Johnny Dawes is a legendary British rock climber known for his exceptional footwork and unique dynamic style. We talked about his first ascent of Indian Face (the first-ever E9) when it was likely the most dangerous route in the world, climbing 5.13b (8a) slabs without using his hands, tips for mastering footwork, his writing practice and current book project, and life lessons involving three-legged stools, omelets, pasta, icebergs, and more.
Watch This Video!
Johnny's 7-Minute Video on The Guardian
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Show Notes:
thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/johnny-dawes
Nuggets:
0:04:22 – A couple of fun stories from our past lives
0:08:01 – Having a blue day, dicking about, and thoughts on what he wants to accomplish in his life
0:10:25 – The head, the heart, and the gut
0:11:22 – Knowing where you’re going, the water bottle, and the grannies
0:15:51 – Why I was so excited to talk with Johnny
0:17:24 – Crawling out the driver's window of his car with a brick on the accelerator
0:21:42 – Breaking down one of his legendary no-hand climbs (watch the Guardian video!)
0:26:35 – Johnny’s ideal staircase, and flattening the world to flatter our egos
0:30:07 – Bolts and baked potatoes
0:32:04 – Johnny’s thoughts about modern bouldering, and being impressed with Shawn Raboutou
0:33:38 – Chess problems, eyes bigger than tummy, and what brought the best out of Johnny in his climbing
0:37:55 – Sticking an 8A (V11) hang on two terrible holds
0:42:06 – What Johnny looks for in climbing, and the musicality of climbing
0:52:04 – Hank Pascal
0:53:27 – Watchin Jerry Moffatt climb Masters Wall, and why Johnny felt compelled to climb Indian Face, the world’s first E9
1:01:09 – North Wales, the apple tree, and wanting to be a part of the history of the sport
1:10:01 – Sending Indian Face, partying at the disco, trying The Meltdown 9a, and some of Johnny’s recent new routes at Cloggy
1:15:19 – Breakdown of the difficulty and gear on Indian Face, and how it got its name
1:20:36 – Kurt Albert on the escalator
1:23:59 – Patron comment from Artjom, and no-hands tips and exercises from Johnny
1:27:48 – The hardest things Johnny has climbed without his hands, and climbing 1600+ “walks” in Britain
1:31:15 – Spectacular Walks on British Rock
1:32:38 – Making grip
1:35:47 – How no-hands climbing applies to hard technical rock climbing
1:37:55 – How Johnny Dawes approaches improving footwork
1:41:19 – Writing the Footwork Handbook
1:43:38 – His autobiography, his writing practice, and the mysteries of consciousness
1:47:58 – Zen and the Art of Archery
1:51:03 – A window into being alive, and games that keep you present
1:53:12 – “Your enthusiasm tells you who you are”, and climbing in gardening gloves
1:55:19 – Patron question from Will: What climbers inspired Johnny early on?
1:57:50 – Music, writing, and artistic inspirations
1:58:40 – Who does Johnny pay attention to these days in climbing?
2:01:05 – Patron question from Nick: What do you think climbing will or should look like in another 30 years?
2:03:12 – Climbing shoe evolution, and the world’s strongest man
2:05:19 – Life lessons with Johnny Dawes, the three-legged stool, and making omelets and pasta
2:12:20 – Formative causation
2:14:19 – Go to bed when you’re tired, and treat people like icebergs
2:15:35 – “It is never too late to be who you might have been.”
2:19:37 – Roof man, and being useless
2:22:12 – Reading Jeff Smoot’s book, and why humans do dangerous things
2:25:22 – Wanting to do impossible things, and “modern life can go f*** itself”
2:26:57 – “Can I go?”
Announcing Merch!
EP 147: Alayna Joy — Coming out to 400k Subscribers, Queerness in Climbing, and Compulsory Heterosexuality
EP 146: Todd Perkins — The Mind-Opening Effects of Cannabis, Why Gratitude is the Key to Climbing Longevity, and Near-Death Experiences
Follow-Up: Amity Warme — Sending ‘The Honeymoon Is Over’ in a Hailstorm, and Lessons From Another Season in Yosemite (Teaser)
EP 145: Katie Lamb — Breaking Into V14, Embracing Micro Beta, and How Climbers Can Be Leaders in the Climate Movement
EP 144: Marisa Michael — Why Losing Weight Won’t Make You Climb Harder, How to Navigate Food, and Intuitive Eating
EP 143: Matt Heyliger — Tissue Capacity vs. Biomechanics, Why Mobility Comes Before Strength, and the Eyeball Story
EP 142: Aidan Roberts — Training for Alphane V17, the Power of Replicas, and Embracing Your Style
EP 141: Robbie Phillips — Exploring Scottish Sea Cliffs, Keeping Things Fun, and Capturing Memories Through Filmmaking
EP 140: Tommy Caldwell — Undone Lines on El Cap, Father-Son Relationships, and Exploring the Limits of Human Endurance
EP 139: Lynn Hill — Breaking Barriers in Climbing, How to Find Self-Belief, and Challenging Social Norms
EP 138: Q&A 6 (feat. Taylor Fragomeni) — Ways to Improve Your Climbing if Access is Limited, and More Patron Questions
Follow-Up: Ned Feehally — More Beastmaking Questions, and Longer Hangs for Long-Term Strength Gains (Teaser)
EP 137: Drew Ruana & Cameron Hörst — Lessons from Recent Sends, Training for Bouldering vs. Sport Climbing, and Leveling Up to V18 and 5.15c
EP 136: Dan Varian — High Angle Crimps, Silver Bullets in Finger Strength, and How to Activate Lazy Fingers
EP 135: Alice Hafer — How to Train Your Mind Muscle, Tips for Staying Motivated, and Box Jumps for Power
EP 134: Sam Van Boxtel — Creating Value on Social Media, Having a Strong “Why”, and the Road to 100k Followers
Follow-Up: Jonathan Siegrist — How to Climb Hard Sport Routes and Improve for Decades (Teaser)
EP 133: Neil Gresham — Using Ballet to Climb Harder, Developing Your Finishing Game, and Extensor Training for Stronger Fingers
EP 132: Rebecca Williams — A Deep Dive Into Fear of Falling, the Self-Soothing System, and Climbing Smarter
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