EP 07: Ian Yurdin
March 2, 2020
Ian Yurdin is a Smith Rock local who climbs hard and has had a successful career developing footwear for companies like Adidas, FiveTen, and Solomon. We talked about his career in product creation and his transition to consulting, starting a restaurant with his wife Kristin, his history with ‘To Bolt Or Not To Be’, measuring rock temperature to quantify climbing conditions, health issues, and the things he is most grateful for.
*NOTE: Ian had actually clipped the 13th bolt on ‘To Bolt’ on his heartbreaking try. (He mistakenly said it was the 12th in the interview.)
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Google Podcasts
Patreon:
Follow-Ups:
thenuggetclimbing.com/follow-ups
Articles:
The Depot - article that mentioned moving the building 36 feet
Instagram Posts:
Casbah’s 15th (105th) birthday
Videos:
Nina Caprez 'To Bolt' video (featuring Ian)
Paige Claassen 'To Bolt' video (the vertical parking lot comment)
Routes Mentioned: (all at Smith Rock, OR)
'White Wedding' 5.13d (now 5.14a)
''French Connection' 5.13b (top half of 'To Bolt')
‘Just Do It’ 5.14c (video of Paige sending it)
Other Mentioned Routes:
‘Lucifer’ 5.14c, Red River Gorge, KY
‘Pure Imagination’ 5.14c, Red River Gorge, KY
‘Shadowboxing’ 5.14d, Rifle, CO (article about Paige's ascent)
‘Algorithm’ 5.14d, The Fins, ID (video of Paige on the second ascent)
More about Ian:
Nuggets:
1:40 – Barry’s backup beeper
3:55 – Renovating a 100-year-old train depot and moving the building 36 feet
7:10 – What sparked the idea for the Terrebonne Depot, seeing the building, and calling the owner every month for three years
12:17 – Building a place to bring together the community as a passion project vs. smart business move, and the storage shower
17:31 – Kristin sending Vicious Fish while working 60+ hours per week at the restaurant, and Ian’s favorite era at Smith (~2006-2008)
19:39 – Working through the other classic 5.13s and climbing ‘White Wedding’
23:29 – “The Unfinishables”
25:03 – Herniated discs, colonoscopies, and cancer
28:38 – Ian’s current health, my experience working with Mark DeJohn, being your own health advocate, and Ian’s thoughts about surgery for disc injuries
35:30 – My friend’s experience with back surgery and pain killers
37:36 – Ian’s other life, footwear, and managing a 100-million-dollar business
42:51 – Transitioning into consulting, the difference between working for a brand vs. working for yourself, and the power of the consumer
50:03 – What can we do as consumers, thinking about where things come from, vetting brands, and voting with your dollars
53:42 – Different businesses as different organisms
56:24 – Ian’s history on ‘To Bolt Or Not To Be’
1:13:09 – Passing on beta, being in Nina’s video, and failure yes or no, and the line between unfun and unhealthy
1:18:38 – ‘To Bolt’ as a Ph.D. in face climbing, and the tradeoffs of long-term projecting
1:20:46 – The temperature gun (thermometer), conditions, and noticing trends
1:32:56 – Ian’s warmup routine for ‘To Bolt’, forcing the pressure numb, and practicing falling
1:40:02 – Mixing in other pitches for fitness
1:42:26 – What Ian learned from climbing with Paige Claassen (now Paige de Kock)
1:49:53 – Gratitude for Casbah, health, friends, living in Central Oregon
1:53:41 – Ian’s excitement to be healthy and pain-free, climbing again, mountains, and being a dabbler alpinist
1:55:32 – Ian’s experience and thoughts on Instagram and Facebook