EP 84: Boone Speed
August 30, 2021
Boone Speed is a photographer, innovator, and was the first American to climb 5.14b with his route ‘Super Tweak’ in Logan Canyon, UT. We talked about Boone’s upbringing, discovering climbing in American Fork, most memorable routes and trips, bolting and training in the Hell Cave, creating the Grasshopper Board, and his vision for the future of artificial climbing.
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Films:
‘The Artist’ (free on YouTube)
‘Best of the West’ (free on YouTube, still my favorite climbing film!)
References:
Boone’s dad’s sculpture - red rodeo rider
Grasshopper:
Boone’s Links:
Routes Mentioned:
‘Watts Totts’ 5.12b, Smith Rock, OR
The Gallery (area), Red Rocks, NV
The Wall of Confusion (area), Red Rocks, NV
‘Rude Boys’ 5.13c, Smith Rock, OR
Aggro Gully (area), Smith Rock, OR
‘Scarface’ 5.14a, Smith Rock, OR
‘Underdog’ 5.13a American Fork, UT
’Speedball’ V9, The House Boulder, American Fork, UT
The Hell Cave (area), American Fork, UT
‘Wizards’ 5.13b, Hell Cave, American Fork, UT
‘Wasatch Reality’ 5.12a, Hell Cave, American Fork, UT
‘Burning’ 5.13b, Hell Cave, American Fork, UT
‘The Big G’ 5.14a Hell Area, American Fork, UT
‘Cannibals Direct’ 5.14a Hell Cave, American Fork, UT
‘Ice Cream’ 5.14c, Hell Cave, American Fork, UT
‘Satanism in Sports’ 5.13d, Hell Area, American Fork, UT
‘Hell’ 5.13b, Hell Cave, American Fork, UT
‘Supertweak’ 5.14b, Logan Canyon, UT
‘Dead Souls’ 5.14a, Hell Area, American Fork, UT
‘El Diablo’ 5.12d, Hell Area, American Fork, UT
Blasphemy Wall (area), VRG, AZ
'Necessary Evil’ 5.14c, VRG, AZ
‘Midnight Lightning’ V8, Yosemite, CA
‘Just Do It’ 5.14c, Smith Rock, OR
‘Churning in the Wake’ 5.13a, Smith Rock, OR
‘Malvado’ 5.13a, Hell Area, American Fork, UT
‘Reanimator’ 5.12d, Hell Area, American Fork, UT
‘The Big Smile’ 5.14b, The Narrows, UT
Nuggets:
2:17 – The Paleo Diet, and Boone’s lunchables
4:51 – Twitching on airplanes, and cutting out sugar
6:09 – Being a picky eater as a kid
6:47 – Growing up in Lindon UT, and the development of Silicon Slope
8:11 – Working at the bronze foundry as a teenager, and Boone’s dad
12:48 – The expectations Boone’s parents had for him, and being proud of how he’s lived his life
14:42 – Thriving in the chaos, and Boone’s beautiful and art-filled house
15:35 – Boone’s sister, ‘Frequent Flyers’, and advice from his mom about raising his son
21:07 – Ignoring bad behavior and praising good behavior
22:20 – His son being surrounded by art, and getting into product design
24:34 – How Boone got “bitten” by climbing, Smith Rock, and early “sport climbing” in 1986
27:17 – Ice climbing and telemark skiing
29:32 – Climbing his first 5.13 in 1987, getting the power drill, and developing sport routes at Red Rocks
33:33 – Studying photography and design at BYU
33:59 – Hanging out in American Fork as a kid, and discovering climbing there
37:04 – The Hell Cave
44:37 – Milestones in The Hell Cave for Boone
47:33 – The steepest crag in the world
49:35 – Establishing the rest of Hell
50:44 – The first snowbird comp, and getting validation from the guys in the magazines
52:49 – Getting recognition, developing the VRG, and texting Ondra after he did ‘Necessary Evil’
56:23 – Boone’s first climbing gym in a storage unit in 1987, and training by climbing every single day
58:55 – Working at IME, Boone’s mom, and the structure of a photograph
1:03:12 – Climbing as a healthy addiction, and blending climbing with art
1:06:31 – The photography Boone has in his house
1:08:28 – The throughline of innovation, and creating stuff for themselves
1:10:37 – The first crash pads, and climbing ‘Midnight Lightning’ with The Spot
1:14:12 – The “need” that lead to starting Grasshopper
1:19:14 – How I could train for ‘Just Do It’ on the Grasshopper board
1:21:03 – My experience with training on a home woody, repetition as a path to mastery, and running laps in the Hell Cave
1:23:18 – A day in the Hell Cave
1:25:17 – ‘Ice Cream’ in Hell
1:27:57 – The two moments in climbing that have blown Boone away
1:29:09 – The responsibility of pushing climbing forward, and passing the torch to Chris Sharma
1:34:47 – Memories from a trip to China with Sharma and MC, and other favorite memories
1:36:31 – Watching old climbing films with his wife Bailey
1:37:23 – Working on Grasshopper with MC and Bailey
1:43:45 – Addressing the climbing need, and installing a Grasshopper at a brand new HOA
1:47:38 – Training on ergonomic vs. sharp and tweaky holds
1:52:24 – What products Grasshopper is currently offering
1:56:21 – Creating products as an excuse “to make good photos again”, and finding product-market fit with the Grasshopper board
2:02:06 – The route function
2:10:12 – ‘Necessary Evil’, yoga, and strengthening
2:12:57 – Tequila, surfing, wanting to perform, and using the board to stay within striking distance
2:19:03 – What is standing between Boone and ‘Necessary Evil’, and Boone’s pandemic routine
2:21:37 – How to be a fit 56-year-old
2:24:20 – Yoga
2:25:56 – Gratitude
2:26:29 – Good things take time
2:28:42 – How Boone and I met