E162: Darth Grading, climbing ethics and Aidan getting bullied by trad climbers

We had an absolute blast chatting to Benn this week. He's not just ebullient and funny he's also a heck of a climber. He makes YouTube content with his older brother and one of the best climbers in the world, Noah. It's a funny position to be in, to be one of the best climbers around but to have a brother who is even better so we did talk about that a bit but we talked about a range of stuff, most of which I forget now, but it was good I remember that! If you enjoyed this episode there will be some deleted scenes on the Patreon, and if you like the podcast why not consider checking it out! https://www.patreon.com/c/u70353823Support the show

This week we answered a bunch of questions from our Patroon community on discord as well as rambled about a few extra bits and pieces as they came to mind. Pub chat stuff really, objective grading scales, when does gear become cheating, flash ethics, Aidan getting abused by trad climbers you know all the classics. If you're enjoying the podcast and would like to support us please consider checking out our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/c/u70353823Support the show

We like chatting to Ethan, he's got some great perspectives and he thinks deeply about his climbing. The base of the chat was around two recent segments in Ethan's climbing, one trip to Bishop where Ethan didn't really climb anything and a few weeks back in Squamish where Ethan climbed some incredibly hard things. It was interesting to hear how the former experience seems to have left a more lasting and positive impact on Ethan despite the lack of hard sends. We also chat about a bunch of other deep and meaningful things like why Sam turned up to the chat wearing a vest. If you're enjoying the podcast and would like to support us please consider checking out our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/c/user?u=70353823Support the show

One of the biggest names in climbing and a strong contender for being the best climber of all time, Adam Ondra joins us this week! Have you heard of him? We chat about a whole bunch of things:-Rock manipulation, Onsighting vs Flashing, Lexicon E11, goal-setting, competitions, The Olympics, B.I.G etc etc.... If you're enjoying the podcast and would like to support us, please consider checking out our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=70353823Support the show

Back by popular demand, Katie Lamb joins us again this week for some round table discussions about pro climbing, legacy athletes and if we could be motivated to climb with no chance of any further progression. We also play a game at the end which is a fantasy climbing auction devised by Sam which turned out to be a pretty good laugh. If you're enjoying the podcast and don't want to see it wither and die like one of my houseplants then please consider checking out our Patreon page! https://www.patreon.com/user?u=70353823Support the show

We had another wad on the pod this week, Nicolai Uznik is a rare breed of climber who has somehow managed to climb the highest grades outdoors whilst also achieving some great results in the comps. We talk about that juggling act, what it's like to be a competitor in the current era of competitions, competition setting, Maltatal, and his experience with a candidate for the best looking 9As, Mount Doom. Surely Mount Doom would have scored very highly on our critically acclaimed (a couple of people said it was alright) 9A tier list if it hadn't been climbed minutes after we recorded it. If you're enjoying the podcast and would like to help us keep the lights on then please consider checking out our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/c/user?u=70353823Support the show

Yeah, it's one of those episodes this week. Nothing to learn and no great insights into the world of climbing, but we at least entertained ourselves trying to devise a new Modern Pentathlon after a chat about climbing films. Say what you want about the Careless Talk Climbing Podcast but at least they're making themselves laugh. We'll be back soon with more climbing specific content (probably) but until then, if you're enjoying the podcast please do consider checking out our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/c/user?u=70353823Support the show

It was very exciting to have Brooke join us on the pod this week! We had a wide ranging chat talking about growing up in a climbing family, the Olympics, social media, maintaining a healthy balance away from climbing, Excaliber, the future of comp climbing, what it's like to compete against Janja Garnbret and much more! Big thanks to Brooke for joining us on the podcast and giving us a snapshot of some of the things that go through the mind of someone right at the cutting edge of our sport!If you're enjoying the podcast and would like to help us keep it going without advertisements then please consider checking out our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/c/user?u=70353823Support the show

We had a lovely chat with Natasha for this week's episode. She's been an outspoken advocate of strength training for years now and so there's nobody better to talk to about the dark arts of the gym gym than Natasha. She knows a thing or two about both worlds, we speak about her experience as a professional climber 20 years ago, and how an injury and a lack of good information led her into a cycle of injury which nearly ended her climbing career completely. She subsequently found strength training and power lifting and feels it has been transformative in many beneficial ways which we spoke all about. We really enjoyed the chat, even if Aidan did throw me under the bus at the end!If you're enjoying the podcast and would like to support us, please consider becoming one of our fine Patroons! https://www.patreon.com/c/user?u=70353823Support the show

Austin Hoyt joins us on the pod this week! A name that's fun to say and he's a lovely chap who was really fun to talk to. We chat a lot about the lesser trodden North-East of the USA, heading to Finland to check out Burden of Dreams, using coordination moves to avoid having to pull too hard and the incredible crop of Wads that have popped up in his local area all of a sudden. If you're enjoying the podcast and would like to help us keep it free and without adverts for everyone then please consider checking out our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/c/user?u=70353823Support the show