EP 126: Devin Dabney — Getting Uncomfortable, How Climbing Saved His Life, and How Competition Makes Us Better

Devin Dabney is a rock climber, routesetter, rapper, music producer, writer, and creator of The American Climbing Project podcast. We talked about using humor to talk about uncomfortable subjects, inviting people into conversations, how climbing saved his life after considering suicide, breaking down barriers to climbing, how competition makes us better, and making a difference in the climbing community.Support Devin's Podcast!patreon.com/americanclimbingprojectCheck out Grasshopper Climbing!grasshopperclimbing.cominstagram.com/grasshopperclimbingTell them I sent you to save $500 off a fully kitted out 8'x10' Grasshopper board! Check out Rhino Skin Solutions!rhinoskinsolutions.comUse code “NUGGET” at checkout for 20% off your next order!And check out EP 22 with Justin Brown to learn more about how to use Rhino products!We are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:Leo Franchi, Michael Roy, David Lahaie, Robert Freehill, Jeremiah Johnson, Scott Donahue, Eli Conlee, Skyler Maxwell, Craig Lee, and Mark and Julie CalhounBecome a Patron:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/devin-dabneyNuggets:0:08:20 – Green screens and SpongeBob0:12:52 – How Devin and I connected, and binging his podcast0:17:41 – Devin’s vision for The American Climbing Project (ACP)0:23:30 – Using humor to poke at difficult subjects, and inviting people into conversation0:28:37 – Devin’s target audience, exposing listeners to different perspectives about race, and my (Steven’s) ignorance having grown up as a white kid from the PNW0:32:22 – Climbing as an escape, and connecting to the world around us as climbers0:33:50 – Plans for season 2 of ACP, and covering gender and sexual orientation in climbing0:35:03 – Rob, and the ACP blog0:38:23 – The skits0:39:40 – Devin and Rob’s mission to provide a tool to grow and improve the climbing community and redistribute wealth0:41:52 – The mixtape format of the ACP0:45:22 – The Black Square skit0:47:26 – Creativity, and sprints of inspiration0:48:44 – How Devin puts together one of his episodes0:52:10 – Growing up playing the violin, and getting into music production and rap0:55:58 – Devin’s 7 different jobs1:00:03 – The Great Equalizer, and Devin’s introduction to climbing1:07:13 – Feeling lost, drafting a suicide note, and how climbing changed his life1:09:15 – Studying architecture, traveling around the world, and sharing the real shit1:14:29 – Why providing access to climbing feels important to Devin, and the many reasons climbing is awesome1:17:09 – Barriers that keep climbing from being accessible/welcoming to marginalized groups of people1:24:27 – The discomfort of climbing, the civil rights movement, and why the history of climbing is white1:28:37 – Trading weed for moonshine, and the different experience of being with other white vs. black climbers1:31:24 – “I would never go hunting without a white person.”1:33:48 – The Halloween episode story, and photo releases in gym waivers1:41:58 – How the podcast has been received, and responding to criticism1:48:25 – Being reactive to headlines1:52:40 – Topics that Devin hopes to cover in future seasons of the ACP podcast2:00:12 – How to support the ACP2:05:28 – Plug Tone Audio, why Devin loves competition, and shared inspiration2:17:15 – Who Devin looks up to2:20:50 – Guests that Devin would love to hear on The Nugget2:23:48 – The depth we have as rock climbers2:25:45 – Climbers are leaders2:26:35 – What’s next for ACP