The Nugget Climbing Podcast

Steven Dimmitt is the host of The Nugget Climbing Podcast. In this reverse interview, Ethan Pringle takes over and asks Steven about his upbringing, his path through climbing, and about starting the podcast. This episode also features questions from past guests on the show, asking Steven about some of his biggest mistakes, lessons learned, climbing heroes, and inner life.  Support on Patreon:  patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing  Show Notes:  http://thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/steven-dimmitt  Nuggets:  2:13 – Beef and veggie breakfast tacos   5:04 – Switching interview roles  6:49 – The early years and growing up in Wenatchee, WA  10:27 – Traveling as a kid, South America, and cockroaches  13:02 – Getting robbed in South America    15:22 – Parents, podcast hikes, and connecting through the podcast  20:40 – Piano lessons and threatening to cut my fingers off  22:13 – Music up through high school  26:01 – Going to college in Bellingham, majoring in music, and playing in (and living with) a band  29:30 – My first (and second) climbing experiences, and working at the climbing gym in college  34:01 – My first climbing trip to Bishop and climbing ‘The Hunk’  35:47 – Connecting with climbing and moving away from music after college, and a new excitement for music now  38:50 – Summer jobs in the fruit warehouses  43:53 – Working for the Forest Service, bouldering my first V0 through V10 (except V6) in Leavenworth, and discovering I had weak fingers in Joe’s Valley  45:31 – Learning how to sport climb at Equinox, and resonating with sport climbing  49:45 – Living in my Subaru after college to climb, Ten Sleep, the first Climb Strong Training Camp, and the ‘Superman’ video  53:20 – Visiting Bend/Smith for the first time, lacking purpose on the road, and moving there to work for Entre Prises (EP)  57:31 – Making climbing holds for EP, and working in aerospace   59:57 – The Adventures of Sloth blog and my uneventful 25th birthday  1:02:28 – Smith Rock, “eating your vegetables (with sand in them)”, and working in the grind  1:05:31 – My approach to training while working in Bend, my ‘Grinding’ blog post, following the (altered) Rock Prodigy program, and changing my tune   — [Guest Questions] —    1:11:45  – [Mike Doyle] What is the biggest mistake you’ve made in regards to training?  1:16:53 – [Drew Ruana] What inspired you to start the podcast?  1:24:32 – [Audrey Sniezek] What is the biggest challenge in producing a podcast?  1:25:51 – [Ian Yurdin] How has the podcast influenced your climbing? How is it a drain and/or boon for your climbing? Are you sending more since you started the podcast?  1:28:50 – [Bill Ramsey] When interviewing famous climbers how do you strike a balance between interviewing them for things they’re famous for and therefore have already been covered, and asking original questions that cover new ground?  1:30:37 – [Tonde Katiyo] You are a great listener. Do you think that is a personality trait or something that you’ve cultivated?  1:32:33 – [Charlie Manganiello] What’s the one thing you wish someone would have told you when you first started pursuing hard rock climbs?  1:36:09 – [Mike Kerzhner] If you could take a trip for a month with one climber, dead or alive, who would it be and where would you go?  1:37:11 – [Steve Bechtel] If you could only do one more hard route in your life, which one would it be? Why aren’t you trying it now?  1:38:59 – [Brittany Goris] If you could climb only on one type of rock (i.e. granite, sandstone, limestone, etc.) for the rest of your life, which one would it be and why?  1:39:59 – [Chad Andrews] What’s your ideal balance between meaningful work, travel, and climbing in the future?  1:42:11 – [Blake Cason] Describe a snapshot of a memorable climbing experience you’ve had.   — [Ethan’s Questions] —   1:46:56 – What is your inner life like? And do you think there is a discrepancy between how you seem to others and how you seem to yourself?  1:52:23 – What have you been especially grateful for lately?  1:57:30 – What does the word “God” mean to you?  2:07:36 – “Be kind to one another.”  2:11:55 – “Is a whale a fish or a mammal?”  

This full episode is available for Patrons right now! This is a teaser of a follow-up call with Jonathan Siegrist. We talked about chasing weather in New England, about Jaws II, about the FA of ‘Nu World’ 5.15a/b, about the ‘Event Horizon’ project (the direct finish to ‘Nu World’), and about some of the strategies and tactics Jonathan uses when returning for a new round of attempts on a multi-season project.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 26:42.

Emily Harrington is a professional climber whose accomplishments span the climbing spectrum. From winning National Championships, to summiting Mt. Everest, to free climbing El Capitan, Emily has done it all. We talked about projecting ‘Golden Gate’ in a day, partnering with Alex Honnold, embracing fear, eating to fuel your body, and cupcake batter ice cream.  Support on Patreon:  patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing  Show Notes:  http://thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/emily-harrington  Nuggets:  3:14  – Being at home, the next round of tries, and “it’s been a long process”  5:29 – Why Emily chose ‘Golden Gate’ in a day as a goal  10:21 – Emily’s preparation for ‘Golden Gate’ this season  13:22 – Partnering up with Alex Honnold  16:36 – Emily’s accident last fall, and recalibrating for this attempt  19:36 – Breakdown of ‘Golden Gate’ and least favorite pitches (the Hollow Flake/ all fo the downclimbs and offwidths)  23:18 – Climbing the Monster Offwidth and bumping a #6 that she’d forgotten to clip  23:56 – Emily’s favorite pitches on ‘Golden Gate’ (Golden Desert and A5)  24:45 – Footwear for El Cap, and converting to the TC Pro  27:29 – Conquering fear vs. embracing fear and using it as fuel  30:41 – Patron Question: Any tips or tactics for working through fear in the moment?  34:37 – Emily’s strategies for working through anxiety, and letting go of perfection  40:25 – Eating to fuel your body  41:26 – Transitioning into trad and big wall free climbing and Emily’s rollercoaster of emotions  43:58 – Rappelling El Cap to try a 20’ downclimb  46:15 – What Emily hopes to accomplish in her career and in her climbing  50:23 – Grateful to have a home  52:12 – Reggaeton  53:05 – Non-functional earrings  54:09 – Skittles and pancakes  54:38 – Naan  55:04 – Cupcake batter ice cream  

Hailey Franklin Fultz is a former competitive dancer, and a nutrition coach. For the past five years, she has used nutrition to help Matt Fultz (her husband) become one of the top boulderers in the world. We geeked out about all things nutrition: meal timing, protein synthesis, the role of carbs, supplements for climbers, strategies for fat loss, foods to avoid, navigating holidays, and Hailey’s favorite “healthified” treats.  Support on Patreon:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing  Show Notes:  http://thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/hailey-franklin-fultz  Nuggets:  3:21 – Moving into the RV  6:34 – Travel plans, meeting in middle school, and holiday family time  8:16 – Rifle and potential plans to meet up  9:32 – Hailey’s background in dance, dabbling in climbing, and appreciating watching climbing  11:53 – Hailey’s history with ballet and dance, and growing a love for fitness and functional strength training   12:44 – Becoming interested in nutrition in college, starting OTG Strength with Matt, and every calorie as a “package of opportunity”  15:10 – Parallels between dancers and climbers in regards to nutritional needs  16:38 – Protein synthesis overview  20:22 – Strategies for optimizing protein synthesis, and planning meals around protein   21:45 – Hailey’s recommended daily protein amount (about 1.6 to 2.5 or 3 grams of protein per kg bodyweight per day—note 1 kg = 2.2 lbs)  25:57 – Hailey’s thoughts on supplements (the ingredient list should still look like food)  28:14 – Hailey’s pitch for people who feel reluctant to eat higher protein, and the many roles of amino acids  32:17 – Protein for pre-workout  33:58 – Hailey’s recommendations for peri-workout nutrition/crag food  36:40 – Alternatives to candy for quick energy at the cliff  40:31 – More recommendations related to food timing  43:46 – Shifting our eating around training blocks and energy needs  46:10 – Hailey’s supplement staples for climbers (fish oil and protein powder), and “supplements are meant to fill gaps”  48:23 – Herbs and adaptogens  50:08 – Vitamin D supplementation and food sources  53:18 – Hailey’s biggest bang-for-your-buck recommendations: more protein spread out throughout the day, and more fruits and vegetables  56:42 – Prioritizing complex carbohydrates and real food at the crag  57:51 – Hailey’s thoughts on individuality in nutrition  1:00:48 – Carbohydrate tolerance, the liver’s many jobs, and “carbohydrates are not evil”  1:06:25 – Foods/ingredients that everyone should avoid: artificial foods, food coloring, and trans fats (hydrogenated oils)  1:08:55 – Hailey’s thoughts on alcohol (she recommends keeping it to 1-2 drinks per week, and on rest days)  1:14:04 – Navigating holidays, proteinizing (or healthifying) desserts and treats, and prioritizing foods that are “worth it”  1:18:23 – “Guilt isn’t a topping”, and “If I don’t eat it all today, I can still have some of it tomorrow”  1:20:40 – “Weight has purpose”, Matt’s bulking/cutting/maintenance strategy, fat loss, and how to lose 5 lbs (of fat) to peak for a project (higher protein, slight calorie deficit, and fasted walks)  1:26:26 – Matt’s morning fasted walk (30-60 minutes at a fairly brisk pace, 2-3 times per week)  1:29:46 – How gradually to lose weight during a cutting phase  1:31:58 – Relaxing during “bulking” phases, and the beauty of building good nutrition habits   1:35:13 – Your taste palette changes  1:37:07 – Summary of the big nutritional takeaways  and Hailey’s emphasis (“calories and not evil, and they’re not created equal…”)  1:38:36 – What Hailey would say to her 20-year-old self, letting go of perfection, and the importance of sleep  1:40:47 – More about sleep  1:42:52 – Prioritization, saying “yes” and “no”, and “our best is worth a lot”  1:45:50 – Moving from Idaho to Salt Lake City, working at Sprouts in the vitamin department, and “honor the stepping stones”  1:49:02 – Morning routines  1:50:33 – Hailey’s current book and favorite nostalgic/grounding music  1:52:15 – Gratitude for kind people  1:53:12 – RV life and a new learning curve  1:53:54 – OTG Strength and what clients can expect if they work with Hailey and Matt. 1:57:50 – Hailey’s favorite treats from the ‘Hypnotized Minds’ cheat day with Matt  

This full episode is available for Patrons right now! This is a teaser of a follow-up call with Drew Ruana. We talked about his process of sending 'Box Therapy' and 'Creature From the Black Lagoon', as well his process projecting 'The Grand Illusion', and plans for summer training.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 18:34.

This is part 2 of my conversation with Tonde Katiyo. We talked about RIC (Risk, Intensity, Complexity) as a tool for communicating about difficulty, about the appropriate responses to different types of bouldering challenges, about the value and importance of route setting in a growing industry, about The Lab, and keeping training in perspective.  Support on Patreon:  patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing  Show Notes:  http://thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/tonde-katiyo-part-2  Nuggets:  2:18 – RIC (Risk, Intensity, Complexity) as a tool for communicating about difficulty, and athletic empathy  10:39 – More about RIC and the appropriate response/attitude for each  20:22 – “We need to do better for setters”  29:26 – Drawing comparisons between setting and the restaurant industry, and indoor climbing as a soon-to-be billion-dollar industry  37:56 – The Lab  48:40 – Gratitude for the partners who support us  51:07 – Excited about climbing  54:31 – Recent favorite music  57:44 – Climbing projects  1:04:43 – Tonde’s request, and keeping training in perspective  

Tonde Katiyo is a professional route setter, a passionate climber, a father, and a coach. His mother is French and his father is Zimbabwean. We talked about the connection between route setting and coaching, about coaching Nathan Hadley, Sean Bailey, and Margo Hayes, about his discrimination and privilege resumés, about exposing his kids to risk, and about making better climbing to make a better world.  Support on Patreon:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing  Show Notes:  http://thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/tonde-katiyo-part-1  Nuggets: 3:10 – The joys of parenting  4:34 – Tonde’s shitty gym session, the ratio of “good” to “bad” sessions, and collecting bad sessions  7:01 – Getting back in shape, Tonde’s “Level 1” goals, and climbing with Nathan Hadley  8:50 – Tonde’s current role at the Bouldering Project  9:56 – Getting hired, Tonde’s dream world, and the happy accident of circuit setting  15:05 – The problem with treating climbing grades as a fixed measurement  17:50 – Being talked into coaching Nathan Hadley, Sean Bailey, and Margo Hayes  22:16 – Tonde’s inside joke, emotion and intention, and speculation as to why those three athletes saught coughing from Tonde  24:42 – Learning to apply the appropriate amount of effort, the complexity of climbing, the mental and emotional boxes, and tweaking dials on the switchboard  29:34 – Learning who people are, and learning to say exactly the right thing at exactly the right time  32:13 – Tonde’s competition background, and how his experience competing and route setting has informed his coaching  36:39 – Asking competitors interesting questions through route setting, and the hand jam scandal  40:44 – Tonde’s training camps, the role of route setting in coaching, and helping athletes work through frustration and other emotions  48:03 – “How do you feel?”, and answering that question with honesty  51:34 – Working with Nathan on his footwork  56:14 – “Your climbing should resemble your personality”  58:44 – When our personalities work against us, winning competitions on your weaknesses rather than strengths, and the inconveniences of competitions vs. those of outdoor climbing  1:03:16 – Tonde’s discrimination and privilege resumes (see show notes for links to his Instagram posts)  1:13:20 – Patron Question: With the BLM protests and social change going on right now, has Tonde seen climbers trying to be more inclusive? Could we get some examples of people employing some good tact and also some bad tact?  1:18:59 – Hoping for a more tolerant world for his kids, and “better climbing makes better people, and better people will make a better world.”  1:23:14 – Patron Question: I would love to hear Tonde talk about being a dad, and also someone that participates in a potentially high consequence past time. How does he manage progression and risk of injury? How does he look at risk for himself, and how does he prepare to take on more risk to move the bar up a notch? How does he manage risk for his kids, and how does he introduce them to it in a healthy way?  1:30:55 – How Tonde thinks about introducing his kids to climbing, and hoping they find passion (even if it’s crocheting)  

This full episode is available for Patrons right now! This is a teaser of a follow-up call with Ethan Pringle. We talked about surfing, about the stories we tell ourselves about what we can and can’t do, about the biggest difference between Adam Ondra and everyone else, about Ethan’s projects in Northern California, and about my recent projects in Ten Sleep. 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 51:13.

Matt Fultz is a professional climber who is at the top of the bouldering game right now. We talked about sending ‘Hypnotized Minds’ V16, a typical day of projecting, deadlifting for finger strength, prioritizing strength before weight, practicing like you play, Mad Rock shoes, using your build as a gift, and starting OTG Strength with his wife Hailey.  Support on Patreon:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing  Show Notes:  http://thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/matt-fultz  Nuggets:  2:22 – The send McFlurry, and a well-earned “cheat day”  5:06 – ‘Hypnotized Minds’  5:41 – Matt’s active rest day before a project day, and warming up for V16  8:52 – Raising your body temp before climbing  9:39 – Splitting time between projects, active rest days in the gym, and crimping on Hypno  11:22 – What a project session looks like, and “I always go by feel”  14:01 – What the send session looked like, Matt’s send temps, and “the colder the better”  15:28 – Using your build as a gift, scrunch power, and working on weaknesses while taking advantage of strengths  18:22 – “Strength comes first”  18:52 – Balancing performance with training  21:38 – “Practice like you play”, climbing on boards, the role of weight lifting, and “the most important thing is climbing”  23:48 – Matt’s go-to weight-room exercises, and a teaser for OTG (more later in the episode)  24:03 – Deadlifting w/ Tension Blocks vs. hanging from a hangboard  26:48 – Matt’s grip selection for finger training, and grip training frequency (Off Season: every other day. Performance Season: once or twice per week)  29:07 – How Matt decides between the different boards he climbs on  30:52 – The importance of a strong support system  33:10 – Matt’s trip to Australia w/ Jimmy Webb, Paul Robinson, and Nalle Hukkataival, and bouldering with a new level of detail  35:07 – Nutrition timing, and planning meals around climbing, or vice versa  37:08 – Matt’s pre-workout meal  38:37 – The Mad Rock ‘Drones’  42:16 – Drones sizing (about 1.5 to 2 US sizes down from your street shoe)  44:50 – OTG Strength and how to train with Matt  49:24 – Balancing working/coaching with climbing  50:52 – Switching gears after ‘Hypnotized Minds’, project shopping, and climbing for fun  52:23 – Moving to CO and having access to a lot of hard boulders  53:40 – Dreams of van life  54:26 – Gratitude  55:30 – Where to connect with Matt  56:03 – Progressing every year, drawing inspiration from Jimmy Webb and Dave Graham, and goals  58:34 – The RV Moonboard  1:00:03 – “We will enjoy our Oreos today”  

Solomon Barth is a Stanford University graduate and software engineer. We talked about Solomon’s impressive two-week trip to Smith Rock, working with Alex Bridgewater to improve his footwork and bulletproof his fingers, training endurance using up-down-ups, veganism, working in tech, his desire to help make positive change in the world, and gunning for 5.15.  Support on Patreon:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing  Show Notes:  http://thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/solomon-barth  Nuggets:  2:29 – Solomon’s recent climbing trip, bad weather, and land hurricanes  3:49 – Back in the gym after COVID  5:11 – Solomon’s Smith Rock trip  10:56 – Tactics for flashing routes  14:29 – Being a training geek and reaching out to Climb Strong for coaching  16:54 – Working with Alex Bridgewater and bulletproofing his fingers on the hangboard  19:03 – Solomon’s experience with the Go-A-Hundred hangboard program  21:11 – Takeaways from working with Tyler Nelson on finger injury prevention, and why “active recovery is the only recovery” for pulleys and tendons  25:01 – Working on footwork with Alex  27:19 – Working on his weakness every session, and bookending sessions with slab climbing  30:37 – Solomon’s experience with alactic circuit training  35:07 – Up-down-ups with Maya Madere  39:31 – Up-down-ups specifics and clarifications  43:46 – Solomon’s thoughts on running and cardio  46:49 – Practicing pacing, and how Maya learned to climb faster  48:18 – Reigning in the volume  49:18 – Solomon’s experience and evolution with veganism  54:14 – The vegan alternative food that Solomon is most excited about right now  54:58 – Why Solomon doesn’t put much stock in nutrition, and letting go of sacrifices to perform better  57:27 – Rituals, and “climbing is just for fun”  58:41 – Book recommendation: ’Sacred Cow’ (link in show notes)  1:00:09 – Simon’s tech job, school vs. work, and studying computer science  1:02:51 – Balancing a full-time job with climbing, a desire to help make positive change, and taking time to learn more about the world  1:06:22 – Why Solomon feels that Social Media “wasn’t for him” and thoughts about the potential of becoming a professional climber  1:08:17 – Goal setting  1:10:31 – Plans to project 5.15?  1:11:19 – Margo Hayes, ‘La Rambla’, and shifting to sport climbing  1:13:54 – Jailhouse, kneebars, and projecting ‘The Green Mile’ with Conner Herson  1:17:46 – Using Jailhouse as a training ground, and kneerbar progress  1:20:48 – Plans for Maple and Rifle  1:21:29 – Gratitude  1:22:24 – Solomon’s two book recommendations (see show notes for links)  1:25:00 – “I guess I have an Instagram…”