BoxTalks

Given the global conversation around amplifying diverse voices in climbing, we thought this would be an interesting chat. The idea was for two writers from very different climbing cultures - India and the United States - to exchange views on storytelling in climbing.

In this episode Dhillan chats with the remarkable Andrew Bisharat, one of the most renowned rock climbing writers in the world about:

• What makes a good climbing story?
• Has social media caused a decline in the quality of storytelling?
• Why rock climbing doesn't have the body of literature that alpinism does?
• Has outrage culture made journalism difficult?
• Dealing with the backlash around his recent Rock & Ice article about renaming offensive routes
• In India, is climbing linked to privilege?
• How to tackle the lack of diversity in climbing media?

What does a model athlete's mind work like?  

In this episode, Dhillan Mowli talks to Kieren D'Souza, one of India's most accomplished trail runners and ultramarathon athletes about a variety of subjects ranging from dealing with failure through the tricky game of sponsorship.   

Here are some of topics discussed:  

• Kieren's childhood His entry into running 
• Dealing with failures 
• Becoming a 'full-time' runner 
• Experiences in Europe 
• His yearly budget 
• Working with sponsors   
• Friendship peak speed record - making the video  

Kieren is open, especially about money and sponsorship, in a way few athletes are. We're extremely thankful for his willingness and insight. Hope this offers you value!

If Mohit Obeori had never climbed, where would the Indian climbing story be? To understand the magnitude of his influence, let's begin there.   

In this episode, Dhillan chats with ‘Mo’ about his rather colourful life in the sport:  

How he started climbing Climbing and development in the 80s 

Competing in Tokyo in 1991 

Pushing difficulty levels in Indian climbing 

Reconciling with a generation's reduced interest in rock 

Returning to climbing after an injury  

And, lots of other anecdotes along the way. 

Knocking on Air India's doors for flight tickets, which famous climbers were jumping on leftover sandwiches… we can't give away everything now, can we?

In India, it's no secret that authority is still used as a tool in sports coaching, often at the expense of empathy and support. 'Tough love', essentially.  

Dhillan Chandramowli chats with Madeleine Crane, founder of Climbing Psychology - a sports psychology company with a focus on climbing - about the old and new ways of training children.   

In this episode they talk about:  

• Her entry into Psychology
• The niche of 'Climbing Psychology'  
• Is the older, authoritarian style of coaching valuable? 
• Working with young athletes in age groups of 6-10 years and 10-12 years 
• Overcoming the generation gap in coaching values  
• Communicating with child athletes 
• The positives of empathetic training 
• Group dynamics when coaching 
• Handling failure and separating self worth from performance 
• Understanding the impact of Social Media on young athletes 
• The importance of allowing athletes to talk about romantic feelings  
• If we want more children 'climbing for life', these are thing we MUST pay attention to!   

Resources:  

• https://www.climbingpsychology.com/ 
• https://www.instagram.com/climbingpsychology/

Can climbing truly heal? In this episode with Gaurav 'Gujju' Jagadish, that is the central question. Gujju opens up about a deeply traumatic life event - his wife Kala's suicide - and how climbing helped him cope.   

As a climber, Gujju brings a LOT to the table - he's an incredibly passionate boulderer; an example of someone around whom communities build themselves. He's been responsible for kickstarting bouldering activity in newer areas around Bangalore. He's also the founder of Bangalore's newest bouldering gym, Let's Play Climbing. Very importantly, he sees beauty in climbing in a deeper, redemptive way that has repeatedly been informed by his life's trajectory.   

Topics in this episode: 

1. His introduction to climbing 
2. Feeling isolated by the climbing community  
3. Meeting Kala, his wife 
4. The stigma against relationships 
5. Kala's suicide  
6. How climbing and the community helped him cope 
7. The impact of the event on Krishna, his son 
8. The story behind Let's Play Climbing, his bouldering gym  

What makes him a community figure?  Our deepest thanks to Gaurav for trusting us with such delicate and personal subject matter. We hope you find value in the episode.   Tell us what you think.

In this episode of BoxTalks, Dhillan chats with the incredible Conrad Anker. Conrad's career has been immensely successful, yet punctuated by lots of personal tragedy - the loss of friends, mentors and climbing partners. His life trajectory has been repeatedly altered, especially by the loss of his best friend, Alex Lowe, in 1999. All of this is well known.  Here, he opens up about a variety of personal and social subjects:  

1. The history of exploration and expeditions 
2. Privilege in the modern climbing world 
3. His process of dealing with loss Mentor-ship initiatives 
4. His earliest visit to India Is there less 'shame' around grief today? 
5. How he started climbing  

It's less a chat about climbing exploits and more an insight into his perspectives about subject matter relevant to everyone. Informed, of course, by one of the greatest careers in climbing.  

#BoulderBox #ExploreTheVertical #ConradAnker #talk #conversation