Crag Confessions - A Climbing Podcast with Morgan & Cynthia: Recent Episodes
Morgan Li
Friends, slay-dies and amateur crushers, Cynthia and Morgan, share personal stories from their climbing lives. Updates twice a month.
www.cragconfessions.com Instagram: @cragconfessions Email: the.gals@cragconfessions.com
Cynthia and Morgan discuss their divergent training philosophies, or the principles they apply as they try to improve and progress in climbing. Professor Cynthia, channeling FDR, explains the Four Tenets that she employs to get better at climbing. Morgan counters with a hedonistic, “anti-training” training philosophy. Along the way, the gals discuss the role of motivation in devising a training plan, the benefits of training strengths versus weaknesses, what it means to be a “good climber,” and what training advice they would give each other. Can it be that their philosophies are actually not so different after all? Tune in and hunker down for some Deep Thoughts about climbing.
Listener Question: What is the definition of a good climber? What is your training philosophy?
Cynthia and Morgan unload the essential climbing gear that has earned its way into their backpacks. The gals go deep on their climbing shoe choices, how their chalk bag reflects their personality, and whether sport climbing gear is really that important. They also discuss how they protect themselves from the elements (one puff is not enough), and Cynthia’s very important food strategy. Tune in for a fun romp through our climbing bags!
The man, the legend, Albert Alvarez! In this comeback episode, Cynthia and Morgan soak up the wisdom of the ages from Albert, longtime Hueco Tanks guide, gym owner, and certified crusher. Albert started climbing at Hueco Tanks 20 years ago, and through many ups and downs is still as psyched as he was the first day. He shares his unique climbing philosophy and how it comes through in his guiding and his gym, Sessions Climbing. He also reflects on how the spirit of competitiveness has affected the sport over the years, and offers valuable advice on how to stay motivated for the long term.
This episode was recorded in September 2022, only a few weeks after Albert’s gym, Sessions Climbing in El Paso, first opened.
We love climbing and all… but sometimes a good old-fashioned rant is just what the doctor ordered. Cynthia and Morgan complain about what pisses them off in the world of climbing. From the mundane to the ridiculous, from the gym to the crag, join us while we whine over a staggeringly broad range of pet peeves. No minor annoyance is too petty! The #ugh list includes: unsolicited dude beta, un-psyched climbers, unprepared party members, belayers who force their leaders up, dogs, kids, huge groups at sport crags, screamers on rope, boulderers who sit on crashpads, and gyms with bizarre rules.
Listener question: Tell us what your climbing pet peeve is! Did we miss anything?
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Climbing is inspiring, and Cynthia and Morgan wouldn’t be the climbers they are today if not for the inspiring people, places, and stories that they have encountered on their climbing journey. These #inspos get them out of bed, to the gym, to the crag, and psyched to climb over and over again. The gals recount their personal climbing inspirations—from the pro-climbers whose jaw-dropping accomplishments they want to model, to the mentors who fired them up to try their absolute best, to the communities that have transformed how they view themselves in the sport. Tune in and get inspired!
Mentioned in the episode:
https://youtu.be/cVLic8TYfU4
The routesetter is simultaneously the subject of climbers' reverence and disdain; a puppeteer and a punching bag; a figure both removed from and essential to the climbing experience. In this episode, we peer into the mind of one routesetter - Ryan Smith, head routesetter at Central Rock Gym Manhattan. Incredibly articulate and genuinely thoughtful, Ryan shares how he became a setter, his personal routesetting principles (keyword: "athletic empathy"), his frustrations with the role, as well as candid views on his career in the short and long term. He sets the record straight that routesetters are - despite what you might think about the pink route in the corner - actually not out to get you.
How does an amateur but passionate climber work a full-time job while climbing outdoors 4-5 times a week? Brian Luce (AKA "Beautiful Brian") Crag Confessions' first guest, manages to succeed at both, climbing hard sport and working as an architect in Las Vegas. In early 2021, Brian decided to move from New York City to Las Vegas in order to be closer to outdoor sport climbing, and started working remotely for his firm on East Coast hours. Managing his time meticulously, he has progressed through 5.12s at Red Rock and is now working on his first 13a. He shares his experience balancing work and climbing, the compromises he has made, and his aspirations for both in the coming year.
We got a lot of great comments and questions on our Episode 7 - The Performance Gap. We compiled the best, along with our responses, into this short BONUS mini-episode. Featuring original beatboxing and mixing by Cynthia and Morgan!
Before climbing, the gals were couch potatoes who had never stepped foot in a gym! After climbing, the gals are stronger than ever, physically and mentally. Climbing helped Morgan move past traditional standards of femininity and find confidence in what she can do, rather than how she looks. Climbing outdoors heightened Cynthia's environmental awareness, and was a large part of why she became vegan. The gals also discuss whether climbing has had any negative effects, covering climbing's selective demographics and unwelcome expressions of sympathy following Cynthia's decision to live in a van.
Can a moderate climb that's been done a hundred times before still provide thrills, drama, and lasting memories? Cynthia and Morgan think so! In this episode they share their epic stories of how they sent Moonshine Roof V4 in Hueco Tanks and Trippin' Balls 5.11b in Ten Sleep, and prove that great climbing stories don't have to come from great climbers. Tension, excitement, defeat and joy - central to every good story - are in the small send as much as in the big send. Listener Question: What's your story of a send? Tell us what you're proud of!
Is there a performance gap between male and female climbers? What can be done to narrow this gap? The gals tackle these difficult questions and offer cutting-edge ideas on what the future of climbing might look like. Cynthia and Morgan have spent many hours thinking over this issue. The result is more than a discussion of how guys and gals climb differently - it's an admission of vulnerability, a vision of what's possible, and a leap of faith. Listener Question: Why do you think there is or isn't a performance gap in climbing?
The gals take a hard look at their top three climbing weaknesses, and how they are (or are not) dealing with them. For Cynthia, that's finger strength, fear of falling, and difficulty managing expectations. For Morgan, it's also finger strength and fear of falling (twinning!), and maintaining core tension through footwork. The gals finish positive by identifying a strength in the other person. Listener Question: What's your climbing weakness?
What's it like to have your significant other be your climbing partner? Cynthia is living the dream with her husband Jamie, while Morgan sometimes wishes her husband could get into climbing. A sensitive conversation about climbing between friends and lovers.
The gals talk about their climbing injuries, how they got them, how they're managing them, and what lessons they can take away from them. Cynthia and Morgan have had ankle sprains, shoulder injuries, and elbow and wrist injuries - a veritable cross-section of classic climbing ouchies. This is a sobering episode with some real talk about how we're climbing differently now as compared to when we got started, but ends on a hopeful note. This episode features original music by Cynthia!
Coming off a fantastic outdoor climbing year in 2021, Cynthia and Morgan ask, "What makes a good crag? What are the factors that make an outdoor climbing spot truly a worthy destination?" From rock quality to accessibility-for-the-lazy, it's a trip down memory lane and through the big climbing meccas of the United States from coast to coast. Cynthia and Morgan finish by sharing their plans for 2022.
Cynthia and Morgan talk about their experiences projecting boulders and sport routes, and also look back at their most emotional projects (ie, crying at the top). Morgan gets zeroes in on microbeta on boulders, while Cynthia gets methodical on long climbs.
We, Cynthia and Morgan, friends and rock climbers, introduce ourselves and talk about our first times climbing. Embarrassing moments abound. But we did learn some lessons from those early days.