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.
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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?”
EP 132: Rebecca Williams — A Deep Dive Into Fear of Falling, the Self-Soothing System, and Climbing Smarter
EP 131: Ryan Devlin — Life as a TV Actor, Progressing From 11b to 12c in a Year, and How Pro Climbers Relate to Struggle
EP 130: Stian Christophersen & Martin Mobråten — Writing The Climbing Bible, Finger Strength vs. General Strength, and Strategies for Improving Technique
Follow-Up: Matt Fultz — How to Train for the Hardest Crimp Boulders in the World (Teaser)
EP 129: Dorian Evers — How to Navigate Different Stoke Levels in Your Relationship, and Getting Vulnerable with Your Partner
EP 128: Callie Joy Black — Training During Pregnancy, Climbing Hard with Kids, and Being Your Own Project
Follow-Up: Steve Maisch — My Summer Training Plan, and How to Get Stronger on the Moonboard (Teaser)
EP 127: Jesse Firestone — Bouldering Tactics, Quantum Leaps, and Non-Physical Factors That Affect Our Performance
BONUS: Michelle LeBlanc — An Upcoming 2SLGBTQ+ Pride Event in Squamish
S1E2: The Great Equalizer (Repost from The American Climbing Project)
EP 126: Devin Dabney — Getting Uncomfortable, How Climbing Saved His Life, and How Competition Makes Us Better
Follow-Up: Alita Contreras — Sending Her First 5.14a, and Training With Lattice (Teaser)
EP 125: Zofia Reych — The Heritage of Climbing, Breaking Down Gender Roles, and What It’s Like to Be Autistic
EP 124: Karly Rager — Mental Strategies for Developing Focus, Learning vs. Performing, and Building a Coaching Business
EP 123: Magnus Midtbø — The Hard Work Behind Success, Go-To Climbing Workouts, and Takeaways from Training with Adam Ondra
Follow-Up: Chad Andrews — The Pros and Cons of Living on the Road to Climb, and Having a Healthier Relationship with Money (Teaser)
EP 122: Jared Vagy — How to Prevent Knee, Shoulder, Elbow, and Finger Injuries as Climbers
EP 121: Carol Simpson — Being a Girl in the South in the 1950s, Yoga as the Fountain of Youth, and Ageism in Climbing
EP 120: Lea Volpe — The World of Paraclimbing Competitions, How We Perceive Wheelchairs, and Empathy in Coaching
EP 119: Carrie Cooper — Thinking of Ourselves as Athletes, Research in Climbing, and Mobility and Warming Up
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