Leo Houlding is one of the greatest adventure climbers of all time. He’s put up new free routes worldwide from the Amazon Rainforest to the remote regions of Antarctica. We talked about his upcoming trip to Baffin Island, his childhood in the UK, using the fix-and-follow system to climb 2000’ big walls with his kids, epic stories from his El Cap days, what he learned from his worst injury, and much more!
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Show Notes:
thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/leo-houlding
Nuggets:
0:02:54 – Prepping for his trip to Baffin Island
0:07:16 – Enjoying the logistics, and planning the food for a month-long expedition for three people
0:13:50 – Leo’s beta knowledge for expeditions, and going beyond roads
0:16:01 – Leo’s “little issue”, and base jumping off the top of Mount Asgard
0:23:56 – The challenge of attempting to free climb Asgard again
0:27:29 – Leo’s Instagram cover photo
0:29:16 – Writing his book, his mom and dad, and his adventurous spirit as a kid
0:33:39 – Leo’s first big adventure climb, Old Man of Hoy
0:37:24 – How his life has turned out compared to how he imagined it as a kid
0:38:24 – Being born at the right time
0:42:45 – Generations in Yosemite
0:45:18 – “Climb that goddamn mountain.”
0:49:49 – Adventuring with his kids
0:53:59 – Using the fix-and-follow system with the kids to climb big walls
1:00:56 – Climbing in the Wind River Range with Llamas and the kids
1:05:11 – Tips for keeping the morale high for kids
1:13:13 – Compromises with kids, and plans to take them out of school for an around-the-world mission
1:16:41 – “The days are long but the years are short.”
1:17:10 – My travels with my family around South America as a 5-year-old, and seeing the developing world as a kid
1:20:34 – A final tip for parents who want to adventure with kids
1:22:41 – Rest in peace Ammon McNeely ❤
1:23:34 – The Alfa Romeo badge story
1:35:41 – Question from Sam Stroh: What are Leo’s thoughts on going ground up on The Prophet?
1:42:51 – Getting caught in one of the worst storms in Yosemite history, and doing the first free ascent of The Prophet
1:48:41 – Closer to the Edge
1:49:29 – The end of his Yosemite chapter
1:52:03 – Leo’s accident on Cerro Torre
1:56:41 – Leo’s expeditions to Antarctica
2:02:11 – Kite skiing
2:07:11 – Rock climbing at the end of the world
2:08:42 – “I wanted the most hardcore trip ever, and I got it.”
2:09:52 – His trip to the Amazon rainforest, and making The House of the Gods film
2:13:58 – Dropping loads out of an airplane into the rainforest
2:18:21 – Free climbing a new route on Mount Roraima
2:20:31 – More about Leo’s book Closer to the Edge, and the film 2.4 about adventuring with kids
2:23:35 – Why we should travel to the developing world
2:24:41 – Wrap up
EP 189: Lily Kral — Building a Board Climbing Gym, Exotic Dancing, and Being a Work in Progress
EP 188: Joey Jannsen & Rich Breuner — Underground Hip-Hop, Cage Fighting, and Hustling ‘Til You Make It
EP 187: Stefanie Myr — Miniature Carpentry, Becoming Polyamorous, and Finding “Church” at the Gym
Four Women Have Climbed V15
Follow-Up: Katie Lamb — Box Therapy V16, and the Willingness to Persist (Teaser)
EP 186: Q&A 7 (feat. Ethan Pringle) — Rocklands Wrap-Up, Bat Hang Shenanigans, and Challenging Your Perceived Limits
EP 185: Mattias Braach-Maksvytis — All Things Dynos, Why Boulderers Should Train Their Legs, and How to Enjoy Your Climbing
EP 184: Nic Rummel — Embracing Thickness, Lessons From 9 Years of Hangboarding, and Doing Whatever It Takes to Feel Like a Badass
EP 183: Jenn DeBellis — Chasing Dream Boulders, Turning Small Wins Into Big Wins, and Sustaining a Full-Time Job on the Road
EP 182: Carlos Tkacz & Steph Letourneau — Lessons From 7 Trips to Rocklands, Being Good at Being Consistent, and Writing Novels
EP 181: Charlie Schreiber, Adam Shahar, Noah & Benn Wheeler — Accidentally Flashing V13, Board Training, and Ultimate Dream Sends
EP 180: Troy Fauteux, Austin Hoyt, & Bryce Viola — Times We Almost Died, Toe Hook Training, and Laughs and Sends in Rocklands
EP 179: Cat Runner — Life After Winning The Climb, Embracing Trans Pride, and Sending Big at 5’0”
Follow-Up: Ollie Torr — How to Improve Your Critical Force, Training Endurance at Home, and Listener Q&A (Teaser)
EP 178: Ethan Pringle Returns — Two Things He Does Every Day, Taking Your Time, and Honoring His Dad
EP 177: Tiba Vroom — Confronting Fear of Failure, Being the 8, and Taking Responsibility for Your Life
Follow-Up: Dave MacLeod — Lessons From Recent Diet Experiments, the 9a+ Goal, and Getting Stronger After Age 40 (Teaser)
EP 176: Eric Hörst Returns — Top 7 Most Common Training Mistakes
EP 175: Ady Wright — The Pressure of Opportunity, Acts of Rebellion, and Eating Oreos for Breakfast
EP 174: Bernd Zangerl — Developing World-Class Bouldering in the Himalayas, Entering the Easiness, and the Power of the Mind
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