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The Nugget Climbing Podcast

Steven Dimmitt

Welcome to a podcast about performance climbing, self-improvement, and being a human being.

5M+ downloads.

"One of the best long-form interview podcasts in the outdoor space." - Climbing Magazine

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22 episodes
fortnightly
Avg 1 hr 50 min
English

Episodes 22

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Monday · 2 hr 14 min
EP 305: Dr. Mohammad Ashori — The 5 Things That Will Keep You Climbing for Decades
Dr. Mohammad Ashori is a board-certified family medicine physician, health coach, and rock climber. We talked about the importance of putting on muscle, how much rest we need between training sessions, nutrition and metabolic health, zone 2 cardio, key metrics and blood markers to track, different levels of data, why some data can be misleading or harmful, relative vs. absolute risk, and much more.
August 18 · 2 hr 12 min
EP 304: Justen Sjong Returns — Unique Challenges for Tall & Short Climbers (And What Actually Helps)
Justen Sjong (The Climbing Sensei) returns to the podcast to discuss the unique challenges of being tall or short in climbing. We talk about the disadvantages tall climbers face, how injury risk and training volume change with size, mindset shifts for both tall and short climbers, why climbing is inherently unfair, practical tips, and much more.
July 13 · 1 hr 43 min
EP 303: Adam Ondra Returns — How He Prepares to Flash V15, and Why the Best Sport Climbers Are Also the Best Boulderers
Adam Ondra is back on the podcast to discuss his incredible winter bouldering season, including four V15 (8C) flashes. We talked about why the best sport climbers can keep up with the bouldering specialists, his winter training in Arco, boards vs. spray walls, go-to bouldering circuits, tactics for hard flash attempts, catching the moment, and much more.
June 29 · 1 hr 42 min
EP 302: Aaron Shamy — The Epic Comeback: Sending 5.14c After a 15-Year Hiatus
Aaron Shamy has an inspiring story: he won the X Games in the ‘90s, took a 15-year hiatus from climbing, got out of shape, and then began a 6+ year comeback that culminated in sending the hardest route of his life. We talked about his early climbing and hiatus, the turning point, Project 127, living in the crescendo, balancing family life, his 33 days on Flight of the Conchords, the tactics that helped him send, and much more.
June 8 · 2 hr 10 min
EP 301: Matt Samet — Escaping Benzo Addiction, Rifle in the Early ‘90s, and Embracing the Moonboard in His 40s
Matt Samet is the former editor-in-chief of Climbing Magazine, a writer and author, and a sport-climbing pioneer. We talked about his decade-plus battle with benzo addiction, his advice for people who experience anxiety or depression, what Rifle was like in the early ‘90s, how Chris Sharma broke the paradigm, embracing training to send his hardest routes, his new role with the American Alpine Club, and the inaugural American Climbing Journal coming later this year. You can learn more at american
May 25 · 1 hr 1 min
EP 300: Jeff Patterson — What Climbers Can Learn from Martial Arts (and How 20 Minutes of Meditation Could Change Your Life)
Jeff Patterson is a martial arts instructor with black belt equivalency in 6x different martial arts, including Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, and Tai Chi. We talked about how practicing the meditative arts helped his boxing, how 20 minutes of meditation per day for 1 year can permanently change your life, breathing tips for climbers, how to regulate your nervous system, and much more. You can learn more about Jeff at theyieldingwarrior.com
May 14 · 2 hr 9 min
EP 299: Herm Feissner — A Unique Training Philosophy at Age 53, Understanding Hard Moves, and Balancing an Engineering Career with Travel & Climbing
Herm Feissner is a lifer climber based in Fort Collins, CO. We talked about doing the FA of The Practitioner V11 in Leavenworth, WA, in the early 2000s, his training philosophy at 53 years old, how his relationship with climbing has improved, balancing an engineering career with traveling and climbing, discovering and understanding moves, the boulder he is most psyched to complete, and much more.
April 27 · 2 hr 7 min
EP 298: Sonnie Trotter — Gunning for 5.15, How He Trained as a Teen, and Stamina vs. Strength
Sonnie Trotter is a Canadian professional rock climber and one of the most accomplished and respected climbers of his generation. We talked about his goal to climb 5.15, my impression of meeting him at Smith Rock, our parallel family histories, treating life as a game, how the Cobra Crack changed his career, how he trained as a teenager, stamina vs. strength, what makes Dave Graham so strong, and his book, Uplifted: The Evolution of a Climbing Life.
April 14 · 54 min
EP 297: Peter Mortimer (filmmaker) — Dean Potter’s Rivalry with Alex Honnold, His Inner Demons, and The Dark Wizard
Peter Mortimer is an award-winning filmmaker (King Lines, Valley Uprising, The Dawn Wall, The Alpinist) and co-creator of the Reel Rock Film Tour. We talked about his latest project, The Dark Wizard, a new 4-part documentary series now streaming on HBO Max about Dean Potter, which shares the full story of Dean in all of his human complexity—as a visionary, climbing legend, and a tormented soul.
April 7 · 1 hr 46 min
EP 296: Dave Thompson — Early FAs in Leavenworth, Applying Your Strength on the Wall, and Personal Agency
Dave Thompson is a 5.14 and V14 first ascentionist, alpinist, and coach for Evoke Endurance. We talked about his early climbing in the North Cascade mountains of Washington State, doing the first ascent of some of the best hard boulders in Leavenworth (Beautification, God is in the Details, The Teacup), how he got so strong, how to apply your strength on the wall, the challenges of endurance training in climbing, and more.
March 23 · 1 hr 55 min
EP 295: Sam Watson — The Fastest Climber in the World on His Routines, Mental Process, & the Olympics
Sam Watson is the current world record holder in speed climbing (4.64 seconds) and an Olympic Bronze medalist. We talked about breaking the world record in Paris, how he makes a living, building a social media following in China, the future potential of speed climbing, recovery routines and tools, chess, favorite books, airport stoicism, and more.
March 9 · 1 hr 30 min
EP 294: Melissa Strong — Dying and Coming Back to Life, Having Her Arms Sewn Together, and Returning to Climbing with 7 ¾ Fingers
Melissa Strong is a boulderer and restaurateur based in Estes Park, CO, who nearly lost her life in an electrocution accident in April 2017. We talked about her accident, what she experienced on the other side of the veil, having her arms sewn together, what climbing was like before and after the accident, skin graft DNA, the healing process of writing Climbing Through, and much more. You can learn more about Melissa at melissaistrong.com
February 23 · 2 hr 4 min
EP 293: Joel Unema — Unlocking V14 Finger Strength, the Key to Long Roof Boulders, and a Better Way to Train Power Endurance
Joel Unema is a high-performance rock climber and coach for Climb Strong, and has climbed V14 and 5.14b. We talked about how Tyler Nelson helped him unlock V14 finger strength, how Steve Bechtel helped him send a 20+ move roof boulder, how to optimize your power endurance for a sport climbing trip, and much more. Buckle up for a good old-fashioned training chat.
February 9 · 1 hr 48 min
EP 292: Tom Randall — How to Program Your Training Like a Pro (Repost from Patreon)
Today, I am resharing one of the most valuable episodes I have ever recorded. This episode with Tom Randall was originally aired on Patreon in Feb, 2022. We talked about how to use your friends to discover your strengths and weaknesses, how to work backward from goals, how long it takes to make major changes in your climbing, like switching from bouldering to sport climbing, and much more. Don’t skip this episode if you are a self-coached climber.
January 26 · 1 hr 18 min
EP 291: Charlie Boscoe — Pro Climbing League: Comps Are About to Change Forever
Charlie Boscoe is a former IFSC commentator, writer, and co-founder of the Pro Climbing League, a bold new head-to-head bouldering series debuting on February 28. We talked about his first experience in the outdoors, why Janja Garnbret and Adam Ondra are the G.O.A.T.s, and why climbing competitions are about to get a lot more exciting. You can learn more at proclimbing.com
January 12 · 2 hr 25 min
EP 290: Chris Schulte — Developing Your Own Style, Age-Proof Motivation, and Redefining Progress Beyond Grades
Chris Schulte is an elite boulderer known for bold first ascents, compression mastery, and a thoughtful approach that prioritizes style over grades. We talked about his evolution as a climber, developing his own style, how Fred Nicole inspired him, redefining progress with age, tips for compression problems and wide cracks, and the state of elite bouldering and cutting-edge grades.
Dec 15, 2025 · 1 hr 49 min
EP 289: Christian Beckwith — The 10th Mountain Division, WW2 Guerrilla Warfare Stories, and the Birth of Modern Climbing Gear
Christian Beckwith is the former editor of The American Alpine Journal and Alpinist Magazine, and the creator of the award-winning podcast, Ninety-Pound Rucksack. We talked about the formation of the 10th Mountain Division in WW2, the breaking of Hitler’s Gothic Line, stories of mountain gorilla warfare, gear innovations that changed climbing forever, and much more. You can listen to Christian’s podcast at christianbeckwith.com
Dec 1, 2025 · 1 hr 48 min
EP 288: Carol Simpson Returns — Life After 80 Years Old, Longevity Routines, and Training for a World Record
Carol Simpson returns to the podcast to talk about life after 80 years old, and everything she does to stay healthy and climb hard. We talked about making the move to Salt Lake, discovering Dr. Peter Attia, her health routines, training for a world record in grip strength, balance training, rediscovering art, and much more.
Nov 17, 2025 · 1 hr 43 min
EP 287: Domen Škofic — The Red Bull Plane Project, Rediscovering Passion in Flatanger, and Trying Silence 9c
Domen Škofic is a Slovenian professional climber and a 5x World Cup gold medalist. We talked about his Red Bull Plane Climb project, skydiving, building a climbing gym with his father, retiring from the competition circuit, taking up archery, rediscovering his passion for climbing, sending Move 9b/+ in Flatanger, trying Silence 9c with Sean Raboutou, training lessons, and much more.
Nov 3, 2025 · 2 hr 47 min
EP 286: Steve Moss — Why Discomfort Fuels Breakthroughs, Double V12 Days at Age 40, and 455 V-Points in 24 Hours
Steve Moss is a high-level boulderer and the co-founder of a brewery and pizzeria in Spokane, WA. We talked about finding climbing at age 24, his breakthrough season climbing three V12s in less than two weeks at age 40, why discomfort helps us grow, his training routine for the past year, building a successful brewery and pizzeria from the ground up, what matters most in climbing, gratitude for life, the connections we make through climbing, and much more.

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