Episodes Feed
EP 252: Justin Salas
Justin Salas is a legally blind climber who is a 6x National Champion and the 2018 World Champion. He’s also climbed up to V11 outside. We talked about what his visual experience is like, the psychology of an invisible disability, assistive technology, how he climbs, sight guides, projecting tactics, building out a van, the Olympics and paraclimbing competitions, visualization, being a changemaker, and much more.
EP 251: Eric Jerome
Eric Jerome is a V15 climber and prolific bouldering developer. We talked about getting hit by a drunk driver, how his injury led to a paradigm shift, why he is actively caring less about climbing, seeking the minimal effective dose, developing new boulders in the Flaming Gorge and The New, buying a house, his career with KAYA, the gamification of climbing, and much more.
EP 250: Beth Rodden
Beth Rodden is one of the best female rock climbers of all time. We talked about her kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan, facing backlash after her divorce, reflections on her climbing career, her history with Magic Line, disconnecting self-worth from achievement, the unwinnable game of climbing, personal evolution, why she loves human stories, and much more. Her new book, A Light Through the Cracks: A Climber’s Story is available now.
EP 249: Chris Sharma
Chris Sharma is one of the greatest climbers of all time. We talked about his rapid ascension as a teenager, the knee injury that almost ended his career, why La Dura Dura was a turning point, reinventing ourselves as climbers, the importance of finishing what you start, what he does in the off-season, mini objectives, embracing competition, finding contentment, having kids, and much more.
EP 248: Thomas Huber
Thomas Huber is a German rock climbing and mountaineering legend. We talked about his most recent expedition to Pakistan, how to have fun at basecamp, exploring the impossible, his first trip to Buoux as a teenager, beer diets, his relationship with his brother Alex, challenges, silver linings, partying with the Stone Monkeys in Yosemite, his new book Freiheit, and much more.
EP 247: Todd Perkins Returns
Moe’s Valley access is under threat! Todd Perkins returns to the show to talk about what is happening with Moe’s Valley, what actions are being taken to protect it, and what we can do to help. You can sign the petition here!
EP 246: Fundamentals S2 Part 6
Fundamentals Season 2 (Part 6 of 6) — If you climb long enough, you’ll inevitably hit a plateau. In part 6, Jesse and I share our top tips and pitfalls for how to break through plateaus and continue progressing in your climbing. We cover the importance of focusing on skills rather than grades, doubling down on the basics, how to continually progress as a climber, and much more.
EP 245: Kaizen Asiedu
Kaizen Asiedu is a Harvard graduate in philosophy, an Emmy winner, and a life coach. We talked about our political backgrounds and values, what happened to RFK Jr, the health crisis in the US, foreign wars, how the coming election could affect the future of democracy, mainstream media, censorship and free speech, abortion, the steel man case for Kamala and Trump, and much more.
EP 244: Felipe Camargo
Felipe Camargo is a professional climber from Brazil and the first South American to climb 9b (5.15b). We talked about his humble beginnings in climbing and selling soda to fund his first competition, training for 5.15 on a 3-meter spray wall, how signing with Red Bull changed his life, why we climb, what he learned from Patxi Usobiaga, his new film Tropical Lines, climbing hotspots in South America, his current projects, and much more.
EP 243: Fundamentals S2 Part 5
Fundamentals Season 2 (Part 5 of 6) — Injuries suck. And unfortunately, they happen to most of us who push against our limits. In part 5, we talk about what to do when you get injured. We cover the emotional and psychological side of injuries and share some tips and pitfalls to help you get back to climbing stronger than ever.
EP 242: Molly Beard
Molly Beard was the first female L5 routesetter in the US. We talked about what climbing gyms were like in the 90s, how she got started in routesetting, learning the language of movement, getting her L5, dealing with misogyny, staying up to speed on setting trends, how to have longevity as a routesetter, budgeting your body dollars, advice for young routesetters, and much more.
EP 241: Fundamentals S2 Part 4
Fundamentals Season 2 (Part 4 of 6) — Everybody wants stronger fingers. In this episode, Jesse and I share our top tips and pitfalls when it comes to building functional finger strength for climbing. We cover our favorite finger training methods, key principles to follow, how to apply your strength to the rock, how to avoid finger injuries, the power of consistency, and much more.
EP 240: Alex Megos
Alex Megos is a German professional climber and a living legend. He recorded this podcast from the Flatanger campground during his recent sending spree in Norway. We talked about sending Change 9b+, why he is practicing his kneebar skills, future 9b+ and 9c projects, what it meant to him to send Bibliographie, his America Tour in 2013, how onsighting Estado Critico changed his career, making changes to reach his full potential, how many carrots he eats in a day, future competition goals, and more.
BONUS: Ron Kauk — A Call for Future Generations
Another phone call with Ron Kauk. Enjoy :)
EP 239: Fundamentals S2 Part 3
Fundamentals Season 2 (Part 3 of 6) — In part 3, we step into the weight room. We cover weight training fundamentals, including the SAID principle, progressive overload, RPE, autoregulation, the big 4, and the rule of 10. We also discuss why we both lift, why climbers should train differently than weight lifters, programming ideas, common mistakes, and more.
EP 238: Girls Gone Hueco
Girls Gone Hueco is an all-female bouldering film now available on Vimeo. In this episode, I sit down with V11 climber Midori Buechli and filmmaker Long Truong to discuss the making of the film, the power of climbing with a girl gang, hidden costs of making a film, trash can showers, pad-less sends, imposter syndrome, advice for aspiring filmmakers, and more.
EP 237: Yves Gravelle Returns
Yves Gravelle returns to the podcast to help me get stronger fingers. We talked about my current finger strength goal, how to build a 3-month training program, best joint angles for edge lifting, limiting factors, the challenge for climbers with building finger strength, forearm hypertrophy exercises, how to know when you need more rest, how to combine board sessions with finger training, repeater protocols for long boulders, process goals, and much more.
EP 236: Fundamentals S2 Part 2
Fundamentals Season 2 (Part 2 of 6) — In part 2, we share our top tips for training on spray walls and home walls. We cover training setup considerations, route setting tips, best apps for saving and sharing climbs, mastering benchmark climbs, how to iterate on your climbs for incremental progress, hacks for building a home wall on a budget, and more.
EP 235: Dr. Amy Frugé
Dr. Amy Frugé (DPT) is a former Martial Arts World Champion, rock climber, and the founder of Converge Physical Therapy. We talked about extremity and finger pain from unusual sources, how to maintain a healthy spine, how emotions and stress affect our pain, psychedelic experiences, the pain, tension, and fear triangle, ways to empty your stress bucket, and much more.
EP 234: Fundamentals S2 Part 1
Fundamentals Season 2 (Part 1 of 6) — In this episode, Jesse and I each share our top tips and pitfalls for how to climb on a training board, such as a Tension Board, Moonboard, Kilter Board, Grasshopper Board, etc. This episode contains nuggets for folks who are just getting started with board climbing, as well as seasoned board lords.