EP 100: Ben Moon — How Ben Moon Uses the MoonBoard, and the Evolution of Sport Climbing

Ben Moon is a famous rock climber from the UK. He was the first person to climb 5.14c (8c+) with his route ‘Hubble’. He is also the inventor of the MoonBoard. We talked about his early climbing experiences as a kid, his first road trip to Buoux in France in 1984, how training and sport climbing have changed, how Ben uses the MoonBoard, and much more.

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We are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:

• Bryan Fast, Leo Franchi, Michael Roy, David Lahaie, and Robert Freehill

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Show Notes:  

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/ben-moon

Nuggets:

6:02 – Putting a face to the voice, Ben’s travels in the US back in the day, and feeling like he missed out on traveling

9:17 – A dry November in the UK, and Will Bosi doing the first repeat of ‘Mutation’

11:14 – How Ben first started to climb at age 7

14:38 – Being “bitten right away” by climbing, and breaking his wrist skateboarding

16:17 – Flopping out of school and living off the dole and climbing full time

18:57 – Hunter House Road

22:16 – Standards and climbing styles in the early 80s, and training on a brick wall

26:16 – Climbing equipment in 1984

27:53 – Buoux, meeting Jerry Moffatt, and Ben’s first-ever road trip

35:38 – Doing the FA of ‘Statement of Youth’ 

37:54 – Friendly competition

39:08 – Dreadlocks and punk rock

40:10 – Shifting to bouldering for its own sake

42:32 – From 8a to 8c+ (or 9a) in 6 years… what was happening?

45:28 – The School Room

46:36 – How Ben and Jerry were training in the School Room, how it compares to how people train now, and Ben’s thoughts on deadhanging (hangboarding) and campus boarding

51:00 – How the Moonboard first came to be

56:56 – Moon Climbing as a company 

1:00:42 – Patron question from Griffin: Favorite Moonboard hold set? Best for training? 

1:02:06 – Patron question from Rebecca: New hold sets coming? Have you thought about circuits?  

1:03:28 – Patron question from Karl: Looking back, what would you change about the Moonboard holds or design?

1:05:22 – Why the Moonboard is a vastly more powerful training tool than Ben’s old cellar board

1:07:37 – Patron question from Will: How does Ben use the Moonboard, and what are some of his go-to session formats?

1:12:35 – Bouldering as Ben’s top training priority, and why he thinks variety is key

1:14:11 – How Ben structures his training throughout the year, and within a week 

1:17:10 – What Ben and I would each change about our training if we could go back in time

1:21:21 – FA of ‘Voyager Sit’ 8B+ (V14)

1:24:07 – Quitting climbing after ‘Voyager Sit’, and coming back and climbing ‘Rainshadow’ 9a (5.14d)

1:27:59 – Training fitness on the route, and gaining fitness with age, but fighting to maintain strength

1:31:17 – Circuit training at the climbing gym

1:34:30 – Question from Steve McClure: Does Ben feel the age thing yet?

1:38:24 – Ben’s ongoing battle with ‘Northern Lights’, and thoughts on kneebars

1:45:38 – Patron question from Markham: Background on the Mini MoonBoard? Future plans for it?

1:47:07 – Ben’s thoughts on the MoonBoard gades (he thinks they’re hard!)

1:49:24 – How hard Ben climbs on the MoonBoard

1:50:11 – Patron question from Florian: Is the Mini MoonBoard the most relevant board for training for rock? 

1:51:41 – Recommendations for people who train on a MoonBoard at home, and future tools that will help

1:54:29 – Patron question from PogoStickJoe: What is the definition of Dowsy Fuck? (turns out it was “Dozy Fuck”), and what it feels like for Ben to watch his old movies

1:56:45 – Patron question from Oskar: Where can I watch The Real Thing online? (It’s in the show notes!)

1:57:45 – Patron question from Andreson: Any expedition stories?

1:58:34 – Starting a clothing brand, and getting inspiration from Christian Griffith

2:00:28 – What is Ben’s legacy?

2:02:20 – Which of Ben’s climbing achievements stand out to him

2:02:37 – What’s next for Ben, and unfinished goals 

2:03:40 – Where you can find Ben (@moonclimbing on Instagram)

2:03:59 – “Train hard, climb harder.”