EP 140: Tommy Caldwell — Undone Lines on El Cap, Father-Son Relationships, and Exploring the Limits of Human Endurance

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

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

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