EP 91: Craig DeMartino — Amputating His Leg to Climb Again, El Cap Stories, and Embracing a New Normal

The Nugget Climbing Podcast

Craig DeMartino is a rock climber, motivational speaker, and teacher. His life changed in 2002 when he took a 100-foot ground fall. We talked about Craig’s accident and recovery, the decision to amputate his leg, climbing harder than ever after the accident, doing El Cap in a day, dealing with chronic pain, teaching adaptive climbing, and embracing a new normal.

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Show Notes:

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/craig-demartino

Nuggets:

3:28 – El Cap, Craig’s son, and owning what you like

6:09 – His kids catching the climbing bug, and watching sports from the sidelines

8:12 – Adaptive sports, ball sports, and exploring sports outside the box

9:30 – Bouldering with a prosthetic leg

11:30 – Craig’s recent broken foot

15:23 – Trauma, avoiding getting hurt gain, and the hardware in his foot

17:00 – Being in Estes, relistening to EP 11 of the Enormocast, and sitting down in person

20:30 – Craig’s accident

36:05 – Waking up in the hospital, moving to an assisted living home, and eventually returning home

42:52 – The human body is amazing

43:51 – “Fuck it. I’m gonna cut my leg off and see what happens.” -Craig DeMartino

54:40 – “Who am I in this new form?”

56:04 – The barking dog, and the human barometer

58:42 – Pain and visualization

1:02:05 – Being honest about the ups and downs, and moving away from the accident

1:05:03 – New identities, and Hugh Herr

1:06:00 – “I would never change it”, and finding purpose in teaching adaptive sports

1:11:06 – Craig’s life before the accident, helping people now, and inclusivity

1:15:22 – Being a climber first, and the first all-adaptive ascent of El Cap

1:16:40 – Helping trauma patients find flow state through climbing

1:19:56 – Working through triggers and PTSD

1:22:56 – Craig’s recovery status

1:24:55 – How to hack the perspective without the injury, and how Will’s (Craig’s son’s) coach Mikey influenced him

1:29:15 – Question from Chris Kalous: “Why do you swear so much, Craig?”

1:31:54 – Patron question from Tyler: What made your story so captivating when you shared it on the Enormocast?

1:35:35 – Talking with Steve and remembering the accident, and going back to ‘White Man’

1:38:52 – Rannveig’s story, self-blame, and moving forward

1:41:48 – Patron question from Graham: How can people in the helping professions provide better opportunities for empowerment for people with disabilities?

1:47:23 – Patron question from Levi: How could we go about making a centralized group for adaptive climbers?

1:51:07 – How to connect with Craig

1:52:00 – Patron question from Andrew: Have you tried custom prosthetics for a specific move or route?

1:55:54 – Craig’s quiver of legs, and our amazing feet

1:58:24 – Patron question from Eli: What have been some of the hardest lessons, and best and encouraging ones since your fall?

2:00:40 – “When you get up there, don’t take no for an answer.” - HK

2:01:56 – Rock climbing is hard, and explaining rock climbing to your Grandma

2:04:04 – Patron question from Eli: What advice might you have for other climbers with kids?

2:09:09 – Most meaningful climbs since the injury, speed climbing El Cap with Hans Florine, and sport climbing with Cindy (Craig’s wife)

2:16:30 – Climbing his hardest after the accident

2:19:18 – Sending ‘Dirty Smelly Hippie’, soft grades, and feeling confident at 12d

2:23:16 – The steep style of the Red, climbing with one leg, and Tommy Caldwell as the most famous amputee

2:26:55 – Patron question from Ken Klein: Moving to Puerto Rico, what will you miss most about the Fort Collins scene? How has it evolved in your time there?

2:28:53 – Continuing the work in Puerto Rico, and chasing shorts weather

2:32:54 – Why Craig hates pants

2:34:44 – What Craig hopes to still accomplish in his climbing

2:36:48 – How the experience of climbing scales

2:37:58 – Grateful for opportunities

2:39:00 – We are all struggling with something

2:41:38 – Life is fluid