Devin Dabney is a rock climber, routesetter, rapper, music producer, writer, and creator of The American Climbing Project podcast. We talked about using humor to talk about uncomfortable subjects, inviting people into conversations, how climbing saved his life after considering suicide, breaking down barriers to climbing, how competition makes us better, and making a difference in the climbing community.
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Show Notes:
thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/devin-dabney
Nuggets:
0:08:20 – Green screens and SpongeBob
0:12:52 – How Devin and I connected, and binging his podcast
0:17:41 – Devin’s vision for The American Climbing Project (ACP)
0:23:30 – Using humor to poke at difficult subjects, and inviting people into conversation
0:28:37 – Devin’s target audience, exposing listeners to different perspectives about race, and my (Steven’s) ignorance having grown up as a white kid from the PNW
0:32:22 – Climbing as an escape, and connecting to the world around us as climbers
0:33:50 – Plans for season 2 of ACP, and covering gender and sexual orientation in climbing
0:35:03 – Rob, and the ACP blog
0:38:23 – The skits
0:39:40 – Devin and Rob’s mission to provide a tool to grow and improve the climbing community and redistribute wealth
0:41:52 – The mixtape format of the ACP
0:45:22 – The Black Square skit
0:47:26 – Creativity, and sprints of inspiration
0:48:44 – How Devin puts together one of his episodes
0:52:10 – Growing up playing the violin, and getting into music production and rap
0:55:58 – Devin’s 7 different jobs
1:00:03 – The Great Equalizer, and Devin’s introduction to climbing
1:07:13 – Feeling lost, drafting a suicide note, and how climbing changed his life
1:09:15 – Studying architecture, traveling around the world, and sharing the real shit
1:14:29 – Why providing access to climbing feels important to Devin, and the many reasons climbing is awesome
1:17:09 – Barriers that keep climbing from being accessible/welcoming to marginalized groups of people
1:24:27 – The discomfort of climbing, the civil rights movement, and why the history of climbing is white
1:28:37 – Trading weed for moonshine, and the different experience of being with other white vs. black climbers
1:31:24 – “I would never go hunting without a white person.”
1:33:48 – The Halloween episode story, and photo releases in gym waivers
1:41:58 – How the podcast has been received, and responding to criticism
1:48:25 – Being reactive to headlines
1:52:40 – Topics that Devin hopes to cover in future seasons of the ACP podcast
2:00:12 – How to support the ACP
2:05:28 – Plug Tone Audio, why Devin loves competition, and shared inspiration
2:17:15 – Who Devin looks up to
2:20:50 – Guests that Devin would love to hear on The Nugget
2:23:48 – The depth we have as rock climbers
2:25:45 – Climbers are leaders
2:26:35 – What’s next for ACP
Follow-Up: Natasha Barnes — Climbing Harder in a Stronger Body (Teaser)
EP 92: Tom Herbert (Part 1) — Eating More to Train Harder, Protein Synthesis, and Carbohydrate Timing
EP 91: Craig DeMartino — Amputating His Leg to Climb Again, El Cap Stories, and Embracing a New Normal
EP 90: Josh Wharton — Onsight Tips and Tricks, Training to Flash El Capitan, and Risk Assessment as a Parent
EP 89: Q&A 3 — How My Training Has Evolved, How to Stay Strong on a Road Trip, and Life Mottos
Follow-Up: Allison Vest — ‘Throwin’ the Houlian’, Mono Training, and the Periodic Table of Elements (Teaser)
EP 88: Ben Ditto — Early Climbing and Photography, Dynafit Dangling, and Adventures With the ‘Wild Bunch’
EP 87: Alita Contreras — Learning Languages, Coaching Women to Climb Powerfully, and Translating Training Books
EP 86: Dylan Barks — Spray Wall Sessions, RMNP Rampaging, and Recovering From an Eating Disorder
Follow-Up: Steve Maisch — My Summer Training Plan, Listener Q&A, and Steve’s Go-To Training Exercises (Teaser)
EP 85: Emil Abrahamsson — Trying Hard Projects, Hangboarding Two Times Per Day, and a Career on YouTube
EP 84: Boone Speed — Training in the Hell Cave, the Grasshopper Board, and the Future of Artificial Climbing
Follow-Up: Nathan Hadley — Two Routes on The Diamond (Teaser)
EP 83: Neely Quinn — Lessons from the TrainingBeta Podcast, Nutrition Advice for Climbers, and Kids vs. Houses
EP 82: Christine Deyo — Learning Creativity, Fontainebleau Circuits, and the Role of Diversity in Route Setting
Follow-Up: Dru Mack — Play Hard. Rest Hard. (Teaser)
EP 81: Hazel Findlay — The Ego, Fear of Falling, and Mental Training for ‘Magic Line’
EP 80: Robb Wolf — Prioritizing Protein, the Importance of Sleep, and a Case for a Meat Inclusive Diet
Follow-Up: Ron Kauk — Listener Q&A, Who Punched John Bachar, and a Plane Full of Weed (Teaser)
EP 79: Tyler Nelson — A Deep Dive Into Blood Flow Restriction (BFR), Finger Training, and Doughnut Eating
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