94 min listen
EP 91: Craig DeMartino — Amputating His Leg to Climb Again, El Cap Stories, and Embracing a New Normal
EP 91: Craig DeMartino — Amputating His Leg to Climb Again, El Cap Stories, and Embracing a New Normal
ratings:
Length:
164 minutes
Released:
Oct 18, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
Craig DeMartino is a rock climber, motivational speaker, and teacher. His life changed in 2002 when he took a 100-foot ground fall. We talked about Craig’s accident and recovery, the decision to amputate his leg, climbing harder than ever after the accident, doing El Cap in a day, dealing with chronic pain, teaching adaptive climbing, and embracing a new normal.Support the Podcast:thenuggetclimbing.com/supportBecome a Patron:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingShow Notes: thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/craig-demartinoNuggets:3:28 – El Cap, Craig’s son, and owning what you like6:09 – His kids catching the climbing bug, and watching sports from the sidelines8:12 – Adaptive sports, ball sports, and exploring sports outside the box9:30 – Bouldering with a prosthetic leg11:30 – Craig’s recent broken foot15:23 – Trauma, avoiding getting hurt gain, and the hardware in his foot17:00 – Being in Estes, relistening to EP 11 of the Enormocast, and sitting down in person20:30 – Craig’s accident36:05 – Waking up in the hospital, moving to an assisted living home, and eventually returning home42:52 – The human body is amazing43:51 – “Fuck it. I’m gonna cut my leg off and see what happens.” -Craig DeMartino54:40 – “Who am I in this new form?”56:04 – The barking dog, and the human barometer58:42 – Pain and visualization1:02:05 – Being honest about the ups and downs, and moving away from the accident1:05:03 – New identities, and Hugh Herr1:06:00 – “I would never change it”, and finding purpose in teaching adaptive sports1:11:06 – Craig’s life before the accident, helping people now, and inclusivity1:15:22 – Being a climber first, and the first all-adaptive ascent of El Cap1:16:40 – Helping trauma patients find flow state through climbing1:19:56 – Working through triggers and PTSD1:22:56 – Craig’s recovery status1:24:55 – How to hack the perspective without the injury, and how Will’s (Craig’s son’s) coach Mikey influenced him1:29:15 – Question from Chris Kalous: “Why do you swear so much, Craig?”1:31:54 – Patron question from Tyler: What made your story so captivating when you shared it on the Enormocast?1:35:35 – Talking with Steve and remembering the accident, and going back to ‘White Man’1:38:52 – Rannveig’s story, self-blame, and moving forward1:41:48 – Patron question from Graham: How can people in the helping professions provide better opportunities for empowerment for people with disabilities?1:47:23 – Patron question from Levi: How could we go about making a centralized group for adaptive climbers?1:51:07 – How to connect with Craig1:52:00 – Patron question from Andrew: Have you tried custom prosthetics for a specific move or route?1:55:54 – Craig’s quiver of legs, and our amazing feet1:58:24 – Patron question from Eli: What have been some of the hardest lessons, and best and encouraging ones since your fall?2:00:40 – “When you get up there, don’t take no for an answer.” - HK2:01:56 – Rock climbing is hard, and explaining rock climbing to your Grandma2:04:04 – Patron question from Eli: What advice might you have for other climbers with kids?2:09:09 – Most meaningful climbs since the injury, speed climbing El Cap with Hans Florine, and sport climbing with Cindy (Craig’s wife)2:16:30 – Climbing his hardest after the accident2:19:18 – Sending ‘Dirty Smelly Hippie’, soft grades, and feeling confident at 12d2:23:16 – The steep style of the Red, climbing with one leg, and Tommy Caldwell as the most famous amputee2:26:55 – Patron question from Ken Klein: Moving to Puerto Rico, what will you miss most about the Fort Collins scene? How has it evolved in your time there?2:28:53 – Continuing the work in Puerto Rico, and chasing shorts weather2:32:54 – Why Craig hates pants2:34:44 – What Craig hopes to still accomplish in his climbing2:36:48 – How the experience of climbing scales2:37:58 – Grateful for opportunities2:39:00 – We are all struggling with something2:41:38 – Life is fluid
Released:
Oct 18, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
EP 02: Chris Wright — How to Climb a 7000 Meter Peak, Climbing with Heroes, and Thai Fried Chicken: Chris Wright is a professional mountain guide who splits his time between guiding, skiing, and climbing some of the most remote peaks in the world. We talked about his recent team FA of Link Sar in Pakistan, lessons from mentors, favorite post-expedition foods, and how to build an anchor in f***ed up snow. by The Nugget Climbing Podcast