Ask Joe Kinder // Chance to Win BD Swag

Hello Mr. Kinder.

I asked this same question to both Mr. Caldwell and Ms. Finley and surprisingly they chose not to answer it. So I'll ask you: Donald Trump has just been elected President of the US. What is your reaction?

Thank you!

I find myself asking myself 'why am I doing this', only to keep coming back for more.......I'm not sure there is an answer, what are your thoughts?

Hey Joe,

Where you goin' with that gun in your hand?

Was there ever a time when you wanted to quit or give up climbing? What made you feel that way, and what helped you persevere?

Do you find that climbing hard (especially across multiple disciplines) has decreased the fun you get out of climbing lesser grades?

Favorite two zones you have helped developed?

Favorite 5.11 .12 .13 .14 you've put up?

Where are you most excited to develop next?

Whose routes have you enjoyed repeating the most?

Joe,

What advice would you give to someone that has discovered a new climbing area and wants to get into route development (sport and trad). Note: I know access is a major concern, but that has been already resolved. The land owner is open to climbing.

Thanks dude,

Garrett

In the original post it says that you are known for your work ethic. Where do you think that came from originally (family, friends, etc.)? Do you find your great climbing work ethic bleeds over in to other areas of your life or vice-versa?

How you get inspired for a climb, by the grade or by the look of the route? Thanks

Do you have any pre climb or pre workout routines that help you stay excited and really push it during your climb or workout?

thanks

Hey Joe,
What's your favorite crag foods and snacks?

Hey All!

Thanks for adding your questions to this edition of Ask a Badass! This is the official cutt-off point.

Mr. Kinder will now select his favorite questions. Stay tuned!

SD

Bueller?

Luc Ried wrote:Hey Joe, I know you've been living the van life for a while now. It is obvious what the upside to that is, climbing all the time, and travelling everywhere, but what are the biggest drawbacks? Thanks!

climbing friend,

no showerings, no climbing girlfriend unless you have chiseled abs and stunnign features like my own self, being mistaken for homeless person, harassment by law enforcement officials, having to desperately "camp" in wal mart parking lot, etc.

climbing friend kinder,

would you perhaps be having yes second career as lumberjack yes if you are no longer able to squeeze the climbing rocks so hard yes? myah.

Hi All!

Joe is MIA, and here I am with a box of prize packages from BD. God, I hope he answers soon or I'm going to have to go use all this stuff myself.

Anyway, I'm working on tracking down Joe. Thanks for your patience!

Hi Joe,
Big Fan. I love that jawn on speed boulder. It will always be V12 to me.

Simple question. Why hasn't Jared Leto befriended you?

HAAAAAAY everyone!!! Sorry for the lag in my response. I've sincerely enjoyed reading all of these questions. It kinda warms me to know there are folks out there that care enough to chime in and ask about my life, climbing, etc. I dig you all and thank you.

I will look at these today and write up some responses to the questions I find the most interesting or unique. This'll be fun. Stand by until tomorrow (Wed).

Hi Joe,

What were you doing the past 5 days that was so more important than answering all of our questions?

Cheers!

OK! Here we go... thanks to all of you who posted questions. These were the questions I felt connected to so thanks to climberboy, Willis and Just This Guy You Know.

The winner of the Black Diamond swag is Willis. WHOOP! Congrats man.

I wish everyone good luck with your goals in climbing and life. See you at the crag!

-Joe

climberboy
Jul 19, 2016
In the original post it says that you are known for your work ethic. Where do you think that came from originally (family, friends, etc.)? Do you find your great climbing work ethic bleeds over in to other areas of your life or vice-versa?

Hey Climberboy… Cool name. I’d say my work ethic comes from a few things. Growing up in New England it seems like it was mandatory to have a work ethic or at least a tougher approach to everything (due to the climate perhaps? It could just be cultural). My parents always taught me to work for whatever I wanted. And that’s what I always did. When I wanted a new bike, I mowed lawns, pulled weeds, and washed cars. When I wanted to go on a climbing trip I worked restaurant jobs, landscaping, painting, construction and even pierced body parts for a while. (I’ve had some pretty bizarre jobs in the past). And to this day when I want to climb a route or bolt a new line, I work my ass off to do it.

I’ve never been an overly talented climber so working hard has always gotten me to where I am. I’m thankful for my work ethic and yes… it bleeds into pretty much every aspect of my life that matters to me. It helps with the professional side of climbing, my girlfriend, my dog, and my house.

Good question bro.

Just This Guy You Know
Jul 16, 2016

Larger scale question here. You've obviously experienced first hand the small scale impacts that climbing can have on the environment. (I really appreciate your acknowledgement of the error, and your intense work to make up for it, and I really hope you don't take this as accusatory, as it is most definitely not meant to be) With that said, how do you balance the larger scale environmental impacts that life as a professional climber can present with conservation and the leave no trace ethic?

Thanks for participating in this, and thanks for keeping the stoke high!

This is another great question and always a challenging one. The meaning of conservation can change depending on where you are. For instance in the South of Spain there’s trash, dead cats, spray-paint at some of the cliffs. Still there are tons of people enjoying the climbing. Then you have the complete opposite of that in a place like Hueco Tanks where everything is regulated and carefully monitored. The term to me will always depend on where I am and the law/code created by the climbers (Given we are abiding by the land-manager-rules).

The population of climbers is growing and I love that, but at the same time this creates another element of responsibility. Not just for pro climbers, but for all of us. I’d like to see more pro climbers showing good stewardship whether it’s in videos, Instagram photos or any other way to show that we play by the rules and we care about our areas and their lifespan. It’s up to us to keep the cliffs and boulders in good shape and also good relationships (or reputations) with land managers.

Pro climbers are just a few of the people that I believe should be emphasizing the role of a responsible climber. Gym staff, respected climbers in your community, parents, coaches, etc. are all part of it as well.

For now I am partaking in the ROCK Project faithfully. This is year 2 of a movement that educates and encourages climbers to be good stewards of the places we love to climb. Every time you head to the cliff you’re going to leave an impact. The bottom line is to minimize this impact. With all of us doing our best and making this sort of effort… all of our cliffs and boulders will be there for generations to enjoy.

Willis K
Jul 18, 2016

I'm curious about your life outside of climbing. Are there other interests and pursuits that draw your attention and time? Does the pro-climbing lifestyle ever make it hard to find time and energy for other things? I think we ordinary citizens often imagine being a pro-climber as a perfect dream job, and I wonder if there's more to the story. What do you think?

Keep crushing,

Willis

Hey Willis… right on. I like this sort of question, as it’s almost nothing about climbing. HA! So yeah man I have lots of interest outside of climbing. Where I live (Bay Area, California) there are lots of things that inspire me. I’ve found myself becoming a bit obsessed with the fashion world lately. I grew up as an artist and always enjoyed looking at art, but that sort of thing takes a bit more effort to keep up with and I’ve fallen out of that loop a while ago. Now I look at fashion designers and what they create for people to wear. I see it as functional art and that’s surely to be appreciated by an educated eye.

I also dig the city life here and that of course involves food, bars, and people watching. I’m pretty obsessed with my girlfriend, my dog, shopping for clothes, and house details like building onto my training room.

Climbing can make it a bit hard to be 100% on top of everything I enjoy, but the balance is important. When I’m climbing it is always 100% and when I am home I would say it is a bit of down time and the other things I enjoy doing are done at leisure and without as much intensity.

I stay pretty busy when I’m not climbing and have really enjoyed having a balance of city/home life with all of my climbing time. I get a lot of inspiration and happiness from them both.

For me, being a pro-climber is the perfect-dream-job. I’m literally living my dream.

Thanks for picking my question Joe! I'm always impressed to hear how people worked their way through things in order to attain what they really want in life. It's a great reminder that hard work can and does pay off - especially in today's world. Keep sending hard!