BAFFLE DAYS - Australian Climbing – Details, episodes & analysis

Buster has been climbing since childhood. He competed for his country as a junior competitor where he made European Championship finals, World Cup semi finals and numerous domestic comp victories. Buster's main focus now is rock climbing. He's the second brit to climb 9a+/36 with his ascent of First Ley in Margalef. Buster has also climbed countless routes in the 8c+-9a 34-35 range including the historic test pieces Hubble and Action Directe.

In this chat, we dig into Buster's preparation for Action Directe, the worlds first 9a/35. His pocket training, finger injury recovery and just a bit of froth about the route overall. We also talk about his coaching business, his approach to coaching and how it all works. When we spoke with Buster, he was preparing for a trip to Spain to try a crazy 9b/37 called First Round First Minute, put up by Chris Sharma in 2011.

Buster started Kaizen Climbing, his coaching business, to share his knowledge and psyche for training with as many people as he could. If you're interested in connecting with Kaizen, head to their website and give them a follow on instagram. There really is some awesome information in there.

Video of Buster on Action Directe

Video of Buster on Hubble

Buster's instagram

Baffle Days' favourite training books can be found here

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Krystal's journey is an inspiring one. She knew what she wanted and went after it. Capturing moments in crazy locations of crazy people doing crazy things, all around the world. We covered some good ground in this conversation and I really appreciated Krystal's honesty to just dive in.

You can follow Krystal on instagram here 

Krystal's website

Baffle Days books, coffee trays and other bits here

On 19-20 December 2020 at Sydney Indoor Climbing Gym Villawood, the Oceania Climbing Championships were held, giving one last chance for a ticket to the Tokyo Olympic Games for one athlete per gender from the region. Tom O'Halloran qualified for the male category and talks to us  about his journey.

Tom talks about his early climbing journey, (unknowingly) meeting Adam Ondra for the first time, competitions and transitioning from outdoor to indoor climbing. We also get into the decision making process to go for the Olympic spot, headspace in the lead up and during the competition. Tom went through a very dark mental headspace prior to the competition which nearly ended with him pulling out. We talk about what got him through it and how it turned around for competition day. Plus, what it will take for Australia to get onto the podium on the world stage.

Oceana MacKenzie qualified for Australia in the female category.

Tom is currently fundraising funds to help pay for the next 7 months. All donations are tax deductible https://asf.org.au/athletes/tom-ohalloran-tokyo-2021-olympics/

You can follow Tom's Olympic journey through Instagram @tom_ohalloran and YouTube.

Check out Baffle Days on instagram and a find more content on our website.

Music: Somerville and Wilson - Red Wasps

 

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Each one of us tells a story of a time we stuffed up a send. Hopefully through talking about a few of these things, you'll learn from our mistakes and navigate your way around them. If you have experienced them before, feel comforted that you're not alone. It happens to us all.

Here's the video Tom references for his big dummy spit 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H3OkmWqNCY

Baffle Days https://www.baffledays.com.au

 

Follow the gang on Instagram

Leah Dempsey - @leahmdempsey

Matt Norgrove - @mnorgrove

Amanda Watts - @a.mandawatts

Tom O'Halloran - @tom_ohalloran

Baffle Days - @baffledays

 

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Duncan Brown has been a climber for decades now. He has travelled all over the world in this time, including a stint in China as part of the big  wave of development 10 years ago. He was apart of the team being flown across the country being paid to bolt the countless limestone caves, granite faces and sandstone walls. What a dream!

Duncan is also the man behind Athlete by Choice, his climbing and mountain sport coaching business based out of Canberra. He's coached everyone from weekend warriors, psyched week night gym climbers to the Australian Sport Climbing team. He'll be the climbing coach of the Australian Olympic team when that happens in 2021. Just recently he's acquired his own gym space in Canberra to set up a dedicated facility to really help develop his clients. Be on the look out for Mountain Strong in Canberra in early 2021!

Athlete by Choice:

Athlete by Choice website

Athlete by Choice facebook

Athlete by Choice instgram

 

Mountain Strong:

Mountain Strong website

Mountain Strong facebook

Mountain Strong instagram

 

As always you can check out Baffle Days for more podcasts, articles and news.

 

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It’s easy to believe the popular overseas destinations are the bee’s knees. They’re in the movies, on the posters and clogging up your instagram feed. But what about back home, in the land girt by sea? Turns out it’s pretty darn good!

We talk the progression of our sport in the last decade and predictions of things to come. A few years ago we’d have never thought that 33 was going to be a trade route for the masses, now it is. So what’s going to be the 34 trade route?

Bolting projects and climbing hard first ascents is also on the agenda. What are we looking for and where are the next hard ones hiding? New crag discoveries or fresh eyes on old cliffs.

The lads also get into the indoor scene and how the new school bouldering gyms have changed the direction of climbing. Are we going to see Australians consistently on the World Cup podiums? What’s it going to take to get us there and what can we learn from those who came before us?

It’s all this and more. We love Australia!

 

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Mum climbing life with Amanda Watts, Andrea Hah, Helen Day and Carlie LeBreton. This group of crusher climbing mums have over 80 years of combined climbing experience, bouldering, sport and trad climbing and competing at the highest levels. For each of them, finding a balance between climbing and mum life was important for their mental health and quality of life. Climbing is what makes life feel normal. 

They talk about everything from climbing pregnant, to travelling and climbing with kids. Their pre pregnancy expectations, compared with the reality of mum climbing life. Injuries and barriers to climbing and training, their motivations and drive and balancing climbing dreams and goals as a parent. 

There are some tips and hints to successfully getting to the crag, through a training session and 24 hours of flying with a baby. They hope that sharing their stories and experiences will help climbing parents find it a little less daunting to get back to the cliff with their little monkeys.   

 

Follow:

Amanda on Instagram: @a.mandawatts

Helen on Instagram: @helendayknight

Andrea on Instagram: @andreahah

Carlie on Instagram: @carlieclimbs 

 

Links

Thrive Nutrition & Dietetics - https://nutritioncollective.com.au/thrive/

Baffle Days - https://www.baffledays.com.au

 

For 15% off Awesome Woodys goodies

Use discount code BAFFLEDAYS at checkout

 

 

Madeleine Crane started Climbing Psychology out of a passion. She is a professional psychologist, specialised in sport psychology and has experienced the pinnacle of competition climbing, having competed for Austria at World Cups. She wants to help you find the tools to give yourself every opportunity to express yourself fully on the wall.

 

In our chat we get into the dynamics of men and women in the climbing scene and why it can be hard for some people to step up and climb to their full potential. We discuss positive and negative self-talk and how we can reframe when things don’t go to plan. We also jump into visualisation, the positive outcomes of a bit of friendly competition and dealing with dips in motivation.

 

If you don’t already, give Madeleine a follow on instagram @climbingpsychology. She has some really good discussions there, digging into some topics we don’t often see raised. You can also head to her website www.climbingpsychology.comto read her articles and book an appointment.

www.baffledays.com.au

 

We speak to Yossi Sundakov-Krumins, owner and manager of Skywood Climbing. Yossi is the master mind and creator of one of the best woody’s I’ve ever seen so he’s the perfect person to give you a few tips and ideas to make the most out of your setup. https://www.skywoodclimbing.com/home-2

If you don’t know who Steve Bechtel is already, he’s one of the big names in global climbing training. He studied Exercise Science at University and in 2002 opened Elemental Performance and Fitness in Lander, Wyoming. We love Steve’s no nonsense approach to climbing training. He looks from above with an insightful eye and makes the complicated, simple. Sitting down and chatting with him is always a real treat and today was no different. We covered a lot of ground and came out with some really fantastic information.

 

Steve begins philosophically by exploring why it is we climb and how that has set us up to deal with the current COVID situation. As climbers we push our comfort zones regularly and make ourselves, to steal Steve’s phrase, ‘anti-fragile.’ We are ready to adapt and keep on truckin’. Making the most out of the current situation we find ourselves in around the world is what will get us through this time; it’s not a wrecking ball, it’s an opportunity.

 

We don’t dive too deep into the current events around the world, rather help provide food for thought as to what you may do. Developing a Plan A and Plan B is one of Steve’s tips. What’s the plan if we continue like this for several months and what will you do if we are back to the new normal in just a couple of months? Programming yourself something sustainable and simple will be the keys here and Steve explains the intensity progression you could try.

 

Overtraining is a definite tight rope many people like to walk. Perhaps one that will see even more traffic now everyone is fingerboard 12 times a week. Steve lays out a super simple way to check if you’re over training and we have a link below to his recovery checklist. Stick to this and you may just stay injury free and come out stronger for the future.

 

Amanda and Steve also touch on the importance of a long-term view to your health and training, which has probably never been more apparent then now. The benefits of a carrot this morning will not be obvious this afternoon, nor will the strength session. But do each consistently for a long time and the outcome will be life changing. Our health and fitness are centre stage for many right now, so what better time to make a positive change for the future you.

 

There’s plenty more we get into like developing work capacity, working weaknesses, habits and self-assessment of your training program. 

 

Follow:

Steve on Instagram: @stevebechtel

Climb Strong on Instagram: @climb.strong

 

Links

Steve’s recovery checklist - https://www.climbstrong.com/education-center/recovery-points-challenging-youth-athletes-to-recover-well/

 

Climb Strong free training plans - https://www.climbstrong.com/training-plans/

 

The Talent Code - http://danielcoyle.com/the-talent-code/

 

Baffle Days - https://www.baffledays.com.au