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 106: Hans Florine — Speed Climbing on ‘The Nose’, Big Wall Tips, and the Evolution of Speed Climbing Competitions
EP 105: Brent Barghahn — How to Retire Before Age 30, Extreme Unicycling, and How to Free Climb Big Walls By Yourself
EP 104: Amity Warme — Crushing in Yosemite, Growing up in Gymnastics, and Eating More to Do More
Follow-Up: Tyler Nelson — How to Train Based on Your Finger Anatomy (Teaser)
EP 103: Mina Leslie-Wujastyk — Chasing Flow State, The Role of Cleverness in Climbing, and Becoming a Mom
EP 102: Matty Hong — The History of ‘Flex Luthor’, Climbing Waterfalls in Japan, and the Camera as a Gift
EP 101: Nina Caprez — Being a Swiss Machine, Leaning into Womanness, and a Beautiful Story of Failing on ‘The Nose’
Follow-Up: Steve Maisch — My Training Plan for Hueco Round 2 (Teaser)
EP 100: Ben Moon — How Ben Moon Uses the MoonBoard, and the Evolution of Sport Climbing
Follow-Up: Paige Claassen — Dreamcatching, and Learning to Celebrate (Teaser)
EP 99: Q&A 4 — Goals for 2022, Dating on the Road, and What I’ve Learned from Nearly 100 Episodes
Follow-Up: Tyson Schoene — Building Champions, and Keeping Things Simple (Teaser)
EP 98: Kyra Condie — The Olympic Experience, Training With a Fused Spine, and Thriving in Organized Chaos
EP 97: Austin Hoyt — Favorite Zones in the Northeast, Rediscovering Old Projects, and Being a GUNKaholic
EP 96: Joe Kinder — The Love of Projecting, Leaving a Legacy, and the Other Side of Cancellation
EP 95: Tyler Algeo — Starting a Climbing Gym in Africa, Climb Malawi, and Raising Black Sons as a White Dad
Follow-Up: Steve Bechtel — When to Stick With It, and Climbing His First 5.14 at Age 47 (Teaser)
EP 94: Nathaniel Coleman — Preparing for the Tokyo Olympics, Climbing in a Sauna, and Kendama Training
EP 93: Tom Herbert (Part 2) —How to Relax to Improve your Passat Reserves, and Tom’s Life Story
Follow-Up: Natasha Barnes — Climbing Harder in a Stronger Body (Teaser)
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