"It's a family affair": Interview with Vikas Agartha

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I thought it was appropriate to interview my brother and helper on this Substack, Vikas Agartha.

Vikas started climbing at the age 21, but was primarily a gym-rat during his initial years. On any given day, you could probably find him upstairs in the Great Western Power Company woody, weight vest strapped to his chest, blasting some Tupac, pssaaating his way up a pinchey menace.

Over the past couple years, however, Vikas has turned into a mostly outdoor climber. His initial year in Tahoe was incredibly successful as he climbed multiple V8’s, V9’s, and a V10 or two. He’s already logged 45 V10+ boulders and is only getting started.

But what’s his secret to success? What’s the story behind this rising star?

Note: his answers may be short, but there’s some real gems in this one!

You started pretty late in the game (age of 21, if I recall). How has this changed your mentality toward how you train and approach outdoor climbing knowing you’ve missed out on climbing through your ‘growth’ period?

Some people escape the age problem. Look at Dai Koyomada. Take care of your body. Don’t smoke/drink. Sleep well. Choose climbing over career. Construct a supportive family. Work on mobility. Strength train. Be smart about nutrition. Hydrate well. Hang out with young people (stay young mentally).
Common sense stuff. And be psyched as hell.

Even after climbing, you spent a lot of time climbing indoors exclusively. What finally pushed you to get outside more?

My first exposure outdoors was Mortar Rock in Berkeley which was depressing. It sucked. One day in 2019, someone [shoutout to our mutual friend Jeremy Yee!] finally dragged me out to Tahoe. I saw a friend [Hiro Ture] climb a beautiful double digit boulder [Welcome to the Future (V11)].

Hiro making Welcome to the Future look casual

I think I sent a V5 that trip [the infamous Flying Birdie].
I went back the next weekend and sent the stand start to the double digit boulder [Future Present (V9)].

Vikas sending Future Present a week later. As you can see, his friend and superstar climber Joe Kinder was psyched to see him finally climbing outside.

I’ve climbed outside regularly since.
I still like moving in the gym. It feels good. But I’m not inspired. Beautiful, tall boulders outside get me excited.

The woody. You swear by it as a training methodology. Why? What about doing just a few moves on a relatively steep angle over and over again gets you better, in your perspective?

I don’t swear by it. I climbed exclusively on it a few years back. I saw an old ClimbX video with Malcolm Smith, where he discussed climbing squared up all the time. I made a rule to never drop my hips. Everything squared up. High feet. Tension.

I don’t think board climbing is a magic bullet. I climb gym sets a lot these days. But there’s a vibe to board climbing. Less social. More focused. Simple movements. Try hard. I benefited from those things early in my climbing.

Moon board, tension board, kilter board, spray wall…...I’ve trained on them all. They are all good. Change it up when you get bored. Stay intense.

Vikas’ OG spray wall at The Great Western Power Company, may it rest In peace.

Making up climbs on a spray board is fun. It’s really easy to dial difficulty. Use a worse foot, go to a farther hold, turn a hold, etc.

Most people have an outdoor bouldering ‘season’. In other words, they train hard indoors when conditions aren’t good, and get outside when they are primed to send. Is this how you approach outdoor bouldering? Why or why not?

My volume is unconventional. I don’t take scheduled rest days. I climb every day that skin and schedule allow. I love moving. I practice. a lot. It’s my meditation. Daily.

I’m also a musician [Vikas plays and aspires to teach the Tabla, an Indian drum]. If I have a performance tomorrow, I’m definitely practicing today. I don’t think I’ve taken a rest day in weeks. Who knows.

But my outdoor days are chill. My last outdoor day, I climbed 2 boulders. Spent time supporting friends. Hiking. Outdoor days regenerate me. I get re-inspired. My gym sessions are hard as hell. They make my outdoor days feel like recovery. Hiking around climbing 3 boulders with friends seems like peanuts after regular 3-4hr gym sessions.

You’ll routinely see me at the gym in the AM, then round 2 at night. My body can handle 4+ hours of intensity no problem [**cue the overtraining Nazis**]. I’m stoked. Been doing this shit for years. I love it.

People who’ve seen me train know. I train a lot. Folks think I’m nuts. I’ve tried resting. It doesn’t help me, mentally or physically. I auto-regulate well. I know my body. I can dial intensity. I’m just practicing my craft.

In high-school I ran track. During the summer, we would do volume. Base building. Team would meet around 2:45pm and run 9/10 miles 5 days a week. I never told anyone, but I’d wake up early and do 7-8 miles in the early AM. 7 days a week. Ask people who knew me as a track athlete in high-school. My results could speak for themselves. [For the record, Vikas ran track and field for just one year and got down to a 4:31 mile time]

This newsletter sums up Vikas’ rapid rise… “does anyone know who he is?”

As your brother, I know you lack raw finger strength. Can you provide some quantitative proof for readers of that? Despite this weakness, you manage to get by. How do you think you’re able to climb so hard with such weak fingers?

At best, I can hang the middle edge one arm a 20mm edge with 30 lbs taken off. Probably even worse on my left arm. I’ve tried hangboarding for brief periods, but I don’t like it. I’d rather just do every crimpy climb in the gym. I focus on my weaknesses.

For example, I used to be a very static climber. I made a conscious effort to select dynamic, jumpy climbs inside and outside. I can jump now.

The movement gains from climbing fingery things far outweighs hangboarding for me.

How do you see your growth trajectory in climbing? What are your short/long term goals in climbing?

I wanna do Evilution Direct [highball V11 in Bishop] and King Air [highball V10 in Yosemite]. I wanna climb epic highballs. Things that scare me. And climb hard, sure. But I love the head factor.

Thanks for reading and thanks to Vikas for sharing. Keep crushing!