Episodes Feed
EP 262: Max Didier
Max Didier is a Chilean big wall climber and alpinist turned boulderer. We talked about leaving the Air Force to climb, the value of exploration and adventure, his trip to India, maintaining simplicity in life, becoming a bouldering coach, the balance of strength and technique, his training routine, training with intention, mindset and motivation, enjoying the process, starting late, finding your passion, his futuristic project, and more.
EP 261: Chris Sharma & Ron Kauk
Chris Sharma and Ron Kauk returnto the podcast for a philosophical chat. We discussed early bouldering in Camp 4, the essence of climbing, the source of motivation, reinventing your climbing identity, Chris’ latest deep water solo ‘Vision Quest’ 9a, thoughts for future climbers, the key to good climbing technique, following your own path, and much more.
EP 260: Caroline Ciavaldini
Caroline Ciavaldini is a French professional climber specializing in sport, trad, and multi-pitch climbing. We talked about growing up in La Réunion, early climbing, her mother’s suicide, the magic and selfishness of competitions, eating disorders, becoming adventurous, trips with Yuji Hirayama, meeting her husband James Pearson, discussing hard things with your kids, the color yellow, naming emotions, gentle feminism, and much more.
EP 259: Randy Leavitt
Randy Leavitt is a climbing pioneer, prolific route developer, pilot, and surfer. We talked about training on the Dune Cracks with Tony Yaniro, inventing the Leavittation offwidth technique, his journey from mountaineering to sport climbing, bolting Jumbo Love and other famous routes, why money equals freedom, his passion for surfing, reflections from almost drowning, aging gracefully, and much more.
EP 258: Louise Shepherd
Louise Shepherd is a living legend, and has been called “The Lynn Hill of Australia”. We talked about climbing in the late 70s, her formative experiences, dirtbagging in Arapiles, onsighting some of the first 5.12s in Yosemite, access issues threatening Aralipes climbing, putting cultural heritage into context, and how climbers can help save Arapiles climbing.
How You Can Help: https://www.climbingvictoria.com/arapiles
EP 257: Sol Wertkin
Sol Wertkin is a former rock climber, cancer survivor, nurse, and avid mountain biker. We talked about new routing in the PNW, the “Golden Era” of Leavenworth climbing, the passing of Johnny Goicoechea, Sol’s cancer diagnosis in 2020, the long and difficult road to recovery, how e-biking saved his life, sailing, why life feels richer now that he doesn’t climb, and nuggets to help your own health journey.
EP 256: Stian Christophersen Returns
Stian Christophersen is a physiotherapist, coach, author, and world-class climber. He returns to the podcast to discuss his new book about managing injuries. We talked about whether two days of hard climbing per week is enough to get stronger, the Japanese method for building technique, load management, how to rehab a ruptured pulley, why optimist is important for recovery, training for tweaky holds and moves, growth plate injuries, mindset tips, and much more.
EP 255: Dave MacLeod Returns
Dave MacLeod is one of the best all-around climbers in the world. He returns to the podcast to talk about his new book, Moving the Needle. We discuss the simple decisions that led to his success, getting the basics right, how to climb harder in your 40s, the value of daydreaming, writing books, how diet affects mood, Paul Saladino’s meat and fruit approach, how to thrive on a keto diet, metabolic health, LCL cholesterol, seed oils, alcohol, the state of scientific research, and much more.