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.

Mad Rock:

madrock.com

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

Rúngne:

rungne.info/nugget

👆 Win a year supply of Chalk from Rúngne

Use code “NUGGET” to get 15% off storewide.

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)

Learn more about Revival’s adjustable climbing walls and landing systems.

Become a Patron:

patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing

We are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:

• Michael Roy and Mark and Julie Calhoun

Show Notes:  

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/caroline-ciavaldini

Nuggets:

(00:00:00) – Intro

(00:01:32) – Growing up in La Réunion

(00:07:14) – How Caro started climbing

(00:09:25) – Early competing

(00:14:03) – Her mom’s suicide

(00:21:29) – Mental coaching

(00:25:27) – Magic & selfishness

(00:37:42) – Competition vs. outdoor skills

(00:46:18) – Eating disorders & food obsession

(00:54:37) – Recovery & satiety

(01:01:13) – Becoming adventurous

(01:08:09) – Trad moments

(01:15:43) – Trips with Yuji Hirayama

(01:20:38) – Discussing hard things with kids

(01:24:42) – Paradoxes & genetics

(01:30:25) – Yellow

(01:36:41) – Le Voyage & retraining fear

(01:44:24) – Naming emotions

(01:48:45) – Gentle feminism

(01:58:07) – Women’s cycles

(02:03:28) – Menopause & aging in climbing

(02:13:20) – The struggles of a pro athlete

(02:21:31) – House projects & side hustles

(02:26:22) – Wrap up

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.

Rúngne:

rungne.info/nugget

👆 Win a year supply of Chalk from Rúngne

Use code “NUGGET” to get 15% off storewide.

AG1:

drinkAG1.com/NUGGET

Use this link to get a free year's supply of vitamin D + 5 travel packs.

PhysiVantage:

physivantage.com (link includes 15% off coupon)

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

Arc’teryx:

Women’s climbing clothing

Men’s climbing clothing

Check out the Psiphon and Serratus Alpine Kits launching January 15th.

Become a Patron:

patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing

We are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:

• Michael Roy and Mark and Julie Calhoun

Show Notes:  

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/randy-leavitt

Nuggets:

(00:00:00) – Intro

(00:01:12) – The Dune Cracks

(00:05:52) – Offwidth climbing

(00:09:17) – Traumatic hip belays

(00:14:35) – Bolting Jumbo Love

(00:20:01) – From mountaineering to sport climbing

(00:26:03) – Book of Hate

(00:31:11) – Planet Earth

(00:33:39) – The first cell phones

(00:39:47) – Money, freedom, & happiness

(00:42:45) – Surfing vs. climbing

(00:54:15) – The vision of new routing

(00:56:52) – A new area in Baja

(01:01:16) – Thinking ahead to 40

(01:13:44) – Almost drowning

(01:21:50) – Aging gracefully

(01:27:54) – Hallux limitus

(01:34:24) – Getting remodeled

(01:39:21) – Piloting

(01:49:55) – More route development

(01:53:36) – The Grand Canyon

(01:56:26) – Time

(02:00:06) – Don’t squander your days

Dave MacLeod is back to answer some of your most burning questions. We talked about notable mindset shifts that affected him, how to reconcile contradictory advice, how to balance longevity with pushing your max, whether prehab training is necessary, his thoughts on Emil Abrahamsson and Keith Baar’s study on “No Hangs”, his thoughts on active flexion or finger curls, how to choose your training method, whether eating meat can coexist with environmentalist and much more.

Get 90% off 1 month of Patreon 👉 http://thenuggetclimbing.com/reviews

Or skip the discount and listen to the full episode here 👉  patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing

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

Revival Climbing Coalition:

revivalclimbing.com

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

Learn more about Revival’s adjustable climbing walls and landing systems.

Crimpd:

crimpd.com

Or download the Crimpd app.

Become a Patron:

patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing

We are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:

• Michael Roy and Mark and Julie Calhoun

Show Notes:  

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/louis-shepherd

Nuggets:

(00:00:00) – Intro

(00:01:26) – Fahrenheit

(00:03:09) – Australian bolting system

(00:05:49) – Louise’s intro to climbing in 1978

(00:16:46) – Dealing with health issues

(00:18:36) – Formative experiences

(00:24:34) – Flying breasts & Kim Carrigan

(00:29:34) – Yosemite & yoyo style

(00:36:16) – Living in Arapiles

(00:49:09) – Guiding & The Millennium Draught

(00:58:35) – Cultural heritage & closures in Arapiles

(01:20:00) – How we can help

(01:27:29) – Endangered species & preservation

(01:34:15) – Potential outcomes & complexities

(01:41:53) – Recap & wrap up

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.

Feel free to message Sol on Instagram if you have any questions about cancer diagnosis or long covid.

AG1:

drinkAG1.com/NUGGET

Use this link to get a free year's supply of vitamin D + 5 travel packs.

Arc’teryx:

Women’s climbing clothing

Men’s climbing clothing

Check out the Psiphon and Serratus Alpine Kits launching January 15th.

Rúngne:

rungne.info/nugget

👆 Win a year supply of Chalk from Rúngne

Use code “NUGGET” to get 15% off storewide.

Crimpd:

crimpd.com

Or download the Crimpd app.

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/sol-wertkin

Nuggets:

(00:00:00) – Intro

(00:00:57) – How I met Sol

(00:03:56) – Depression & climbing roots

(00:09:02) – New routing in the PNW

(00:12:02) – The “Golden Era” in Leavenworth

(00:23:37) – Johnny Goicoechea

(00:28:37) – Training & sport climbing

(00:31:27) – Smith Rock & Spain

(00:35:40) – Getting diagnosed with cancer

(00:49:07) – Lifetimes, surgery 1, & do the things

(00:54:43) – Short of breath

(00:59:12) – Systematic diaphragm paralysis, & surgery 2

(01:03:33) – E-bikes

(01:10:20) – Diaphragm plication

(01:21:54) – Chylothorax

(01:25:15) – The early stages of dying

(01:28:39) – Surgery 3

(01:32:31) – Planning for the worst, & getting discharged

(01:36:40) – Bonus life

(01:41:55) – A final hurdle

(01:52:32) – Every day is a gift

(01:54:14) – Sailing

(02:01:06) – Replacing climbing

(02:08:48) – Goals

(02:13:59) – E-biking & ableism

(02:19:07) – Why Sol doesn’t climb anymore

(02:22:33) – A richer life after climbing

(02:29:58) – Trail clearing & volunteering

(02:34:38) – What’s next

(02:37:44) – Healthcare & nursing

(02:40:46) – Sol’s nuggets

(03:06:19) – Let’s go!

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 why only 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.

Buy Stian's Book:

adventurebooks.com/collections/climbing-books-guidebooks/products/the-climbing-bible-managing-injuries

Rúngne:

rungne.info/nugget

👆 Win a year supply of Chalk from Rúngne

Use code “NUGGET” to get 15% off storewide.

PhysiVantage:

physivantage.com (link includes 15% off coupon)

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

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)

Learn more about Revival’s adjustable climbing walls and landing systems.

The NUG:

frictitiousclimbing.com/products/the-nug

Check out my new portable hangboard.

Tindeq:

tindeq.com

Use code “nugget” for $10 off your order.

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/stian-christophersen-returns

Nuggets:

(00:00:00) – Intro

(00:02:09) – Stian’s finger injury, & why medical professionals are cautious

(00:07:40) – Practicing board climbing

(00:11:55) – Outline of topics

(00:15:18) – Most common climbing injuries

(00:18:13) – Rules for preventing injuries

(00:20:39) – How much hard climbing is reasonable

(00:29:13) – Lifting weights

(00:31:04) – The Japanese approach

(00:43:43) – Finger training to prevent finger injuries

(00:52:05) – How frequently should we change our finger training protocols?

(00:56:01) – Cluster sets, & best pulling exercises to prevent shoulder injuries

(00:59:25) – When to do extra strength training

(01:01:47) – Sleep, nutrition, stress, & identity

(01:06:45) – Regaining confidence after injury

(01:09:45) – Optimism & discovery

(01:20:42) – Is there an ideal way to rehab pulley injuries?

(01:25:52) – How to rehab pulley injuries

(01:35:14) – Loading & adapting from within

(01:43:50) – The good news with pulley injuries

(01:45:59) – Is surgery ever necessary for pulley injuries?

(01:48:20) – How to reintroduce climbing after a pulley injury

(01:51:20) – Reintroducing crimps & hard climbing

(01:53:59) – Preparing for tweaky holds

(02:01:08) – Individual finger training

(02:05:57) – Training for hard shoulder moves

(02:07:20) – Growth plate injuries

(02:10:58) – Injections for finger pain

(02:13:20) – Mindset tips

(02:16:06) – Tall climbers, tendon strength, & talent

(02:20:49) – Where to buy Stian’s new book

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.

Mad Rock:

madrock.com

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

AG1:

drinkAG1.com/NUGGET

Use this link to get a free year's supply of vitamin D + 5 travel packs.

Arc’teryx:

Women’s climbing clothing

Men’s climbing clothing

Check out the Psiphon and Serratus Alpine Kits launching January 15th.

PhysiVantage:

physivantage.com (link includes 15% off coupon)

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

The NUG:

frictitiousclimbing.com/products/the-nug

Check out my new portable hangboard.

Tindeq:

tindeq.com

Use code “nugget” for $10 off your order.

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/dave-macleod-returns

Nuggets:

(00:00:00) – Intro

(00:02:34) – Themes for the today’s podcast

(00:04:59) – ‘Moving the Needle’

(00:10:54) – How curiosity feeds consistency

(00:17:44) – Simple decisions that move the needle

(00:21:55) – Time x mileage x variety

(00:34:09) – Balancing projecting & volume

(00:41:08) – Tree crimping

(00:43:50) – Almost daily training

(00:49:08) – The basics

(01:00:38) – When to end bouldering sessions

(01:06:38) – Rolling with the punches

(01:13:31) – Managing training load & staying in the game

(01:24:43) – Finger training

(01:30:09) – An unlikely breakthrough (FA of ‘Bultitude’ V14)

(01:37:09) – Finger strength PRs

(01:43:42) – How to climb harder in your 40s

(01:59:54) – Taking short breaks

(02:02:56) – Daydreaming

(02:05:30) – Making it hard to fail

(02:13:27) – One thing at a time

(02:17:19) – Writing books

(02:25:25) – Factors that led to sending ‘Rhapsody’ E11

(02:32:16) – Books vs. podcasts

(02:34:35) – Confidence & conflict

(02:42:06) – Dave’s experiment with a Western Diet

(02:46:48) – How our diet can affect mood

(02:52:26) – Paul Saladino, keto, fruit, & metabolic health

(03:10:37) – Why Dave keeps coming back to keto

(03:15:52) – How much protein Dave eats on keto

(03:19:36) – Energy & weight management

(03:26:40) – LDL Cholesterol

(03:40:25) – Kitavan Islanders, heart disease, & lifestyle factors

(03:46:51) – Seed oils & alcohol

(03:49:25) – A need for unbiased scientific research

(03:54:50)  Where to buy Dave’s book

This is a collection of my favorite moments of the podcast from 2024, including some of the best Patreon segments. Enjoy!

Holiday Gift Ideas:

patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing/gift

Gift a Patreon subscription 👆

frictitiousclimbing.com/products/the-nug

The NUG 👆

thenuggetclimbing.com/shop

Hello Friends merch 👆

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)

Learn more about Revival’s adjustable climbing walls and landing systems.

Chalk Cartel:

chalkcartel.com

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

Crimpd:

crimpd.com

Or download the Crimpd app.

We are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:

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

Show Notes:  

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/best-of-2024

Nuggets:

(00:00:00) – Intro

(00:02:05) – EP 200: Brook Rabouotou (Patreon EXTRA)

(00:14:29) – EP 201: James Pearson

(00:32:30) – EP 202: Tyler Nelson Returns

(00:43:58) – EP 214: Neely Quinn Returns

(00:50:30) – EP 216: Maddy Cope

(00:54:30) – EP 221: Keenan Takahashi (Patreon EXTRA)

(01:02:20) – EP 223: Aidan Roberts Returns

(01:19:24) – EP 229: Shauna Coxsey

(01:26:26) – EP 233: Olympic Reactions With Allison Vest

(01:35:08) – EP 240: Alex Megos

(01:45:18) – EP 242: Molly Beard

(01:53:02) – EP 249: Chris Sharma (Patreon EXTRA)

(02:01:32) – EP 250: Beth Rodden

(02:12:12) – EP 252: Justin Salas

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.”