EP 03: William Woodward on Balancing Work and Passion, Rules for Life, and Ruby the Vanagon
William Woodward (@wheretowillie on Instagram) is a climber, skier, and professional travel photographer. We talked about the beginnings of ‘Where to Willie’, balancing work and passion, finding meaningful stories and doing work that matters, Will’s daily routines, rules for life, photo advice, and three things he is grateful for. Support on Patreon:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing Show Notes: thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/william-woodward Nuggets: 1:33 – Ruby the Vanagon 4:48 – Will’s defining moment, early travels, blogging, and the start of Where to Willie 8:50 – Will’s career transition and taking the leap as a freelance photographer 19:06 – Finding meaningful work and Will’s three-year plan 25:25 – Capturing experiences vs. being present 27:11 – Will’s daily meditation practice 29:51 – Will’s five coffee making methods 31:05 – Running and stolen bicycles 31:51 – Will’s process for finding freelance work and choosing brands to work for 33:06 – Pitching trips and photo projects 34:42 – The business of selling photography and his book recommendation 38:50 – Balancing work and passion and getting out of a rut 41:34 – “Rule number one: always swim”, flowered shirts, and other rules for life 45:10 – Hiking in Patagonia and a world record in Iceland 55:00 – Advice for traveling photographers and capturing the in-between moments 59:55 – Will’s writing, gear reviews, and tutorials 1:03:17 – Being part of the activity vs. keeping up on the latest gear 1:05:23 – One of Will’s personal mottos–“Get closer.” 1:05:52 – Will’s climbing progression and his relationship to climbing 1:08:36 – Alpine technical leadership training, sport climbing at Smith 1:10:46 – Will’s first trip to the Bugaboos, recent climbs, and plans for Mt. Stuart 1:13:29 – Promoting the outdoors vs. seeking solitude 1:14:06 – Why Will bought a new film camera and shooting film vs. digital 1:15:57 – “It’s ok to ask for help.” 1:17:15 – Will’s advice for himself at age 20 1:18:27 – Coolant, blown head gaskets, and why it’s always worth taking the time 1:19:43 – Will’s upcoming trip to NZ and giving yourself time to let things happen 1:20:57 – Will’s three gratitudes 1:22:34 – Journaling, writing as a habit, and why it has fallen off recently 1:23:55 – What’s next for Where to Willie 1:25:31 – Social media plugs 1:26:13 – Chasing great light
3 Feb 20201h 27min
EP 02: Chris Wright — How to Climb a 7000 Meter Peak, Climbing with Heroes, and Thai Fried Chicken
Chris Wright is a professional mountain guide who splits his time between guiding, skiing, and climbing some of the most remote peaks in the world. We talked about his recent team FA of Link Sar in Pakistan, lessons from mentors, favorite post-expedition foods, and how to build an anchor in f***ed up snow. Support on Patreon:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing Show Notes: thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/chris-wright Nuggets: 1:51 – How the Link Sar trip came to be and Chris’s first climbing trip with Steve Swenson 9:33 – The history and geopolitics of northeast Pakistan and the Siachen Conflict 13:59 – Chris and Graham’s FA on Celino Peak and plans for Link Sar 17:59 – Why it took 8+ months to prepare for Link Sar and why the permitting process can be a gamble 23:51 – Training for Link Sar and working with Scott Johnston and Uphill Athlete 29:10 – The Link Sar team, different roles, and the best types of partners for an expedition 34:32 – What Chris learned from climbing with Mark and Steve 37:15 – Chris’s philosophy around failure, and his ‘failed’ attempt on Link Sar in 2017 40:45 – Graham’s 100-ft fall, terrible snow conditions, and rope systems 53:15 – The final pitch, Mark’s moment of glory, and reaching the summit 59:36 – Three days of rappelling and building anchors in f***ed up snow 1:03:27 – Why Chris is excited to go sport climbing this winter 1:07:28 – Thai fried chicken and favorite post-expedition foods 1:10:21 – Chris’s free-solo ascent of the Matterhorn north face 1:15:19 – Shooting video, a Link Sar movie project, and cooking as a creative outlet 1:18:36 – Advice for someone interested in expedition climbing 1:23:37 – Getting out there and finding adventure 1:25:40 – What Mark and Steve learned from Chris 1:27:54 – Why Chris is really excited to be “off-leash” for a while 1:29:55 – Ideas for the next expedition 1:31:06 – What Chris feels most grateful for lately 1:32:12 – Where you can find (and climb with) Chris
2 Feb 20201h 33min
EP 01: Lizzy VanPatten on Practicing Gratitude, Building a Business, and Projecting Fear (and 5.12 Trad)
Lizzy VanPatten is a rock climber and the founder of She Moves Mountains, a guiding company with the mission of helping women realize their strength through rock climbing. We talked about Lizzy’s brief music career, building a business, breaking into 5.12 trad, assessing fear, and her gratitude practice. Support on Patreon:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing Show Notes: http://thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/lizzy-vanpatten Nuggets: 1:25 – Rollerblades (and Rollergangs) 2:31 – Lizzy’s brief music career, transition into rock climbing, and her first trip to Patagonia 12:03 – Starting guiding, seeing women come alive, and becoming a business owner 19:06 – Taking big leaps and why it’s hard to feel embarrassed 26:23 – She Moves Mountains growth and where things are at now 29:50 – How Lizzy makes her guides feel stoked while giving herself freedom 35:47 – Self-doubt and the importance of building a solid team 37:49 – One piece of advice for herself and running her business to pay her guides well 42:30 – Finding challenge through projecting and climbing ‘Der Sportsman’ first try 47:33 – Lizzy’s first 5.12, climbing 5.12 in four different locations, and ‘Winter Sustenance’ 51:08 – Sending 5.12 fourth try and flashing two 12+ routes on top rope 52:09 – A nasty fall Lizzy took this summer 58:07 – The importance of having a goal 1:02:25 – Training for ‘Moonlight Buttress’ and projecting fear 1:07:08 – The curse of being a technical climber, pistol squats, and trying ‘Churning’ 1:10:20 – Calm meditation app, highs and lows, Lizzy’s gratitude practice, and the negative bias 1:18:58 – The one thing Lizzy is most grateful for right now 1:20:44 – She Moves Mountains apparel 1:23:05 – She Moves Mountains upcoming events 1:27:39 – Lizzy’s final thoughts on facing and assessing fear 1:31:12 – Quote from Anaïs Nin
1 Feb 20201h 32min
