Tommy Caldwell is one of the most accomplished big-wall climbers of all time. And while his freeing of the Dawn Wall on Yosemite’s El Capitan might be the feat that he’s best known for, his catalog of accomplishments in the climbing world is ridiculous. But Tommy is more than just an all-time great climber, he’s also just published a truly excellent book called, The Push, that John Krakauer calls “the most insightful book about climbing I’ve ever read, and quite possibly the most enjoyable.” We sat down with Tommy at his home in Estes Park, Colorado, to talk about a number of things in his book and a whole bunch of other stuff, including the discipline of writing; Alex Honnold’s recent free solo of Freerider and the contemplation of risk that the feat inexorably raises. Tommy and I also discuss the desire for balance with the reality that great achievements always seem to require an obsessive focus (and a complete lack of balance). And finally, we talk about the future of climbing which then leads us into some bigger questions about technology, raising kids, and basically modern society in general.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Writing (and Climbing and Suffering) (0:00)
• Kyrgyzstan & Self Examination (11:00)
• Self-Identity & Self-Worth (28:38)
• Tommy on risk, Free Soloing, & Honnold's solo of Freerider (32:45)
• Faith (49:30)
• Avoiding burnout (52:08)
• Of all of your climbing accomplishments, which makes you think, “I can’t believe I pulled this off?” (57:59)
• Obsessive Focus vs. the “Desire for Balance” (01:01:18)
• Pros and cons of climbing going mainstream (01:09:23)
• What’s Next? (01:21:50)

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