EP 102: Matty Hong — The History of ‘Flex Luthor’, Climbing Waterfalls in Japan, and the Camera as a Gift

The Nugget Climbing Podcast

Matty Hong is a professional rock climber, photographer, and filmmaker. We talked about what it was like to grow up in a climbing family, about making the first repeat of ‘Flex Luthor’ 5.15b as well as a history of the route and his thoughts on the grade, training for sport climbing projects on his home wall, climbing waterfalls in Japan, and balancing photography and filmmaking with climbing.

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Show Notes:

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/matty-hong

Nuggets:

0:05:51 – How Matty listens to podcasts

0:08:53 – Growing up in a climbing family, and his connection with his parents

0:13:10 – What his parents have instilled in him as a climber, and keeping the ego in check

0:15:23 – Early milestones in Matty’s climbing

0:18:41 – Loving all of the challenges and variety to be found in climbing

0:20:41 – Second-guessing the path, being grateful for climbing, and having a beginner’s mindset with photography and filmmaking

0:24:43 – Trying ‘Flex Luthor’ for a year, and the history of the route

0:30:26 – Meeting Matty up at the Fortress, and his process on ‘Flex Luthor’

0:40:45 – Patron question from Landolini: How likely is it that Tommy climbed 9b (5.15b)?

0:48:51 – Matty’s thoughts on grading

0:51:55 – Matty’s most memorable climbing achievements

0:53:53 – Climbing waterfalls in Japan with Yuji Hirayama

1:01:31 – Thoughts on adventure climbing, and his trip to India

1:06:19 – Matty’s campus board and home wall

1:09:29 – How Matty trained for ‘Flex Luthor’ on his home wall, and his relaxed approach to training

1:19:46 – Patron question from Adriel: Any tips for using bouldering as training for sport climbing? (And more about his training for Flex)

1:24:02 – Why Matty thinks sport climbing in a gym (vs. bouldering) is a waste of time

1:25:54 – Sport climbing is a strategy-based puzzle

1:28:37 – Goals and challenges

1:31:09 – Patron question from Ben: Do you have any bouldering or trad goals?

1:35:08 – Patron question from One_rocky_boi: How does Matty balance photography and filmmaking with climbing?

1:43:14 – The camera as a gift

1:45:03 – Matty’s proudest photos, and the challenges in filmmaking

1:49:39 – What’s next?

1:54:11 – Nocturne Op 62 No 1 in B (Performed by Matty Hong)