We've wanted to have Joe on the podcast since we first had the idea, and he did not disappoint - alternate beta, training advice, surprising histories of routes, and hot takes on grades.

We really got a feel for the vibe and community at Rumney when Joe was a young climber, and we all reflected together on what makes New England special.

FOLLOW FOR CLIPS AND UPDATES

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chinabeachpodcast/

ABOUT THE PODCAST

0:00 Start

1:51 Intro

3:18 Niche climbing culture

4:53 Introductions

13:02 Missing fall in New England

15:31 Vivid first impressions of China Beach

19:16 Ward, Dan Nguyen, grading history

22:36 Joe's energy for route development

25:21 Team tough mentoring the next generation

29:00 Cold War was a different route

37:36 The Waimea scene back then

41:33 New England Climbing Culture is special

47:47 Conditions and mindset

50:32 Projecting China Beach

57:49 Projecting - specific sections

1:00:31 Projecting - dealing with fear

1:03:49 Andrew Palmer - how much has the beta changed?

1:04:24 Joe's alternate sequence at the T in Uncommon Ground

1:06:56 Q: Kara Norton: Joe's favorite hold?

1:11:36 Nina Williams' send and video

1:13:48 Where did Joe fall a lot when redpointing?

1:15:16 How good is China Beach?

1:18:37 Joe Coaches Rajiv

1:28:37 Joe coaches Michael for Bad Girls Club

1:30:07 30-30 - Joe's favorite interval endurance training

1:38:45 China Beach vs. Livin Astro

1:42:14 Joe's style as a developer vs. China/Astro

1:45:17 Q: Ryan Leventhal: Livin' Astroglide or Southern Smoke?

1:46:09 Flatanger vs. Waimea

1:47:54 Shagg Crag

1:48:54 Farley

1:50:19 Northeast climbing spots

1:52:52 New beta on Bad Girls Club

1:55:45 Grades and new beta

2:01:11 Rumney grades

2:02:19 No Shit

2:04:14 Parallel Universe

2:08:36 Emotional relationship with China Beach

2:11:38 Our relationship with climbs and climbing

2:18:22 Dave Graham

In this impromptu episode, I talk with Ward Smith, the author of the Rumney guidebook. Ward put up iconic routes like Predator 13b, Feeding Frenzy 13c/d, and Parallel Universe 14a.

He shared stories from the early days of Rumney, how he approached training, and his take on what makes China Beach special.

It was a free-form conversation, so check out the timestamps in the description to jump to specific topics, but I'd really encourage you to listen to the whole episode. You’ll get a picture of Ward, the climber and person. He was ahead of his time - putting up 5.14 first ascents in the '90s!

This should be an exciting Spring season at Waimea! Follow @chinabeachpodcast on Instagram for updates.

ABOUT THE PODCAST

We’ve had a decade-plus obsession with China Beach 5.14b - possibly the best route in the world. This podcast series is about that route - what makes it unique and special. Video episodes on YouTube and Spotify. Hosted by Rajiv Ayyangar and Michael Penn.

TOPICS

00:00 start

01:38 intros

03:09 podcasts Ward likes

05:18 keto and intermittent fasting

07:08 Rajiv's story

10:30 Ward's early climbing at Rumney

11:50 working on Barracuda 13d

16:54 Getting on China Beach

17:47 Reinforcing key holds

20:32 Why is CB so hard?

21:36 Giving up CB to Dave Graham

24:17 How close did Ward get?

25:53 How did Ward climb so hard?

29:22 Parallel Universe 14a

32:43 Reflections on training

35:52 Digression: John Mallery and Dave, Joe, and Luke

39:18 "I knew my time was limited" - Feeding Frenzy 13d

41:12 Open projects at Rumney

43:14 What makes China Beach so good?

46:52 Will there be a round 2?

51:42 Ward's current training and the Kilter Board

55:55 Surprised more pros haven't done CB

01:00:54 What's Ward's height and ape index?

01:04:15 Nina Williams' beta

01:06:32 Who else should we have on the Podcast?

Kara Norton is a software engineer and former routesetter living in Brooklyn, NY. I had the pleasure of projecting China Beach with her in October, and she made super rapid progress, in particular on the top boulder problem. Kara shares her thoughts as a setter on what makes China Beach great, and we nerd out on the simulators that each of us set. We also circle back at the end to think about what people would say if China Beach were actually scanned and set in a gym.

Along the way, we hear about the first time she saw China Beach, and it really gets to the heart of why I love doing this podcast. Focusing on this one route can give us a lens to examine what we love about climbing, in its most essential form.

There’s footage of her on the route and on her simulator, which you can see if you're watching on Spotify or YouTube.

ABOUT THE PODCAST

We’ve had a decade-plus obsession with China Beach - a 5.14b in Rumney and possibly the best route in the world. This podcast series is about that route - what makes it unique and special. Video episodes on YouTube and Spotify. Hosted by Rajiv Ayyangar and Michael Penn.

SUBSCRIBE

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/66l7lJsbyteIAND8oL3t1C?si=fa92dc77a9534dce

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chinabeachpodcast

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/climbing-china-beach-a-podcast-series-about-one-route/id1654201582

FOLLOW FOR CLIPS AND UPDATES

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chinabeachpodcast/

TOPICS

0:00 - Intro

1:23 - Going from route-setter to software engineer

4:09 - How did Kara get into route-setting and what does she like about it?

14:48 - Kara's local gym, GP81, and why it's awesome

20:34 - Q from Mia: What was it like the first time Kara saw China Beach?

29:41 - Which hold on China Beach is Kara 'friends' with?

33:54 - Video of Kara on the top section + new beta?

41:05 - Kara’s thoughts as a setter on what makes China Beach so good?

46:28 - What did people in the gym think of the top boulder problem?

48:52 - Kara's thoughts on Rajiv's Kilter simulators

55:44 - Kara's simulator of the bottom (w/ video)

1:03:45 - Projecting status - what’s next?

1:09:32 - Q from Suzie: How does Kara balance marathon training with climbing?

1:14:53 - Q from Mia on climbing culture / what CB represents to Kara

1:20:34 - What if the whole route was 3D scanned and set in a gym?

LINKS

GP81: https://www.gp-81.com/

Rajiv's Kilter simulators of China Beach:

v1: https://kilterboardapp.com/climbs/E5A60F279E4849CEADA59238769CEC81

v2 (harder):

https://kilterboardapp.com/climbs/F86ED69640C04173822686E201569215

Kaya: https://kayaclimb.com/

Nina Williams is a professional climber and mindset coach known for her iconic highball ascents of Ambrosia and Too Big to Flail, as well as multiple V13s. We talked about her recent trip to Rumney with Rajiv, getting super into sport climbing, her “Iron Rose” beta break (with video walkthrough), why she doesn’t climb faster, and how she approaches climbing just for herself despite career pressures. 

ABOUT THE PODCAST

We’ve had a decade-plus obsession with China Beach - a 5.14b in Rumney and possibly the best route in the world. This podcast series is about that route - what makes it unique and special. Video episodes on YouTube and Spotify. Hosted by Rajiv Ayyangar and Michael Penn.

SUBSCRIBE

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/66l7lJsbyteIAND8oL3t1C

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg-qNvftQ61mrvHdHrBueeg

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/climbing-china-beach-a-podcast-series-about-one-route/id1654201582

FOLLOW FOR CLIPS AND UPDATES

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chinabeachpodcast/

CLIMBERS MENTIONED

Dan Beall (Rajiv’s coach), Brian Kim, Alex Waterhouse, Charlotte Durif, Lizzie Asher, Mike Patz, Josh Levin, Kara Norton, Adriana Jacobson, Dana Seaton (Nina’s former coach), Amity Warme, Dan Nguyen (FA to the break), John Mallery,  Jon Brock, Daryl St. Laurent, Dave Graham

ROUTES MENTIONED

Techno(surfing) 12b • Zulu 14a • Simply Read 13d • Sarchasm 14a • Butt Bongo Fiesta 13a • Thunder Muscle 13d • I Am The Walrus 14a • Call Me Daddy 14a

LINKS

Will Gadd: “Training for Climbing Isn’t as Hard as You Think”: https://www.climbing.com/skills/how-to-effectively-train-for-climbing/ 

NINA WILLIAMS

Follow Nina on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sheneenagins

Nina's sponsors: The North Face • Scarpa • Organic • Black Diamond • Gnarly Nutrition

Music: ‘Mt. Washington’ by YBalloon

TOPICS

0:00 - Intro

8:19 - Growing up around CB in New England

12:10 - Switch to sport climbing / last yr’s Rumney trip

14:43 - "Iron Rose" beta break: video walkthrough

24:41 - Why doesn't Nina climb faster?

31:28 - The magic of climbing outside as much as possible

36:49 - How to climb just for yourself (esp. as a pro)

48:07 - Beta as a library of sensations

53:45 - Climbing Sarchasm (5.14 at 13,000 ft)

56:56 - Her first 5.13 at Waimea (and a twist!)

59:59 - Upcoming climbing and China Beach this Spring

1:03:32 - CB and the podcast as a micro-community

1:05:30 - Parting thoughts

Rajiv just got back from a pretty epic trip to Rumney, with the singular goal of working China Beach. Let's hear how it went! 

TOPICS

0:00 - Rajiv's comeback

4:53 - The crew working China Beach

8:53 - Should a full replica exist?

11:31 - Rajiv's progress on the route w/ video

18:43 - The crux sawtooth crimp

21:25 - Did the podcast help Rajiv recall beta?

28:36 - Nina's heroic "Iron Rose" beta break

33:49 - Nina's microbeta on the crux undercling

37:24 - The podcast is strangely well-known

41:01 - Dan Nguyen (first ascent to the break) shares the history of the name China Beach

41:58 - Video of Dan telling the story to Rajiv and Nina

47:05 - Watching the namesake China Beach TV series

47:35 - Nina, Chris, and Rajiv's reaction video

52:50 - Footage of Nina - best go

59:23 - Who else is working CB currently?

1:01:36 - What's Rajiv going to train for next fall?

1:11:15 - It's even better than I remember it

LINKS

Rajiv's (easy-ish) Kilter Board simulator: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cjam7IDPnHq

Rajiv's Beta Note: https://www.evernote.com/shard/s22/sh/50d61439-2172-8f78-0632-4d9232612c8d/54bef70468c149fb926d0028de87e83e

In this episode, we talk to Andrew Palmer, one of the strongest weekend warriors in the Northeast, known for the 4th ascent of Jaws II (5.15a). We dive into his obsession with China Beach, and he shares lots of wonderful stories along the way. We also talk about how climbing intertwined with his life and kids, what he went on to do after China Beach, and how he finally found a fitting book-end to his climbing career.  

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About the podcast 

We’ve had a decade-plus obsession with China Beach 5.14b - possibly the best route in the world. This podcast series is about that route - what makes it unique and special. Hosted by Rajiv Ayyangar and Michael Penn. @chinabeachpodcast on Instagram 

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Timestamps 

INTRO

2:14 - Does it suck to be Alex Megos? 

3:44 - Climbing with Dave Graham and others at the Nor’Easter 

OBSESSION 

9:52 - Andrew expected CB to be a book-end, but it wasn’t. 

16:33 - Other routes built confidence. 

21:07 - CB was all he cared about 

23:16 - Growing up climbing in Richmond 

25:52 - The impact of seeing Waimea 

29:22 - Dartmouth, but mostly climbing 

31:49 - Training, sort of 

39:17 - Justen Sjong’s coaching, the World Cup 

42:16 - Jakob Schubert’s entourage 

44:33 - 5.14’s at the New 

46:24 - Unbelievably fit while working Livin’ Astro 

TURNING THE PAGE 

48:46 - Notable Waimea climbs post-CB and having kids 

51:14 - Why was CB so all-consuming vs. harder routes? 

53:53 - The Fly vs. Jaws II 

1:00:26 - Jaws didn’t feel 5.15a?! CLOSING THOUGHTS 

1:06:14 - The OG gang (Dave, Joe, Luke) 

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Routes mentioned 

RUMNEY 

China Beach (5.14b) 

Livin Astro (5.14c) 

Jaws II (5.15a) - Andrew Palmer’s video: https://vimeo.com/77539725 

China Glide 2014 (5.14d) 

The Fly (5.14d) 

NEW RIVER GORGE 

Proper Soul (5.14a) 

Still Life (5.14b) 

Mango Tango (5.14a) 

Trebuchet (5.14b) 

PAWTUCKAWAY 

Child of the Storm (V13)