to suck some days, and seeing improvement after resting at the end of a training block  39:21 – Budgeting a week to relearn how to climb after getting strong  40:32 – How Jon’s six-week training blocks fit into a year, and the value of a training partner  42:58 – Forced time off, maintaining finger strength, and warming up with a hangboard in addition to climbing  46:14 – Skin  47:38 – Jon’s guidelines for warmup up  50:20 – More about one-arm max hangs, how to progress the load, and where to start out  54:54 – “Don’t go into training half-assed”  55:45 – Hangboard repeaters, and how Jon structures a six-week block  1:00:29 – Feeling like a boxer, and going to the gym to win  1:02:19 – Jon’s thoughts on MoondBoard vs. Tension Board vs. Kilter Board vs. Beastmaker Board  1:04:11 – Jon’s recommendations for my Hueco “training” trip  1:07:39 – Project shopping, the relativity of grades, and the value of throwing yourself at something hard  1:10:33 – Sean Rabatou and the value of projecting with other people  1:12:59 – How Jon’s climbing schedule has changed over the years, and needing more rest days  1:15:02 – FA of ‘King’s Landing’  1:16:26 – Good food and haircuts  1:17:26 – ‘The Abyss’ film  1:18:23 – Recent and upcoming films from LT11  1:20:01 – Gratitude for family and friends  1:20:48 – What Jon hopes to accomplish with LT11, and with his own climbing

1 Feb 20211h 24min

Jon Glassberg is the owner of Louder Than Eleven, a leading media production company in the Outdoor Industry. He is also a total crusher, having climbed 400+ boulders from V10 to V14. In part one we talked about filming Emily Harrington on her in-a-day ascent of ‘Golden Gate’, about Jon’s early climbing, about pursuing the goal of V15, and about his struggle with a bizarre injury.  Support on Patreon:   patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing  Show Notes:   http://thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/jon-glassberg-part-1  Nuggets:  2:54 – Coffee, intermittent fasting, and being more productive in the morning  4:24 – Jon’s go-to breakfast on a climbing day, and on an El Cap filming day, and caffeine  6:20 – Getting back from Yosemite, and Jon’s five-year film project with Emily Harrington  8:03 – Emily’s scary fall in November 2019  13:17 – Emily climbing ‘Golden Gate’ in a day, and her dramatic fall near the top  23:23 – Emily’s grit, and how Alex Honnold is different than everyone else  28:18 – Jon’s perception of free climbing El Cap in a day, and why Emily’s accomplishment is so impressive  32:47 – Jerrydoodleberg  35:41 – Jon’s month trip to Yosemite, balancing work with climbing, and learning to be better with your time  40:32 – Being in Yosemite during covid, and the previous government shutdown  41:45 – Jon’s bouldering highlights from this Yosemite trip  44:36 – Why Jon prefers bouldering over big wall free climbing  46:41 – Existing on the side of El Cap  49:51 – Learning new systems, and being obsessed with efficiency  50:33 – Working with Steve Maisch, how Jon maintains finger strength during a shoot, and training on the Moonbaord during covid  54:40 – Jon’s training philosophy and the value of hangboarding (both physical and mental)  57:43 – The one-arm hangboard protocol Jon learned from Steve Maisch  1:00:17 – 3F drag repeaters, Jon’s finger strength, growing from 5’2” to 6’3” in a year, and building log cabins  1:04:03 – Climbing back when V12 was “hard”, Boone NC, graphic design school, early filming, and the underpants gnomes  1:09:39 – Grad school, almost buying a gym, and starting LT11  1:12:14 – The evolution of LT11, and working on his first feature film  1:17:31 – Emily’s accomplishment in context, and the history of women free climbing El Cap in a day  1:19:21 – The new school approach to big wall free climbing on El Cap, and shooting with Jorg Verhoeven   1:27:11 – The process of putting together a feature film (after filming)  1:34:35 – Balancing commercial work with storytelling  1:38:01 – The roll of a line producer, and how Jon uses Google Drive to keep track of projects  1:42:59 – Jon’s to-do list for life  1:44:43 – Jon’s V15 goal, working with Steve Maisch, and joking about weight classes in climbing  1:48:11 – ‘The Island’, Jon’s crazy injury, and crutching all over Red Rocks  1:57:06 – Jon’s limited mobility, putting on socks, and Jon’s thoughts on the wear and tear of bouldering  2:00:53 – A new philosophy for projecting, and a sample of Jon’s iconic boulders list

25 Jan 20212h 5min

This full episode is available for Patrons right now! This is a teaser of a follow-up call with Steve Bechtel. We talked about goal setting, how drinking more water can help with fat loss, the "Three Good Tries" rule, building skills vs. habits, three things to consider when choosing a training program, the value and limitations of training assessments, and why we shouldn’t necessarily depend on scientific research to tell us what to do.   You can support the podcast and get access to follow-up conversations for $5 per month on Patreon at patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing. The full version of this follow-up call is 1:24:10.

21 Jan 202113min

Chris and Heather Weidner are a hardcore climbing couple, both with many 5.14s under their belt across multiple rock climbing disciplines. We talked about drink counting, New Year resolutions, current injuries, the steps to becoming a kneebar wizard, projecting tips, hard conversations, and balancing climbing goals with maintaining a healthy relationship.  Support on Patreon:  patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing  Show Notes:  http://thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/chris-and-heather-weidner  Nuggets:  2:41 – How Heather broke her own finger climbing at Shelf Road, and being injured together  5:52 – Counting drinks  9:24 – New Year resolutions, goal setting, and the Green River trip  13:52 – Heather’s climbing origin story, her background in dance, and the choreography of projecting  18:48 – Chris’s climbing origin story, and being introduced to rock climbing and mountains  21:05 – Living in Boulder and maintaining roots in Vegas  21:50 – The art of becoming a kneebar wizard  29:35 – Philosophy of kneebaring, getting better vs. training, and beta tactics  35:06 – Tinkering with beta  38:35 – How Chris breaks down a new project, and training the rests  41:28 – Kneerbar training exercises  44:04 – How Chris broke his pinkie by kneebaring  45:44 – Sourcing kneepads, Send pads, and kneecap tape explanation   49:45 – Heather’s kneebar beta, and why women can handle pain better than men  51:35 – Go-to shoes for kneebars  53:20 – Adam Ondra is making kneebaring cool again  54:37 – Send pads, leg warmers, and man warmers  57:33 – ‘Gambler’s Fallacy’  1:03:18 – How Chris hurt his shoulder  1:04:38 – Balancing climbing together with climbing with other people  1:09:14 – Chris’s passion for climbing (and ticking boxes), and Heather’s love for projecting  1:13:11 – Expectations going into a hard project, and being ok with not doing all of the moves the first day (or several days)  1:16:12 – ‘Stockboy’s Revenge’  1:18:15 – “Ask Chris what it’s like for him to have Heather outperform him on his project?”  1:19:22 – Heather’s “bullheadedness” in projecting, and focus vs. adaptability  1:21:01 – Hitting rock bottom on ‘China Doll’, and addressing inner demons   1:23:28 – Getting mental coaching from Arno Ilgner, meditation, and therapy  1:25:23 – Heather’s meditation practice, and the flow state of climbing   1:26:53 – Breakdown of ‘China Doll’  1:30:23 – What Chris learned from ‘Gambler’s Fallacy’  1:32:53 – Heather’s mindset when tying in for a project burn, and how Chris’s projecting philosophy has changed  1:35:57 – Learning to adapt, and the power of letting go  1:37:04 – Why Heather is excited about bouldering  1:38:20 – Gratitude  1:41:17 – Kids and hard conversations  1:45:12 – Another decade of improvement

18 Jan 20211h 50min