Enormocast 299: Nina Caprez – Two Roads Just as Fair

On Episode 299 of the Enormocast, I sit down in a fine hotel suite with the elegant Nina Caprez. We met up at the Arc’teryx Academy in Squamish, and after a Co-MC gig on the main stage the previous night, Nina and I reviewed our performance and then got down to business reviewing the 9 …

Continue reading "Enormocast 299: Nina Caprez – Two Roads Just as Fair"

[00:00:00] You are listening to the Enormocast.

[00:00:31] And I'm not sure the higher ups realize this when the idea dropped, but there's five Tuesdays in this December.

[00:00:38] I hope that little office go-getter who suggested it didn't get canned.

[00:00:43] So as you holiday shop this season, even if it's not on a Tuesday,

[00:00:47] remember that the climbers at Black Diamond are committed to the community and places we cherish.

[00:00:51] Go to blackdiamondequipment.com for more info on the who, what, where of their charitable partnerships.

[00:00:57] And maybe have a look at a couple Camelots or ice tools or whatever while you're there.

[00:01:02] Or what about a hug from a brand new puppy?

[00:01:04] We could all probably use another hug right now, even one from an inanimate object.

[00:01:20] Do you hear that? Do you know what that sound is?

[00:01:24] Well, while you and your crew scuttled off to the shade for some burns on the prod like so many mole rats,

[00:01:30] your rack of post-send libations or sad sack failure drinks, as the case may be,

[00:01:35] are sitting in your increasingly scolding rig, feeling the heat.

[00:01:39] And no, that Whole Foods foil cooler bag they guilted you into buying is not going to cut it.

[00:01:44] Luckily for you and your friends, Yeti has the answer for day trippin' sippin'.

[00:01:49] The Rody 15 Cooler

[00:01:52] Yeti's most compact hard-sided cooler, the Rody 15, has a slim shape for behind the seat

[00:01:57] or getting tucked in with the gear, but still ample room inside for cold drinks and vittles

[00:02:02] for yet another best day ever at the crag.

[00:02:04] And of course, the Rody 15 Cooler is built by Yeti,

[00:02:07] so it will last practically until the burning orb in the sky goes supernova

[00:02:12] and vaporizes everything and everyone.

[00:02:17] Let's just hope you've sent the prod by then.

[00:02:19] So do yourself and your thirsty friends a favor and level up your Apres Grimpe with a Yeti Rody 15 Cooler

[00:02:26] by going to Yeti.com to find your local Yeti dealer.

[00:03:09] Today's show is brought to you by Breda.

[00:03:10] We're joined by Black Timing Equipment, La Sportiva, and with support from Maxim Ropes.

[00:03:15] Maxim has been keeping the Enormo cast off the deck since 2012.

[00:03:20] And now we can also thank the chill folks at Yeti.

[00:03:23] And don't forget our charter sponsor, Bonfire Coffee.

[00:03:27] Go to bonfirecoffee.com and entry Enormo at checkout

[00:03:31] to get a great deal on great coffee and to support the Enormo cast.

[00:03:35] And now back to the show.

[00:03:46] Hello and welcome to the Enormo cast.

[00:03:48] This is your host, Chris Kalus.

[00:03:50] It is December 26th, 2024, about 11 a.m. here in Wisconsin.

[00:03:58] And this is episode 299, a reunion of sorts with Swiss climber Nina Caprez.

[00:04:06] Nina is definitely one of my favorite people to interview.

[00:04:10] She was last on the Enormo cast in 2015, episode 80.

[00:04:16] I also talked to her on the other podcast, The Runout, a couple years ago.

[00:04:20] But this one is a comprehensive catch up over the last nine years.

[00:04:25] That's the cool thing about the Enormo cast lasting so long is that some real time has passed since last time I talked to Nina.

[00:04:33] Almost a decade and many, many changes in her life.

[00:04:37] But she was just as charming as always.

[00:04:40] And we'll get to that in a minute.

[00:04:41] A little bit of business.

[00:04:42] I am here in Wisconsin, the annual holiday trip back to the old country.

[00:04:48] Been getting a lot of Wisconsin love on the Enormo cast lately.

[00:04:51] Paul Keen from Wisconsin.

[00:04:54] Jim Erickson originally from Wisconsin.

[00:04:57] And the upper Midwest is the site of both of my confirmed ice festival visits.

[00:05:04] One in Winona, Minnesota, right there across the river from Wisconsin.

[00:05:08] And one up in the UP at the Michigan Ice Festival.

[00:05:13] Not too far north of where I'm sitting right now.

[00:05:15] In fact, I usually fly into Green Bay.

[00:05:18] See my parents before stealing their Jeep and heading up that way.

[00:05:23] So yeah, check out both those ice festivals if you want to hang out.

[00:05:26] Also, I would like to announce that the phone number, the voicemail, the call in number is open for this year's episode of TAPS.

[00:05:36] Which I'm actually rebranding this year.

[00:05:39] We're going to call it Last Writes from now on.

[00:05:42] Although it's going to be hard to leave behind the original moniker.

[00:05:47] I'll explain that on the show.

[00:05:50] The rebranding, the reasons for it.

[00:05:52] But the FKA TAPS episode is coming up.

[00:05:57] Last year we did a call in version and I enjoyed the hell out of it.

[00:06:00] To remind you guys, this is the episode where we talk about things that we'd like to see killed in climbing.

[00:06:09] Things that are dying, but we lament.

[00:06:12] And zombies.

[00:06:13] Zombies are the stuff we just keep trying to get rid of, but we can't get rid of it.

[00:06:16] I actually suggested getting rid of the TAPS episode, killing the TAPS episode a couple, maybe two years ago.

[00:06:24] And frankly, it's one of my highest downloaded episodes.

[00:06:27] So I can't quit you, baby.

[00:06:29] I can't quit you.

[00:06:30] I think you guys enjoy it.

[00:06:32] It's definitely something people look forward to.

[00:06:34] So call in.

[00:06:36] The number is 1-888-888-888-838-532-9822.

[00:06:44] 1-888-532-9822.

[00:06:48] If you can't remember that or you're driving or whatever, you can find it at the website at normacast.com.

[00:06:54] I'll pin that to the top of the first page.

[00:06:58] Go for it.

[00:06:59] Get your voice heard.

[00:07:02] And last year, I asked for more women to call in because it was mostly dudes.

[00:07:08] And many did.

[00:07:09] And then I kind of hardly used any of them on the show.

[00:07:13] The reasons for that was simply that I had written all my notes down without genders necessarily next to those notes.

[00:07:22] And things got rolling.

[00:07:23] People got drinking.

[00:07:24] And I just kind of was skipping all over the place.

[00:07:26] And it just turned out I didn't go to too many of those.

[00:07:29] It was just a statistics problem.

[00:07:32] So this year, I will endeavor to make it more even or at least as even as the percentage of calls that I get.

[00:07:40] Love to hear from the ladies.

[00:07:42] You guys have a much different perspective on everything.

[00:07:45] Okay, let's get to Nina.

[00:07:47] Nina is a Swiss climber, but kind of on the French side of things.

[00:07:52] I don't think anyone would blame you if you thought she was French.

[00:07:56] She's a highly accomplished sport climber, but also a highly accomplished big root climber with free ascents on El Cap.

[00:08:03] Free ascents on tons of big roots all over Europe and beyond.

[00:08:06] And despite seeing many pretty pictures of her sending steep limestone all over the continent, she's truly an adventure climber through and through.

[00:08:16] And when we talked 10 years ago, I think Nina was just hitting her stride, her imperial period, if you will.

[00:08:25] And sending basically everything that she decided to try.

[00:08:28] And this episode is kind of about her evolution from that period of just ticking everything she saw one trip after another to some revelations about what she really wanted from life.

[00:08:42] Which resulted in love and a family and sort of changing her attitudes about performance and about climbing and about what it all meant.

[00:08:52] The great thing about Nina is that she's very candid.

[00:08:56] I think maybe it's a bit of a European sensibility to say what she's thinking come what may.

[00:09:02] There's sort of a quiet intimacy to this podcast, which I enjoyed the hell out of.

[00:09:06] We were literally sitting in front of a fake fireplace, sort of shimmering in the background.

[00:09:11] And I just think it's a cool vibe.

[00:09:14] So I hope you dig this update with Nina Caprez.

[00:09:16] And before we get to that, even though it's the 26th, the day after Christmas, Boxing Day, I believe today is the first day of Hanukkah.

[00:09:26] Nevertheless, I want to present another holiday tradition, which is, of course, taking you back to the lounge with this slightly embarrassing holiday classic.

[00:09:36] And while I sang and played guitar on this one, focus on the guitar.

[00:09:41] I'm actually a guitar player, not a singer.

[00:09:44] Hey, Bobby, you going ice climbing this winter?

[00:09:48] Well, all right.

[00:09:49] Why don't we tell them how to keep their toes warm up on those icicles?

[00:09:54] Yeah, swing them tools, baby.

[00:10:00] Oh, the weather outside is frightful.

[00:10:03] But in the gym, it's quite delightful.

[00:10:07] But you don't want to know.

[00:10:10] So ice climbing, you will go.

[00:10:13] But the crummy boots you've chosen

[00:10:17] Will keep your poor toes frozen