Matty Hong is a professional rock climber, photographer, and filmmaker. We talked about what it was like to grow up in a climbing family, about making the first repeat of ‘Flex Luthor’ 5.15b as well as a history of the route and his thoughts on the grade, training for sport climbing projects on his home wall, climbing waterfalls in Japan, and balancing photography and filmmaking with climbing.
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Show Notes:
thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/matty-hong
Nuggets:
0:05:51 – How Matty listens to podcasts
0:08:53 – Growing up in a climbing family, and his connection with his parents
0:13:10 – What his parents have instilled in him as a climber, and keeping the ego in check
0:15:23 – Early milestones in Matty’s climbing
0:18:41 – Loving all of the challenges and variety to be found in climbing
0:20:41 – Second-guessing the path, being grateful for climbing, and having a beginner’s mindset with photography and filmmaking
0:24:43 – Trying ‘Flex Luthor’ for a year, and the history of the route
0:30:26 – Meeting Matty up at the Fortress, and his process on ‘Flex Luthor’
0:40:45 – Patron question from Landolini: How likely is it that Tommy climbed 9b (5.15b)?
0:48:51 – Matty’s thoughts on grading
0:51:55 – Matty’s most memorable climbing achievements
0:53:53 – Climbing waterfalls in Japan with Yuji Hirayama
1:01:31 – Thoughts on adventure climbing, and his trip to India
1:06:19 – Matty’s campus board and home wall
1:09:29 – How Matty trained for ‘Flex Luthor’ on his home wall, and his relaxed approach to training
1:19:46 – Patron question from Adriel: Any tips for using bouldering as training for sport climbing? (And more about his training for Flex)
1:24:02 – Why Matty thinks sport climbing in a gym (vs. bouldering) is a waste of time
1:25:54 – Sport climbing is a strategy-based puzzle
1:28:37 – Goals and challenges
1:31:09 – Patron question from Ben: Do you have any bouldering or trad goals?
1:35:08 – Patron question from One_rocky_boi: How does Matty balance photography and filmmaking with climbing?
1:43:14 – The camera as a gift
1:45:03 – Matty’s proudest photos, and the challenges in filmmaking
1:49:39 – What’s next?
1:54:11 – Nocturne Op 62 No 1 in B (Performed by Matty Hong)
Follow-Up: Tom Randall — How to Program Your Training Like a Pro (Teaser)
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 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
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