EP 30: Connor Herson
August 10, 2020
Connor Herson is the kid who free climbed ‘The Nose’ at fifteen years old. What most people don’t know is that he is also an incredible sport climber. We talked about his sport climbing goal at age fourteen, his path to free climbing ‘The Nose’, big wall tactics, gear recommendations, headpointing, training power during COVID, recent sends, and future goals on El Cap.
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Google Podcasts
Patreon:
Follow-Ups:
thenuggetclimbing.com/follow-ups
Other Podcasts:
Runout #11 w/ Connor about freeing The Nose
Articles:
Rock & Ice article about Connor
Jim’s trip reports - (Connor's dad's write ups about some of their climbs)
Gear Mentioned:
Metolius Offset Master Cams - 0/00
Routes Mentioned:
‘The Nose’ 5.14a, El Cap, Yosemite, CA
‘God’s Own Stone’ 5.14a, Red River Gorge, KY
‘Lucifer’ 5.14c, Red River Gorge, KY
‘Southern Smoke’ 5.14c, Red River Gorge, KY
‘Omaha Beach’ 5.14a, Red River Gorge, KY
‘Millenium’ 5.14a, Maple Canyon, UT
‘The Green Mile’ 5.14c, Jailhouse, CA
‘Triple Direct’ 5.14a, El Cap, Yosemite, CA
‘Salathe Wall’ 5.13b, El Cap, Yosemite, CA
‘Hermaphrodite Flake’ 5.7, Tuolumne Meadows, CA
‘Holdless Horror’ 5.6, Tuolumne Meadows, CA
‘Cathedral Peak’, Tuolumne Meadows, CA
‘Snake Dike’ 5.7 R, Half Dome, Yosemite, CA
‘West Face’ 5.11c, El Cap, Yosemite, CA
‘Regular Northwest Face of Half Dome’, Yosemite, CA
‘Magic Mushroom’ 5.14a, El Cap, Yosemite, CA
‘Dihedral Wall’ 5.14, El Cap, Yosemite, CA
‘The Dawn Wall’ 5.14d, El Cap, Yosemite, CA
‘Muir Wall’ 5.13b/c, El Cap, Yosemite, CA
‘Zodiac’ 5.13d, El Cap, Yosemite, CA
‘The Prophet’ 5.13d/14a X, El Cap, Yosemite, CA
‘Broken Arrow’ 5.14a, Tuolumne Meadows, CA
‘Magic Line’ 5.14c, Yosemite, CA
‘Flower Power’ 5.14a/b, Jailhouse, CA
‘Throwin’ the Houlihan’ 5.14a, Wild Iris, WY
‘Surf Safari’ 5.13d, Mickey’s Beach, CA
‘Top Gun’ 5.14a, Tuolumne Meadows, CA
‘The Venturi Effect’ 5.12+, The Hulk, CA
‘High Times’ 5.13b, Tuolumne Meadows, CA
Connor’s Links:
Nuggets:
2:00 – Breakfast, caffeine, and sleep
3:26 – Connor’s goal at age 14
8:23 – Jailhouse, kneebar pads, the evolution of climbing, and 5.14d
12:53 – Trying ‘Triple Direct’
14:27 – Outgrowing beta on the ‘Changing Corners’ pitch
15:45 – Breakdown of the ‘Triple Direct’ linkup
17:24 – Three-day ascents
19:51 – Warming up for 5.14 straight out of bed and kneebaring the ‘Changing Corners’
22:08 – The path to freeing ‘The Nose’
30:34 – Making up PE class
33:25 – Two nudges from Tommy
38:09 – “If it’s a free route on El Cap it’s a goal.”, building a base of free routes, and thoughts on ‘The Dawn Wall’
40:21 – ‘Broken Arrow’, moderates to build a base, and headpointing tactics
47:55 – Bad landings, safety margins, and sewing up the first 25’ of ‘Broken Arrow’
49:37 – Offset cams, and cams vs. nuts
51:23 – ‘The Green Mile’
54:12 – Power training during shelter-in-place, ‘Throwin’ the Houlihan’, and ‘Surf Safari’
59:48 – Patron Question: Why are so few young climbers pulled towards trad and big walls?
1:05:06 – Patron Question: Connor’s go-to climbing shoes?
1:06:53 – Patron Question: Strategies for dealing with discomfort on big walls? (water, harness, shoes)
1:12:24 – Patron Question: Continue being an “all-rounder” vs. becoming more specialized?
1:14:16 – Jailhouse for training, and “if it’s training it can be contrived.”
1:15:52 – Gratitude
1:17:31 – Connor’s recent two-week trip, and sharing the driving
1:18:53 – Connor’s upcoming trip and goals