EP 290: Chris Schulte — Developing Your Own Style, Age-Proof Motivation, and Redefining Progress Beyond Grades

The Nugget Climbing Podcast

Steven Dimmitt

Power Company, Steven Dimmitt, Enormocast, Lattice Training, Steven Dimmit, Climbing Gold, Runout, Nugget, Yosemite, Bouldering, The, The Nugget Climbing, Talk, Training For Climbing, Climber, Wilderness, The Nugget, Project, Climbing History, Nugget Podcast, Health & Fitness, Fitness, The Struggle Climbing Show, American, Training, Training Beta, Careless, Smith Rock, Alpine Climbing, Climbing, Dirtbag State Of Mind, Climbing Podcast, Education, Climb, @Thenuggetclimbing, Dirtbag, Nugget Climbing, Lattice, Trad Climbing, Rock Climbing, Sharp End, The Struggle, Sport Climbing, For The Love Of Climbing, The American Climbing Project, The Climbing Nugget, Dirtbag Diaries, Struggle, Nugget Climbing Podcast, Climbing Training, The Nugget Climbing Podcast, Testpiece, Sports, Climbing Nugget, Alex Honnold, Self-improvement, Thenuggetclimbing, Gold, Nuggetclimbing

4.2 • 576 Ratings

🗓️ 12 January 2026

⏱️ 146 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Chris Schulte is an elite boulderer known for bold first ascents, compression mastery, and a thoughtful approach that prioritizes style over grades. We talked about his evolution as a climber, developing his own style, how Fred Nicole inspired him, redefining progress with age, tips for compression problems and wide cracks, and the state of elite bouldering and cutting-edge grades.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, friends, and welcome to the Nugget Climbing podcast. It is good to be back after a much-needed
0:07.9	holiday break. I hope you all had an amazing holiday. I don't know about you, but I am very excited
0:14.0	about 2026. I have a good feeling. I think some big positive shifts are going to happen this year for those who are open to them.
0:23.6	And I hope it's you, whoever you are, wherever you are tuning in.
0:27.3	My guest today is someone I've been interested in having on the podcast for a very long time,
0:32.1	Boulderer, First Ascensionist, Sandstone Whisperer, and writer Chris Schulte.
0:38.3	I've been inspired by Chris and his climbing for a long time.
0:41.3	I've read a lot of his articles over the years and I've always enjoyed how he thinks
0:45.3	and how he talks about climbing and writes about climbing.
0:48.3	He's super strong, one of the best in the world at his blank-looking, sloper compression style of bouldering. We had a great
0:57.5	conversation. Please enjoy Chris Schulte. Yeah, you seem introverted.
1:15.1	Are you someone that enjoys being by yourself, seeks out solitude on purpose?
1:20.8	Definitely, yeah.
1:23.7	Yeah, I think have been for a really long time.
1:27.4	Sort of grew up that way.
1:29.3	I was the last kid of four, and there was a huge gap.
1:34.2	Like, my nearest sibling was 18 years older than me.
1:40.0	Oh, wow.
1:40.6	I was kind of a late surprise.
1:42.8	And also grew up out in the country, a really small town out in Texas. And, wow. I was kind of a late surprise and also grew up out in the country, a really small town
1:46.2	out in Texas.
1:47.2	And I don't know, just kind of had most of my life to figure out how to entertain myself
	...

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