EP 296: Dave Thompson
April 6, 2026
Dave Thompson is a 5.14 and V14 first ascentionist, alpinist, and coach for Evoke Endurance. We talked about his early climbing in the North Cascade mountains of Washington State, doing the first ascent of some of the best hard boulders in Leavenworth (Beautification, God is in the Details, The Teacup), how he got so strong, how to apply your strength on the wall, the challenges of endurance training in climbing, and more.
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Show Notes:
Related Episodes:
Dave’s Links:
Nuggets:
00:00:00 – Intro
00:02:29 – Dave’s path to rock climbing
00:07:31 – Bob Buckley
00:10:42 – The Teacup FA
00:14:54 – Dave’s coaching philosophy
00:25:53 – How Dave got up to V14
00:37:05 – A way of moving
00:43:19 – How to improve your gym sessions
00:48:11 – Training
00:55:54 – Dave’s climbing and coaching
00:58:53 – Dave coaches me on The Teacup
01:02:48 – FAs in the Methow Valley
01:06:59 – FAs in Leavenworth
01:11:16 – How strong can adults get at climbing?
01:13:18 – Personal agency
01:20:34 – Catching a wave
01:23:46 – Bouldering efficiency session
01:30:32 – Evoke success
01:36:47 – Training for sport climbing
01:43:25 – Not thinking
01:44:17 – How to connect with Dave