EP 276: Brendan Baars
May 26, 2025
Brendan Baars is a boulderer from Grand Rapids, MI, who has spent the past seven years developing a new bouldering area called The Nooks in Ontario, Canada. We talked about what a day of developing looks like, his go-to gear, how his big toe saved his life, the untapped potential in Canada, the reward of establishing and sharing new climbs, undone projects, the logistics of visiting The Nooks, his upcoming film The Developer, and much more.
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Show Notes:
Related Episodes:
References:
The Developer TEASER (Feature film coming in August/September 2025)
Brendan’s Links:
Nuggets:
00:00:00 – Intro
00:02:10 – Capentry
00:05:52 – Steven’s cabin
00:07:06 – Intro to climbing
00:10:03 – Weekend warrior
00:17:14 – Discovering The Nooks
00:20:51 – Goldmine
00:23:12 – “This is sick”
00:28:50 – Years of potential
00:34:47 – Summer & bugs
00:38:22 – Weather
00:40:01 – A new avenue & a sacrifice
00:50:02 – Sharing The Nooks
00:55:10 – A day of developing
00:57:01 – Custom backpack
01:01:51 – Big Toe
01:09:07 – Rope systems & ladders
01:12:30 – The Developer film
01:18:25 – Rock type & style
01:20:47 – Elliot Lake
01:33:39 – Logistics & amenities
01:36:42 – Guidebook & KAYA
01:39:06 – The Croc Block
01:41:54 – Top Nooks Boulders
01:47:56 – Hard projects
01:51:31 – More Nooks info
01:54:38 – The Canadian frontier
01:57:43 – Wrap up + EXTRA teaser