Aidan Roberts is a 23-year-old from the UK, who has emerged as one of the strongest boulderers in the world. We talked about training for his trip to Switzerland to try Alphane V17, differences among top boulderers, how Aidan developed his climbing style, addressing finger weaknesses, training using replicas, his goal-setting philosophy, plans to train for Burden of Dreams V17, considering our environmental impact as climbers, and much more.
*He sent Alphane V17 two weeks after this interview. Congrats Aidan!!!
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Show Notes:
thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/aidan-roberts
Nuggets:
(00:00:00) – Intro
(00:06:13) – Seasons are shifting
(00:08:52) – Prepping for his trip to Switzerland to try Alphane V17 (9A), and setting his replica
(00:11:44) – Trying Alphane, and bullet points
(00:13:10) – We’ve already planned on a round 2!
(00:15:23) – Crushing hard boulders to Elton John, and finding focus through relaxation
(00:19:43) – Aidan’s first trip to the Rocklands and leaving competitions behind
(00:26:01) – How Aidan developed his style, and how he thinks about training his weaknesses
(00:28:02) – Differences among top boulderers, what Aidan learned from climbing with Dave Graham, and the shared trait of perseverance
(00:36:10) – Aidan’s climbing style, high-angle crimps, and leg crimping
(00:42:41) – How Aidan’s style is different from how Shawn Raboutou climbs
(00:46:38) – Redefining what it means to be strong, and making your training specific
(00:47:56) – Aidan’s thoughts on why none of the current V17’s (9A’s) have been repeated yet
(00:50:18) – Getting away from “simple tasks” and reductionism in training
(00:56:24) – How Aidan got so good at his style of climbing and high-angle crimping
(01:03:07) – Discovering sling testing with Dan Varian, and training with mono slings
(01:07:23) – Summary of how Aidan got so good at his climbing style
(01:09:28) – Training in a high-angle position, and how he strengthened his index fingers
(01:11:37) – Aidan’s pinkie strength, and testing with Ollie Torr
(01:16:09) – How strong is Aidain on the Beastmaker 2000 center edge?
(01:18:09) – Why simple finger strength testing doesn’t necessarily apply to our finger strength on the rock
(01:22:19) – More about training his index fingers
(01:26:21) – Quality and applicability in training
(01:28:08) – “There is no rapid magic formula for finger strength”
(01:29:07) – How Aidan approaches a project, and collecting bullet points for each move
(01:35:01) – Aidan’s pre-send rituals
(01:39:01) – Using bullet points to set the replica for Alphane, carving wooden holds, and measuring moves
(01:45:59) – Training his legs for Alphane, and Copenhagen planks for abductors
(01:47:50) – Using feet follow rules on his board
(01:49:57) – Climbing Alphane from two moves in, and how to train for long boulders on a home wall or board
(01:59:28) – Going to Finland to try Burden of Dreams V17 (9A), and what he learned from trying it
(02:09:49) – Mastery
(02:14:17) – Plans to train for Burden of Dreams
(02:19:37) – Screwdriver injury
(02:22:17) – Aidan’s philosophy with training on replicas, and climbing Isles of Wonder Sit V16 (8C+)
(02:27:21) – Balancing highly specific training (replicas) with other training
(02:29:48) – Aidan’s formula for goal setting (result, reality, and response)
(02:33:09) – His goal setting formula applied to Alphane
(02:36:37) – Influence and contribution, and Aidan’s podcast and magazine
(02:42:13) – Traveling, and considering our environmental impact as climbers
(02:52:24) – Thinking about offsetting my CO2 for my trip to Rocklands next summer
(02:55:39) – Plans to live in the US for a year
(02:57:21) – Wrap up
EP 118: Chad Andrews Interviews Steven Dimmitt — Repost from the Clipping Chains Podcast
Follow-Up. Joe Kinder — Sending 'Mamajamma', and What I Learned from 5 Weeks of Projecting with Joe (Teaser)
EP 117: Yves Gravelle — Lessons From Grip Sports, Basing Your Training on the Demands of Your Goal, and Top 3 Finger Training Methods
EP 116: Paul Robinson — Coming Back From Injuries, Opening Up About Autism, and Working Boulders Top Down
Steven's Blog: Mar '22
Reflections: Mina
Announcing "Reflections" and "Steven's Blog"
Follow-Up: Steve Maisch — Hueco 2022 Debrief (Teaser)
EP 115: Jordan Cannon — The Triple Crown in Yosemite, Big Wall Pooping Stories, and How to Build the Skills to Climb El Capitan
EP 114: Q&A 5 — My Current Finger Training Routine, How to Deal With Bad Body Image, and Golden Nuggets for Newer Climbers
EP 113: Ned Feehally — Beastmaking, Long-Term Finger Training, and Climbing With Ankle Weights
Follow-Up: Steve McClure — Sending ‘Lexicon’ E11, Projecting Tips, and How to Enjoy a Long Life of Climbing (Teaser)
EP 112: Favia Dubyk — Specializing in Lowball Roof Bouldering, Surviving Cancer, and Learning How to Dyno
EP 111: Jerry Moffatt — Being a “Crag Rat”, Developing Your Mental Game, and What the Top Climbers Have in Common
EP 110: “The Verm” Returns — Life Lessons at Age 62, Fun Facts About Birds, and Injury Stories
Follow-Up: Josh Wharton — Attempting to Flash 'Freerider' on El Cap (Teaser)
EP 109: Martin Keller — How to Train on Rock, Your Subconscious Brain, and Lessons from 150+ Days on a Boulder
EP 108: John Sherman — Hueco Tanks in the 80s, Highballing Before Crash Pads, and Adding Layers to the Bouldering Experience
EP 107: Tim Emmett — How to Climb Harder After 40, The Magic Formula for Climbing 9a, and Life Philosophies
Follow-Up: Tom Randall — How to Program Your Training Like a Pro (Teaser)
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