EP 298: Sonnie Trotter
April 27, 2026
Photo by Simon Yamamoto
Sonnie Trotter is a Canadian professional rock climber and one of the most accomplished and respected climbers of his generation. We talked about his goal to climb 5.15, my impression of meeting him at Smith Rock, our parallel family histories, treating life as a game, how the Cobra Crack changed his career, how he trained as a teenager, stamina vs. strength, what makes Dave Graham so strong, and his book, Uplifted: The Evolution of a Climbing Life.
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Show Notes:
Related Episodes:
Sonnie’s Links:
Nuggets:
00:00:00 – Intro
00:03:38 – Connor Herson’s 5.15a FAs
00:09:35 – Gunning for 5.15
00:11:49 – Meeting Sonnie at Smith Rock
00:20:37 – His life routine
00:24:43 – Sonnie’s kids
00:29:24 – Time warp
00:33:24 – Family history
00:39:35 – Life is a game
00:42:45 – The business side of Sonnie’s life
00:53:19 – Choices & constraints
01:03:07 – Cobra Crack
01:09:20 – The progression of climbing
01:16:24 – Getting sponsored
01:20:07 – The age of print media
01:24:34 – Rifle in the 90s
01:30:52 – How he trained as a teenager
01:36:04 – Stamina vs. strength
01:45:30 – Sticking to the basics
01:49:31 – What makes Dave Graham so strong
01:54:33 – Writing his book