EP 294: Melissa Strong — Dying and Coming Back to Life, Having Her Arms Sewn Together, and Returning to Climbing with 7 ¾ Fingers

The Nugget Climbing Podcast

Steven Dimmitt

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4.2 • 576 Ratings

🗓️ 9 March 2026

⏱️ 91 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Melissa Strong is a boulderer and restaurateur based in Estes Park, CO, who nearly lost her life in an electrocution accident in April 2017. We talked about her accident, what she experienced on the other side of the veil, having her arms sewn together, what climbing was like before and after the accident, skin graft DNA, the healing process of writing Climbing Through, and much more. You can learn more about Melissa at melissaistrong.com

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, friends, and welcome to the Nugget Climbing podcast. My guest today is Melissa
0:05.8	Strong. Melissa is a rock climber and restaurateur based in Estes Park, Colorado. And she had a near
0:13.0	fatal accident about nine years ago in April 2017, resulting in the loss of several of her fingers. She had a very long and challenging road
0:24.0	to recovery back to climbing and has now shared all of the gruesome and fascinating details
0:29.8	in her new book, Climbing Through, A Courageous Story of Grit, Healing, and Second Chances,
0:36.6	which is available now. I read it cover to cover in two
0:40.7	days. I couldn't put it down. It's so good. And there's so much more to her story than what we had
0:46.2	time for in this 90-minute interview. Melissa is a climber again. She almost sent a V-10 in Waco
0:52.7	tanks this winter. And she owns two restaurants,
0:55.7	Bird and Jim, and the Bird's Nest, both in Estes Park. I haven't been to the Bird's Nest yet,
1:01.2	but Bird and Jim is my favorite restaurant in Estes. Be sure to check it out if you're stopping
1:06.1	through. Again, her book is available to purchase now, and I put a link in the episode
1:10.6	description if you want to pick up your own copy. If you're a climber, you will like it. Again, her book is available to purchase now, and I put a link in the episode description.
1:11.3	If you want to pick up your own copy, if you're a climber, you will like it.
1:15.4	And if you're someone who is fascinated by all the messy parts of being human, you will love it.
1:22.6	This was a really great episode.
1:24.3	Please enjoy Melissa Strong.
1:43.0	Cause, cas, no's a real pleasure to have you here. I devoured your book.
1:44.5	I received it over the weekend, and I read the entire thing in two days.
1:48.1	You're such a good writer and storyteller.
1:50.9	And as a way of launching into your story, can you describe for people listening what you see when you look down at your hands?
1:59.9	Oh, gosh.
	...

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