April Davidson (yeahapril) is a rock climber and content creator. We talked about what it is like living with her blind fiance Justin Salas, growing up and moving to LA, losing her mom, opiate addiction, finding climbing, her Instagram career, health issues and adrenal fatigue, her experiment with the carnivore diet, responsible meat eating, chocolate cake, and much more.

Holiday Gift Ideas:

patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing/gift

Gift a Patreon subscription 👆

frictitiousclimbing.com/products/the-nug

The NUG 👆

thenuggetclimbing.com/shop

Hello Friends merch 👆

Mad Rock:

madrock.com

Use code “NUGGET10” at checkout for 10% off your next order.

Revival Climbing Coalition:

revivalclimbing.com

EP 225: Tony Bell & David Bress (my episode with the founders of Revival)

PhysiVantage:

physivantage.com (link includes 15% off coupon)

Use code "NUGGET15" at checkout for 15% off your next order.

We are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:

• Michael Roy, Mark and Julie Calhoun, and Yinan Liu

Show Notes:

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/april-davidson

Nuggets:

(00:00:00) – Intro

(00:01:22) – Living with a blind man

(00:07:33) – Why they quit vanlife

(00:10:04) – Building out their van

(00:21:02) – Settling in Vegas

(00:23:44) – April’s relationship with climbing

(00:26:18) – Growing up & moving a lot

(00:31:44) – Moving to LA

(00:33:40) – 30s

(00:40:00) – Loss & addiction

(00:49:06) – An abusive relationship

(00:52:01) – Finding climbing

(00:54:34) – Breaking free

(00:58:56) – Dissociation & wasted time

(01:02:13) – Support & accountability

(01:05:21) – Her Instagram career

(01:12:57) – Photography & video

(01:16:15) – Going with the flow

(01:17:57) – Weddings & elopements

(01:21:10) – Health issues & adrenal fatigue

(01:28:56) – The carnivore diet

(01:35:25) – Getting strong

(01:40:00) – Gut health & her current diet

(01:43:52) – Vegan & vegetarian diets

(01:50:52) – Responsible meat eating

(01:55:08) – Quitting caffeine

(01:56:37) – Food tracking

(01:59:39) – Cake

(02:00:28) – Rapid fire questions

(02:04:18) – Narrating life to Justin

(02:07:30) – Ultimate trust

(02:08:34) – Wrap up & EXTRA teaser

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.

Holiday Gift Ideas:

patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing/gift

Gift a Patreon subscription 👆

frictitiousclimbing.com/products/the-nug

The NUG 👆

thenuggetclimbing.com/shop

Hello Friends merch 👆

Mad Rock:

madrock.com

Use code “NUGGET10” at checkout for 10% off your next order.

Rhino Skin Solutions:

rhinoskinsolutions.com

Use code “NUGGET” at checkout for 20% off your next order!

BetterHelp:

betterhelp.com/NUGGET

Use this link for 10% off your first month.

We are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:

• Michael Roy, Mark and Julie Calhoun, and Yinan Liu

Show Notes:

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/justin-salas

Nuggets:

(00:00:00) – Intro

(00:01:23) – Pulley injuries

(00:05:26) – Vanlife

(00:11:01) – Justin’s visual experience

(00:15:35) – An invisible disability

(00:23:37) – “Yes I’m blind, no I’m not.”

(00:27:55) – Faces

(00:30:45) – Losing his vision

(00:35:59) – Denial, gratitude, & bad days

(00:40:58) – BMX & getting into climbing

(00:44:49) – Coping mechanisms

(00:48:36) – Assistive technology

(00:54:34) – How he climbs

(01:02:26) – His first day of climbing

(01:10:59) – Sight guides

(01:22:34) – Footholds

(01:25:29) – Stamina training

(01:28:21) – Fred’s Cave & projecting tactics

(01:33:14) – Getting inspired

(01:36:34) – Texas Hold Em

(01:37:32) – Assessing landings

(01:41:31) – Downclimbing & approaching

(01:45:04) – Toothpaste

(01:47:58) – Specialized bikes

(01:51:42) – Asking for help

(01:57:54) – April

(02:05:47) – Building out a van

(02:10:09) – Vegas

(02:12:56) – Nature is healing

(02:15:37) – Overcoming fear

(02:24:55) – Mitigating risk

(02:27:29) – What drives Justin in climbing

(02:30:48) – The Olympics & paraclimbing competitions

(02:39:39) – Blind visualization

(02:46:48) – Building a mental map

(02:50:11) – Changemaker

(02:54:40) – Faith

(03:01:04) – Curiosity & learning

(03:04:31) – A beautiful question from Andy

(03:11:28) – “A house divided will fall.”

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.

Holiday Gift Ideas:

patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing/gift

Gift a Patreon subscription 👆

frictitiousclimbing.com/products/the-nug

The NUG 👆

thenuggetclimbing.com/shop

Hello Friends merch 👆

Mad Rock:

madrock.com

Use code “NUGGET10” at checkout for 10% off your next order.

PhysiVantage:

physivantage.com (link includes 15% off coupon)

Use code "NUGGET15" at checkout for 15% off your next order.

Green Chef:

greenchef.com/NUGGET50

Use code "NUGGET50" for 50% off your first box plus 20% off your next two months.

Become a Patron:

patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing

We are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:

• Michael Roy, Mark and Julie Calhoun, and Yinan Liu

Show Notes:

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/eric-jerome

Nuggets:

(00:00:00) – Intro

(00:02:12) – Hit & run

(00:04:42) – The recovery process

(00:07:57) – A paradigm shift

(00:10:55) – The Top 100 project

(00:13:23) – A really fun game

(00:17:08) – A healthier relationship with climbing

(00:21:02) – Body type & relationship with food

(00:25:12) – Finger strength & volume as a heavier climber

(00:33:33) – Minimal effective dose

(00:40:59) – Cycling projects & developing

(00:49:02) – A new bouldering area in Utah

(01:00:57) – Documenting new boulders

(01:08:00) – Bouldering in The New

(01:11:47) – Buying a house in West Virginia

(01:32:37) – House swaps & gratitude

(01:37:45) – More about The New

(01:46:09) – Life going forward

(01:50:02) – Summer vibes in The New

(01:53:15) – Best lines in the UK

(01:55:09) – Eric’s career with KAYA

(02:03:19) – Building a database

(02:07:25) – Gamification & misconceptions about KAYA

(02:17:38) – Upcoming KAYA features

(02:21:02) – Wrap up & EXTRA teaser

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.

Become a Patron:

patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing

BetterHelp:

betterhelp.com/NUGGET

Use this link for 10% off your first month.

Revival Climbing Coalition:

revivalclimbing.com

EP 225: Tony Bell & David Bress (my episode with the founders of Revival)

Mad Rock:

madrock.com

Use code “NUGGET10” at checkout for 10% off your next order.

Rhino Skin Solutions:

rhinoskinsolutions.com

Use code “NUGGET” at checkout for 20% off your next order!

We are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:

• Michael Roy, Mark and Julie Calhoun, and Yinan Liu

Show Notes:

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/beth-rodden

Nuggets:

(00:00:00) – Intro

(00:00:54) – Injuries

(00:03:28) – Writing her book

(00:08:14) – Excavating memories

(00:11:05) – Coming around to therapy

(00:13:59) – Living in fear

(00:16:13) – Kyrgyzstan

(00:21:45) – More excavation & therapy

(00:27:06) – Putting the book together

(00:28:29) – A shared experience

(00:37:45) – Being honest

(00:44:03) – Not reading Tommy’s book

(00:47:39) – Facing backlash

(00:56:11) – Reductionism

(01:00:55) – Family trips with the Caldwells

(01:05:24) – Reflecting on her climbing career

(01:10:48) – Magic Line

(01:18:53) – Self-worth, achievement, & change

(01:29:49) – An unwinnable game

(01:36:30) – Evolution & human stories

(01:40:18) – Favorite memoirs

(01:44:28) – The next level down

(01:46:42) – Feedback & criticism

(01:51:27) – Her feelings about her book

(01:54:10) – Where to buy Beth’s book

(01:55:14) – Wrap up & EXTRA teaser

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.

Become a Patron:

patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing

Crimpd:

crimpd.com

Or download the Crimpd app for free!

PhysiVantage:

physivantage.com (link includes 15% off coupon)

Use code "NUGGET15" at checkout for 15% off your next order.

Revival Climbing Coalition:

revivalclimbing.com

EP 225: Tony Bell & David Bress (my episode with the founders of Revival)

Mad Rock:

madrock.com

Use code “NUGGET10” at checkout for 10% off your next order.

We are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:

• Michael Roy, Mark and Julie Calhoun, and Yinan Liu

Show Notes:

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/chris-sharma

Nuggets:

(00:00:00) – Intro

(00:01:48) – Community & climbing alone

(00:07:15) – A rapid ascension & crashing down

(00:10:32) – Knee injury

(00:13:29) – Reinventing our relationship

(00:17:27) – La Dura Dura

(00:20:07) – New challenges

(00:27:32) – Chapters

(00:29:59) – Finding the sweet spot

(00:36:46) – Biographie & traveling in Asia

(00:41:58) – Persistence & evolution

(00:48:22) – Finishing what you start

(00:52:32) – Should or should not

(00:59:18) – Sleeping Lion & speed climbing

(01:03:55) – First Round First Minute

(01:11:17) – Paris Olympics

(01:13:21) – Le Blonde & Perfecto Mundo

(01:15:48) – Playfulness & mini objectives

(01:19:43) – DWS during the off-season

(01:27:21) – Santa Linya

(01:32:30) – US Lead Nationals & competing again

(01:40:17) – Paris 2028

(01:46:32) – Embracing competition

(01:50:00) – The next generation

(01:54:12) – The media churn

(01:57:22) – JB Tribout’s advice

(02:00:22) – “It’s cool to do hard shit. ”

(02:05:18) – Finding contentment & having kids

(02:12:32) – Ferrari

(02:16:16) – Magic

(02:19:12) – More psyched than ever

(02:21:24) – Climbing for other people

(02:25:10) – Wrap up & EXTRA teaser

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.

Become a Patron:

patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing

Revival Climbing Coalition:

revivalclimbing.com

EP 225: Tony Bell & David Bress (my episode with the founders of Revival)

Chalk Cartel:

chalkcartel.com

Use code "NUGGET" at checkout for 20% off your next order.

Rhino Skin Solutions:

rhinoskinsolutions.com

Use code “NUGGET” at checkout for 20% off your next order!

BetterHelp:

betterhelp.com/NUGGET

Use this link for 10% off your first month.

We are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:

• Michael Roy, Craig Lee, Mark and Julie Calhoun, Yinan Liu, and Matt Walter

Show Notes:

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/thomas-huber

Nuggets:

(00:00:00) – Intro

(00:01:25) – Many valleys

(00:04:53) – Hunting

(00:14:39) – Staying young

(00:16:29) – Thomas’ recent trip to Choktoi

(00:27:12) – Lessons from expeditions

(00:31:05) – Party in basecamp

(00:35:48) – The Pakistanis’ relationship with climbing

(00:45:48) – Exploring the impossible

(00:51:12) – Understanding why accidents happen

(00:55:50) – Sport climbing at age 57

(00:57:45) – Mountaineering holiday

(01:01:17) – Beer break

(01:02:37) – Early training

(01:09:36) – Part of the evolution

(01:11:42) – His first trip to Buoux

(01:13:53) – Inspiration & training setup

(01:19:11) – Finger strength in his 50s

(01:20:55) – 9a & beer

(01:27:36) – Reaching the world stage

(01:30:38) – His relationship with his brother Alex

(01:37:29) – Proudest accomplishments with Alex

(01:39:31) – Challenges & silver linings

(01:46:17) – Yosemite & the Stone Monkeys

(01:54:00) – Patagonia

(01:56:09) – El Nino on El Cap

(01:58:39) – The man-powered rappel

(02:00:45) – Keeping their stories alive

(02:06:24) – Freiheit

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!

Sign the Petition:

Petition to Permanently Protect the Greater Moe’s Valley Area

(https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf3winkzQEwb-NI9TPPIW0yaEo1iLcifw43N0sCS5X9sW3nhQ/viewform)

More Links:

stgeorgeclimberscoalition.org

Show Notes:

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/todd-perkins-returns

Nuggets:

(00:00:00) – A few thoughts about my political episode with Kaizen

(00:02:16) – Intro

(00:03:34) – A splash of cold water

(00:04:33) – What’s going on with Moe’s Valley

(00:10:24) – Todd’s early days in Moe’s

(00:13:30) – Moe’s has it’s place

(00:14:04) – The petition & upcoming hearings

(00:17:46) – Fundraising

(00:21:18) – Stories from Todd

(00:27:56) – Striking a balance

(00:30:58) – Todd’s health & climbing

(00:33:00) – Top secret information

(00:34:02) – Wrap up

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.

Listen to more Fundamentals episodes:

thenuggetclimbing.com/fundamentals

The NUG:

frictitiousclimbing.com/products/the-nug

Check out my new portable hangboard.

Rhino Skin Solutions:

rhinoskinsolutions.com

Use code “NUGGET” at checkout for 20% off your next order!

Revival Climbing Coalition:

revivalclimbing.com

EP 225: Tony Bell & David Bress (my episode with the founders of Revival)

Check out the Tension Board 2:

tensionboard.com/nugget

Or use the Tension app to find a TB2 near you.

BetterHelp:

betterhelp.com/NUGGET

Use this link for 10% off your first month.

We are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:

• Michael Roy, Craig Lee, Mark and Julie Calhoun, Yinan Liu, and Matt Walter

Become a Patron:

patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing

Show Notes:

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/fundamentals-s2-part-6

Nuggets:

(00:00:00) – Intro

(00:01:21) – Our longest plateaus

(00:03:50) – Jesse’s Tip #1: Think long-term

(00:08:10) – Steven’s Tip #1: Get focused and make sure everything you are doing has a reason behind it

(00:10:51) – Jesse’s Tip #2: Focus on objectives instead of grades

(00:14:17) – Steven’s Tip #2: Consider rebuilding from the ground up

(00:17:29) – Jesse’s Tip #3: Focus on your climbing skills and not the grades

(00:28:34) – Steven’s Tip #3: Do more of what you haven’t been doing

(00:33:24) – Jesse’s Tip #4: Double down on the basics (sleep, nutrition, stress, etc.)

(00:37:19) – Long rests & rewarming up

(00:38:12) – Steven’s Tip #4: Consider changing your circumstances

(00:42:40) – Pressure testing your assumptions

(00:44:12) – Creative home walls

(00:45:06) – Steven’s Pitfall #1: Doing more of what you’ve been doing

(00:45:49) – Jesse’s Pitfall #1: Overtraining

(00:50:32) – Steven’s Pitfall #2: Getting captured by other people’s agendas

(01:00:46) – Jesse’s Pitfall #2: Too much limit checking

(01:04:27) – What to do when you run out of routes or boulders to progress through

(01:09:21) – Steven’s Pitfall #3: Switching styles too often

(01:12:43) – Jesse’s Pitfall #3: You’re not actually plateaued, you’ve just built a tower

(01:15:01) – Area-specific pyramids

(01:19:48) – That’s a wrap on season 2!