EP 51: Chris and Heather Weidner
January 18, 2021
Chris and Heather Weidner are a hardcore climbing couple, both with many 5.14s under their belt across multiple rock climbing disciplines. We talked about drink counting, New Year resolutions, current injuries, the steps to becoming a kneebar wizard, projecting tips, hard conversations, and balancing climbing goals with maintaining a healthy relationship.
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts
Patreon:
Follow-Ups:
thenuggetclimbing.com/follow-ups
Videos:
Chris on the FA of ‘Gambler’s Fallacy’ 5.13b
Heather on ‘Stockboys Revenge’ 5.14b
Books Mentioned:
The Rock Warrior’s Way by Arno Ilgner
Kneebar Wizard Ingredients:
Mueller Pre-Tape Spray (Amazon)
Mueller Tape Remover Spray (Amazon)
Send Kneebar Pad (Soft, Three Strap)
Scarpa Instinct Velcro (Chris’s go-to shoe for the Hurricave)
Scarpa Boostic (Chris’s go-to shoe for Rifle)
La Sportiva Women’s Muira VS (Heather’s go-to shoe)
La Sportiva Women’s Solution (Heather’s go-to shoe for the Hurricave)
Kneebar Training Exercises:
Weighted calf raises on a step
Downward dog with foot pedals (for Achilles flexibility)
Routes Mentioned:
‘The French Are Here’ 5.12c, Shelf Road, CO
‘China Doll’ 5.14a trad, Upper Dream Canyon, Boulder, CO
‘Barbie Adventure Pack’ 5.13 trad, Green River, UT
‘Biz Markie’ 5.14a, Hurricave, UT
‘Blackball’ 5.14a, Hurricave, UT
‘Blackball Z’ 5.14b, Hurricave, UT
‘The Gambler’s Fallacy’ 5.13b, The Diamond, Longs Peak, CO
‘Black Pearl’ 5.13, Eldorado Canyon, CO
‘Stockboys Revenge’ 5.14b, Rifle, CO
Chris and Heather’s Links:
Nuggets:
2:41 – How Heather broke her own finger climbing at Shelf Road, and being injured together
5:52 – Counting drinks
9:24 – New Year resolutions, goal setting, and the Green River trip
13:52 – Heather’s climbing origin story, her background in dance, and the choreography of projecting
18:48 – Chris’s climbing origin story, and being introduced to rock climbing and mountains
21:05 – Living in Boulder and maintaining roots in Vegas
21:50 – The art of becoming a kneebar wizard
29:35 – Philosophy of kneebaring, getting better vs. training, and beta tactics
35:06 – Tinkering with beta
38:35 – How Chris breaks down a new project, and training the rests
41:28 – Kneerbar training exercises
44:04 – How Chris broke his pinkie by kneebaring
45:44 – Sourcing kneepads, Send pads, and kneecap tape explanation
49:45 – Heather’s kneebar beta, and why women can handle pain better than men
51:35 – Go-to shoes for kneebars
53:20 – Adam Ondra is making kneebaring cool again
54:37 – Send pads, leg warmers, and man warmers
57:33 – ‘Gambler’s Fallacy’
1:03:18 – How Chris hurt his shoulder
1:04:38 – Balancing climbing together with climbing with other people
1:09:14 – Chris’s passion for climbing (and ticking boxes), and Heather’s love for projecting
1:13:11 – Expectations going into a hard project, and being ok with not doing all of the moves the first day (or several days)
1:16:12 – ‘Stockboy’s Revenge’
1:18:15 – “Ask Chris what it’s like for him to have Heather outperform him on his project?”
1:19:22 – Heather’s “bullheadedness” in projecting, and focus vs. adaptability
1:21:01 – Hitting rock bottom on ‘China Doll’, and addressing inner demons
1:23:28 – Getting mental coaching from Arno Ilgner, meditation, and therapy
1:25:23 – Heather’s meditation practice, and the flow state of climbing
1:26:53 – Breakdown of ‘China Doll’
1:30:23 – What Chris learned from ‘Gambler’s Fallacy’
1:32:53 – Heather’s mindset when tying in for a project burn, and how Chris’s projecting philosophy has changed
1:35:57 – Learning to adapt, and the power of letting go
1:37:04 – Why Heather is excited about bouldering
1:38:20 – Gratitude
1:41:17 – Kids and hard conversations
1:45:12 – Another decade of improvement