Episode 45: Scott Mooney, The Machine From Manawatū

Welcome to Episode 45 of the Ω Powerband Podcast - a podcast dedicated to rock climbing in Aotearoa New Zealand. In this episode, I speak with Manawatū's best rock climber, Scott Mooney.

Scott was born in Palmerston North but grew up (mostly) on the north shore of Auckland. Like many before him, Scott's first exposure to climbing was on a school trip to the short side at the Quarry. Where would New Zealand climbing (and, in Scott's case, Swedish climbing also) be without the Quarry? That's a rhetorical question but the answer is nowhere!

In the 1990s, Scott quickly became the best of Auckland's new generation of climbers. He had oodles of natural ability and strength but perhaps what set him apart the most was his insatiable appetite for ticks. Very quickly, Scott became a crag ticking machine, happily working his way through the local crags, move by move, climb by climb.

In the 2000s, Scott kicked things up a notch, moving to Sweden and getting stuck into the local granite crags and the best limestone that Europe has to offer. His ticklist from the last 15 years is staggering, with something like 500 29/8a routes, and several hundred routes between 31/8b and 34/8c+.

In our conversation, we chat about Scott's affection for the Quarry, about 90s climbing culture in Auckland and all that was good and bad with the local scene. We chat about Built To Last (Scott's famous test piece at Froggatt Edge/Waipari) and about never climbing 9a. We chat about bolting projects and stealing projects. And Scott reflects on recent changes to his drive to climb every route on the planet. Enjoy!