Show notes
Boone Speed is a photographer, innovator, and was the first American to climb 5.14b with his route ‘Super Tweak’ in Logan Canyon, UT. We talked about Boone’s upbringing, discovering climbing in American Fork, most memorable routes and trips, bolting and training in the Hell Cave, creating the Grasshopper Board, and his vision for the future of artificial climbing.Support the Podcast:thenuggetclimbing.com/supportBecome a Patron:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingShow Notes: thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/boone-speedNuggets:2:17 – The Paleo Diet, and Boone’s lunchables4:51 – Twitching on airplanes, and cutting out sugar6:09 – Being a picky eater as a kid6:47 – Growing up in Lindon UT, and the development of Silicon Slope8:11 – Working at the bronze foundry as a teenager, and Boone’s dad 12:48 – The expectations Boone’s parents had for him, and being proud of how he’s lived his life14:42 – Thriving in the chaos, and Boone’s beautiful and art-filled house15:35 – Boone’s sister, ‘Frequent Flyers’, and advice from his mom about raising his son21:07 – Ignoring bad behavior and praising good behavior22:20 – His son being surrounded by art, and getting into product design24:34 – How Boone got “bitten” by climbing, Smith Rock, and early “sport climbing” in 198627:17 – Ice climbing and telemark skiing29:32 – Climbing his first 5.13 in 1987, getting the power drill, and developing sport routes at Red Rocks33:33 – Studying photography and design at BYU33:59 – Hanging out in American Fork as a kid, and discovering climbing there37:04 – The Hell Cave44:37 – Milestones in The Hell Cave for Boone47:33 – The steepest crag in the world49:35 – Establishing the rest of Hell50:44 – The first snowbird comp, and getting validation from the guys in the magazines52:49 – Getting recognition, developing the VRG, and texting Ondra after he did ‘Necessary Evil’56:23 – Boone’s first climbing gym in a storage unit in 1987, and training by climbing every single day58:55 – Working at IME, Boone’s mom, and the structure of a photograph 1:03:12 – Climbing as a healthy addiction, and blending climbing with art1:06:31 – The photography Boone has in his house1:08:28 – The throughline of innovation, and creating stuff for themselves1:10:37 – The first crash pads, and climbing ‘Midnight Lightning’ with The Spot1:14:12 – The “need” that lead to starting Grasshopper1:19:14 – How I could train for ‘Just Do It’ on the Grasshopper board1:21:03 – My experience with training on a home woody, repetition as a path to mastery, and running laps in the Hell Cave1:23:18 – A day in the Hell Cave 1:25:17 – ‘Ice Cream’ in Hell1:27:57 – The two moments in climbing that have blown Boone away1:29:09 – The responsibility of pushing climbing forward, and passing the torch to Chris Sharma1:34:47 – Memories from a trip to China with Sharma and MC, and other favorite memories1:36:31 – Watching old climbing films with his wife Bailey1:37:23 – Working on Grasshopper with MC and Bailey1:43:45 – Addressing the climbing need, and installing a Grasshopper at a brand new HOA1:47:38 – Training on ergonomic vs. sharp and tweaky holds1:52:24 – What products Grasshopper is currently offering 1:56:21 – Creating products as an excuse “to make good photos again”, and finding product-market fit with the Grasshopper board2:02:06 – The route function2:10:12 – ‘Necessary Evil’, yoga, and strengthening2:12:57 – Tequila, surfing, wanting to perform, and using the board to stay within striking distance2:19:03 – What is standing between Boone and ‘Necessary Evil’, and Boone’s pandemic routine2:21:37 – How to be a fit 56-year-old2:24:20 – Yoga2:25:56 – Gratitude2:26:29 – Good things take time2:28:42 – How Boone and I met