EP 44: Steven Dimmitt
November 16, 2020
Photo by William Woodward
Steven Dimmitt is the host of The Nugget Climbing Podcast. In this reverse interview, Ethan Pringle takes over and asks Steven about his upbringing, his path through climbing, and about starting the podcast. This episode also features questions from past guests on the show, asking Steven about some of his biggest mistakes, lessons learned, climbing heroes, and inner life. You can learn more about Steven on the about page.
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Google Podcasts
Patreon:
Follow-Ups:
thenuggetclimbing.com/follow-ups
Videos:
‘Superman’ V10 (filmed by my brother-in-law)
‘This Is How I Party 2’ (silly cross country skiing film Ethan mentioned)
The Adventures of Sloth:
My first day at Smith (hiking in socked in weather)
Instagram:
My recent post Ethan referenced
Resources:
Wakes (my friends’ gratitude retreat thing)
Books:
Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss
Routes Mentioned:
‘The Prey’ V0 Leavenworth, WA (my first outdoor rock climb)
‘Oceanfront’ V1 Leavenworth, WA (the traverse I got pumped on)
‘Funky Tut’ V3, Bishop CA
‘The Hunk’ V2, Bishop CA
‘Black Magic (low start)’ 5.13a, Equinox, WA (my first 13a)
‘Just Do It’ 5.14c, Smith Rock, OR
‘Badman’ 5.14a, Smith Rock, OR
‘Angelina Jolie’ V10, Leavenworth, WA
Steven’s Links:
Nuggets:
2:13 – Beef and veggie breakfast tacos
5:04 – Switching interview roles
6:49 – The early years and growing up in Wenatchee, WA
10:27 – Traveling as a kid, South America, and cockroaches
13:02 – Getting robbed in South America
15:22 – Parents, podcast hikes, and connecting through the podcast
20:40 – Piano lessons and threatening to cut my fingers off
22:13 – Music up through high school
26:01 – Going to college in Bellingham, majoring in music, and playing in (and living with) a band
29:30 – My first (and second) climbing experiences, and working at the climbing gym in college
34:01 – My first climbing trip to Bishop and climbing ‘The Hunk’
35:47 – Connecting with climbing and moving away from music after college, and a new excitement for music now
38:50 – Summer jobs in the fruit warehouses
43:53 – Working for the Forest Service, bouldering my first V0 through V10 (except V6) in Leavenworth, and discovering I had weak fingers in Joe’s Valley
45:31 – Learning how to sport climb at Equinox, and resonating with sport climbing
49:45 – Living in my Subaru after college to climb, Ten Sleep, the first Climb Strong Training Camp, and the ‘Superman’ video
53:20 – Visiting Bend/Smith for the first time, lacking purpose on the road, and moving there to work for Entre Prises (EP)
57:31 – Making climbing holds for EP, and working in aerospace
59:57 – The Adventures of Sloth blog and my uneventful 25th birthday
1:02:28 – Smith Rock, “eating your vegetables (with sand in them)”, and working in the grind
1:05:31 – My approach to training while working in Bend, my ‘Grinding’ blog post, following the (altered) Rock Prodigy program, and changing my tune
— [Guest Questions] —
1:11:45 – [Mike Doyle] What is the biggest mistake you’ve made in regards to training?
1:16:53 – [Drew Ruana] What inspired you to start the podcast?
1:24:32 – [Audrey Sniezek] What is the biggest challenge in producing a podcast?
1:25:51 – [Ian Yurdin] How has the podcast influenced your climbing? How is it a drain and/or boon for your climbing? Are you sending more since you started the podcast?
1:28:50 – [Bill Ramsey] When interviewing famous climbers how do you strike a balance between interviewing them for things they’re famous for and therefore have already been covered, and asking original questions that cover new ground?
1:30:37 – [Tonde Katiyo] You are a great listener. Do you think that is a personality trait or something that you’ve cultivated?
1:32:33 – [Charlie Manganiello] What’s the one thing you wish someone would have told you when you first started pursuing hard rock climbs?
1:36:09 – [Mike Kerzhner] If you could take a trip for a month with one climber, dead or alive, who would it be and where would you go?
1:37:11 – [Steve Bechtel] If you could only do one more hard route in your life, which one would it be? Why aren’t you trying it now?
1:38:59 – [Brittany Goris] If you could climb only on one type of rock (i.e. granite, sandstone, limestone, etc.) for the rest of your life, which one would it be and why?
1:39:59 – [Chad Andrews] What’s your ideal balance between meaningful work, travel, and climbing in the future?
1:42:11 – [Blake Cason] Describe a snapshot of a memorable climbing experience you’ve had.
— [Ethan’s Questions] —
1:46:56 – What is your inner life like? And do you think there is a discrepancy between how you seem to others and how you seem to yourself?
1:52:23 – What have you been especially grateful for lately?
1:57:30 – What does the word “God” mean to you?
2:07:36 – “Be kind to one another.”
2:11:55 – “Is a whale a fish or a mammal?”