Carlos Tkacz returns and is joined by his partner Steph Letourneau for a sitdown here in Rocklands. We talked about their diet habits, lessons from their 7 trips to Rocklands, learning to try harder, comparison games, respecting the difficulty of climbing, being good at being consistent, balancing your carbon footprint, making the most of a climbing trip to South Africa, writing novels, and much more!
Check out AG1!
drinkAG1.com/NUGGET
Use this link to get a free year's supply of vitamin D + 5 travel packs!
Check out Crimpd!
crimpd.com
Or download the Crimpd app!
Check out Rumpl!
rumpl.com/nugget
Use code "NUGGET" at checkout for 10% off your first order!
Check out Wonderful Pistachios!
WonderfulPistachios.com to learn more!
Check out Rocky Talkie!
RockyTalkie.com/Nugget
Use this link to get 10% off your first order of backcountry radios!
We are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:
Become a Patron:
patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing
Carlos's Previous Episode:
EP 58: Carlos Tkacz
Show Notes:
thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/carlos-and-steph
Nuggets:
0:03:36 – Breakfast and food habits
0:06:24 – Trading climbing days with your partner
0:08:48 – Resting more to climb harder
0:11:01 – 7 trips to Rocklands apiece, and how to make long flights better
0:13:12 – Teaching and going back to school
0:19:01 – Why Carlos and Steph keep coming back to Rocklands year after year
0:21:23 – Steph’s experience on her first trip to Rocklands, and why both of them prefer bouldering to trad climbing
0:28:01 – Describing Rocklands’ style, Carlos’ first 8B ‘Monkey Business', and learning to try harder
0:33:10 – Steph’s lesson in trying hard, practicing her yell in the car, and getting hyped on Adele
0:37:21 – Carlos' experience watching a guy yell in Thailand, Coach Carlos, and asking if people want feedback
0:39:50 – Steph’s send of ‘Ghost in the Darkness’ 7C/+, and trying ‘Caroline’ 7C+
0:43:02 – Carlos’ tick list from the trip, sending ‘Airstar’ 8B, and reconnecting with the joy of climbing
0:46:16 – What helped Carlos change his mindset, and sending ‘Into the Void’ 8B
0:50:01 – Sending ‘Airstar’, and drawing inspiration from “the kids”
0:52:36 – Favorite Rocklands films
0:57:21 – Struggling with comparison games, respecting the difficulty of climbing, and doing your best
1:07:35 – Climbing is centralizing, and mental energy as a finite resource
1:09:42 – Unpacking my feelings about not progressing quickly enough, and our American obsession with speed
1:12:21 – Being good at being consistent
1:14:12 – Dopamine hits vs. building relationships with climbs
1:19:22 – Growing as a climber in Rocklands, and the stories we tell ourselves
1:22:13 – My shift in mindset in Rocklands, and redefining a lifetime worth of climbing
1:24:47 – Steph talks about how every season in Rocklands is a completely different experience
1:27:02 – Getting the most out of the experience in South Africa, and learning about the place and its history and politics
1:35:27 – Taking breaks from climbing to have other experiences
1:41:53 – Planning the whole year around their Rocklands trips, and doing two 12-week training blocks
1:45:47 – Teaching
1:55:41 – Flying, carbon footprint, and how our brains make shortcuts
2:06:29 – Being a park person, and how we’ve impacted nature
2:09:26 – Steph’s thoughts on climate from a physics perspective, and trying to be carbon neutral on balance
2:16:59 – Offsetting CO2 emissions
2:20:44 – How they fit their 12-week training blocks into a school semester
2:23:27 – The Training Trip, and building a community in Vegas
2:28:59 – Nesting and baby fever
2:33:04 – Training Weight, and the commitment to family
2:36:16 – Carlos’ new book list
2:40:31 – Speculative fiction
2:42:09 – Carlos’ latest book projects, and Steph’s first novel
2:45:59 – Carlos’ horror film
2:48:19 – Steph’s new book project, and where to find her first book
2:49:54 – Publishing a book
2:53:04 – The feedback Steph got from her publisher
2:54:58 – The Day You Became A Better Writer by Scott Adams
2:56:23 – Having a family, ‘Sky’ as the final boss of the 8Bs, and making the horror movie
2:58:24 – Enjoying the process
2:59:40 – What’s next?
Follow-Up: Jonathan Siegrist — ‘Nu World’ and the ‘Event Horizon’ Project (Teaser)
EP 43: Emily Harrington — Projecting ‘Golden Gate’ in a Day, Embracing Fear, and Cupcake Batter Ice Cream
EP 42: Hailey Franklin Fultz — Strength + Nutrition, Fat Loss Strategies, and “Healthifying” Dessert
Follow-Up: Drew Ruana — Recent V16s (Teaser)
EP 41: Tonde Katiyo (Part 2) — RIC as a Tool, the Value of Route Setting, and Keeping Training in Perspective
EP 40: Tonde Katiyo (Part 1) — Discrimination vs. Privilege, and Making a Better World by Making Better Climbing
Follow-Up: Ethan Pringle — The Stories We Tell Ourselves (Teaser)
EP 39: Matt Fultz — ‘Hypnotized Minds’ V16, Strength Before Weight, and Using Your Build as a Gift
EP 38: Solomon Barth — Up-Down-Ups, Veganism, and Working to Live (and Make a Difference)
EP 37: Simon Carter — Action vs. Landscape, The Taipan Closure, and Top 10 Climbing Photography Tips
BONUS: Charlie Manganiello — Goals vs. Actions, Synchronized Swimming, and Magic Bullets
BONUS: Alex Bridgewater — Getting Strong, Speed Walking, and Self-Belief
EP 36: Climb Strong Team — 2020 Training Camp Mashup
EP 35: Steve Bechtel — Changing Your Mind, Lessons From Studying Sprinting, and Creating Better Habits
EP 34: Roger Volkmann — Five Principles of Life, Tough vs. Strong, and Devils Tower
EP 33: Mike Kerzhner — El Cap’s ‘PreMuir’, Emigrating from Russia, and Discipline vs. Necessity
EP 32: Natasha Barnes — Myths and Truths of Strength Training, Calorie Balance, and The Power Mullet
EP 31: Maya Madere — Windsurfing, Endurance Training for Boulderers, and Trusting Intuition
EP 30: Connor Herson — Fourteen 5.14s at Fourteen, Big Wall Free Climbing, and Power Training on a Home Wall
EP 29: Tyson Schoene — Building World-Class Athletes, the Value of Competition, and Drills for Every Climber
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The MeatEater Podcast
Bear Grease
Gamekeeper Podcast
Backcountry Hunting Podcast
Backpacking Light Podcast