You don’t look like you’re trying very hard, Noah.
This climber/doctor/movie maker wants you to try harder
The Chicago native Noah
Kaufman, 34, is a true Renaissance
man. He’s not only a
medical doctor (Tulane Medical
School, class of 2003), but
also a double-digit climber, slackline master,
and filmmaker (his new joint, Try Harder, will
be available soon). He currently lives in South
Lake Tahoe with his soon-to-be wife and
fellow climber/doctor, Siemay Lee, and holds
down sick dream jobs you’ll never get.
Sponsors: Metolius, Evolv, Gramicci, Rock
Candy Holds, and Slack.fr.
Memorable Ticks:Shoshaloza (V12), Gliding
Through Waves Like Dolphins (V12), and
many other Rocklands classics, including my
proudest FA ever, a four-star V11 called The
Hatchling.
What’s your typical week like? I work shifts
in the local emergency departments and ski
clinics, climb as much
as possible, devote 10
hours to the in-depth
study of something
like chess, medicine,
guitar, or more recently,
the stock market. I can
work when I want and
as much or as little as
I want, so my typical
week is very atypical.
You made Try Hard, the
underground cult-classic
bouldering vid, back
when VHS was cool;
when can we see the
sequel, Try Harder?
Might be out in the next
two years. I’m paying
all the climbers who
appear in it. It is real
moments of ultimate
effort, with very little
rehearsed climbing.
Much of the unused and
cutting-room footage
has gone to YouTube; I
also have some vids up on myuctv.com, which
is a great new resource for climbing media.
Why did they almost kick you out of med
school? It was a combination of me seriously
asking what was wrong with euthanasia, asking
during an essay test what the word “hegemony”
meant, and wrestling with a fellow
student before a final test. (I think I asked him
if he wanted some “monkey-love.”) Bastards!
It was a great education though, and Tulane
is an amazing medical school. There are just
a couple physicians there whose tires I’d like
to slash.
Noah putting his try-hard philosophy to the test on Sky (V14), Rocklands, South Africa.
Noah putting his try-hard philosophy to the test on Sky (V14), Rocklands, South Africa.
You’re blatantly honest do you have a noclosed-
door policy with everyone you meet?
Yes. Life’s too short for any other method. I
like intense, real relationships, and if I let
my guard down first, people know I come in
peace. Plus, I have nothing to hide; I’m okay
with my flaws.
Tell me about your Yosemite gig. Oh, it’s
sick the dream job for the climber/doc. I’m
on-call 24/7 during my predetermined threeto
10-day shifts. I carry a cell phone and need
to be within 30 minutes of the clinic, and I’m
the supervisor when I’m there. I get paid an hourly rate, and they give me a pimped-out
house right in the Valley. I boulder on the best
granite all day long, and then play poker at
night with great friends and climbers.
OK, one story from the ER . . . Well, there was
the time we had to remove a bottle of hair
conditioner from someone’s ass. There are
just so many. That’s one of the greatest parts
of being an ER physician: the stories. I may
write a book.
You have the uncanny ability to give energy
to other climbers. Explain. I honestly want to
see people succeed. I pour all my energy and
focus into a climber while they are climbing.
I usually yell and intimidate them into
success. Young kids like Daniel [Woods] and
Paul [Robinson] can take a lot of juice and do
well with it.
What does it mean to “Try Hard”? I don’t believe
anyone tries their hardest, to their limit.
If you say something like “I tried my hardest,”
then you’re already setting limitations on
yourself. But if you can tap into that subconscious
lift-the-car-off-the-baby wellspring
in your mind, you can sometimes eek out an
increase in your effort.