Avsnitt
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The Southern Sierra is the quieter, less-traveled tail end of California's Sierra Nevada range — running from Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks down through the Kern River drainage to where the range finally peters out into the Tehachapi Mountains. It's a land of dense pine forests, hidden granite formations, deep river canyons, and small mountain towns like Kernville, Springville, and Porterville tucked into its foothills.
For climbers, this region is a genuine treasure trove that remains largely under the radar. The Needles are the crown jewel — a cluster of striking granite spires rising out of pine forest above the Kern River, home to some of the finest crack climbing in California. Dome Rock offers accessible multi-pitch classics. Deeper into the range you find places like The Fin at Castle Rock, Homer's Nose, Hermit Spire, and countless other obscure formations that have been quietly developed over decades by small groups of locals. The rock is high-quality granite, often steep, often demanding, and almost always uncrowded.
Culturally, the Southern Sierra has always attracted a specific kind of climber — someone drawn to first ascents, comfortable with long approaches, willing to work for solitude, and less interested in the spray culture of more famous destinations. The area saw a renaissance in the late 1970s and early 1980s when climbers from Los Angeles started making pilgrimages up to Kernville and Porterville, discovering that the Needles and surrounding formations offered climbing that rivaled anything in Yosemite — just without the crowds. Patrick Paul found himself right in the middle of this renaissance and became a pioneer in his own right, establishing 54 first ascents across the Southern Sierra over his 50 year career.
In this conversation we go back to Patrick's tumultuous upbringing and how a single trip to Joshua Tree became the catalyst for an entire life pivot — one he's convinced saved his life. We dig into stories from his years on the rock, including run-ins with icons like Randy Leavitt, Lynn Hill, and Fred Beckey, and several close calls: an earthquake mid-approach, expanding flakes on Homer's Nose, and a moment when his main partner Richard Leversee saved Patrick from certain death when Patrick leaned back away from an anchor without being tied in.
#livinglegend #firstascents
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Some of Patrick's stories can be found in this book:
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Mark Hudon is a Yosemite legend whose work in the late 1970s and early 1980s helped push big wall climbing into a new free climbing era. Often partnered with the equally groundbreaking Max Jones, Mark became known for his bold, ground-up style—blending meticulous preparation with a willingness to test the limits of free climbing on terrain that had previously only been aided. Few climbers have shaped as many eras of the sport as Mark Hudon.
Mark was born three years before El Capitan was first climbed. That kind of historical proximity gives him a perspective on climbing's evolution that almost nobody else alive can offer—and that's exactly where this conversation starts. We dig into what the lives of Royal Robbins and Warren Harding actually represented, why their conflict mirrors the tensions we still see in climbing today, and why Mark thinks ego is at the root of most of it.
We talk about how ego in climbing has evolved—for the sport and for Mark personally—why partnerships have been the single most important element of his climbing life, and what it actually looks like to build a life around climbing without letting climbing become your entire identity. Mark built a coffee roasting company from scratch, lived in a van for ten years, spent winters in Baja, and at 70 years old remains fit, healthy, and largely injury free. He values experiences over trophies and partnerships over pride.
We also explore his remarkable relationship with Jordan Cannon—how they met, what they gave each other, and why Mark considers Jordan as close as family. And we close out talking about Mark's recent pivot to public speaking and his desire to help people acquire more agency over their own lives—a philosophy that, it turns out, he's been living since he was a teenager in New Hampshire learning to climb on granite.#livinglegend
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This article by Mark Hudon "Long, Hard and Free" inspired a whole generation of climbers, including Todd Skinner and Paul Piana, and laid the groundwork for the game that is Yosemite big wall free climbing.Long Hard & Free
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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On May 12th, 2026, Bryce and I took our first steps onto the most iconic big wall route in the world—The Nose on El Capitan. Three days later we woke up on the summit of 3,000 feet of vertical granite after a clean, smooth, and successful ascent. This conversation is our debrief. Bryce has done the Nose twice now. I had never set foot on El Cap. The experience gap between us was real, and we talk openly about how that shaped the dynamic—how Bryce became my cheat code for this objective and how I showed up as prepared as I could be without ever having practiced the systems in a real setting. We cover where we each were in our lives leading into the climb, what preparation actually looked like with two weeks of limited communication. We get into the practical stuff; how much water and food we brought, portaledge decisions, hauling systems, and how we chose to break up the wall across three days. We walk through navigating other parties on route, the King Swing, Changing Corners, and the moments that tested us most. And we close out talking about how we are going to approach our NIAD (Nose in a Day) attempt in the fall of 2026.
#aidclimbing #bigwall #yosemite
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Brent Barghahn is a tinkerer first and a climber second and understanding that order tells you a lot about him. Since he was a child Brent saw the world through the lens of design, building gadgets to solve the problems he found along the way. He even had a charge account at his local hardware store that was funded by his parents. That same instinct to build, solve, and design has followed him through his life. He spent five years at Black Diamond as a product designer where he helped shape the equipment that we use every time we climb, with one of his highlight contributions being the trigger keeper we now see on large C4 cams.
While Brent lived in his van in the Black Diamond employee parking lot, he spent all his free time climbing and managed to tick his way into the elite tier of climbing athletes. With accomplishments like rope solo NIAD, an onsight of Ecstasy, and ground up Golden Gate. This conversation goes deep on what it actually means to approach climbing as a maker rather than just a performer. Brent talks about onsight threshold climbing, his term for the style of climbing he values most and why he thinks redpointing has become a party trick that the media celebrates at the expense of something he feels to be more meaningful.
We talk about the Flip-Stop—the product that started Avant—which was born from a frustrating session on Cobra Crack. Brent explains why he built Avant as a hobby business on purpose, why he describes his twelve-product lineup as solving problems that big brands ignore and the four words he uses to describe why he climbs: puzzles, community, solitude, and toil.
Brent is one of those rare people who exists at the edge of the elite climbing community without being a professional climber by his own definition and he's made peace with that in a way that feels on purpose rather than resigned.
Topics include: onsight threshold climbing, redpointing vs onsighting, Flip-Stop carabiner stabilizer, Avant Climbing Innovations, rope solo NIAD, onsight of Ecstasy, Magic Line 5.14c, trad climbing gear design, climbing ethics and style, ground up vs rap in debate, route development, climbing community building, bouldering for trad performance, and what it means to climb at the elite level without going pro.
#eliteclimber #ethics #tradclimbing
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Zach Dreher started highlining in Flagstaff until climbing came into his life, at which point he made a complete pivot with eyes on big walls. After only a year and a half into his climbing career he began cutting his teeth in Yosemite and created a huge foundation of experience with multiple big wall ascents and NIAD runs; all with the vision of even bigger international objectives. Zach made his living as a masonry worker, kept life simple, lived in a van, and saved until he could buy his first investment property. Now he's building wealth and has created a self-supported life around climbing.
This episode follows an unpublished trip report that Zach's climbing partner Will Fazio route about their recent successful ascent of Royal Flush [1,200m 5.12 A0] on Cerro Chaltén (Fitz Roy) one of Patagonia’s most elusive big wall lines. With initial goals to move as quickly as possible they arrived with minimal supplies, but quickly started to feel the weight of the commitment above them. At a pivotal moment, when Will and Zach were deciding whether or not to continue a Russian team of four climbing below them offered to team up for a 6 - person big wall push to the summit and they excitedly agreed. Zach and Will had just joined Boris, Vladimir, Ilya, and Konstantin on their push to become the first people to wingsuit and base jump off of Cerro Chaltén.
Topics include: team dynamics on big objectives, managing doubt and morale under pressure, partnership philosophy in the mountains, and Patagonia big wall logistics.
#bigwall #alpineclimbing #mountaineering #rockclimbing #patagonia
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Zach
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The Russian Team
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If you don't already know who Steph Abegg is, I can almost certainly say that you've used her work. Her detailed route topos, trip reports, and beta overlays appear all over the internet covering climbs from the North Cascades to Red Rocks. For nearly 20 years, she's been quietly building one of the most comprehensive free climbing resources on the internet—not for profit, not for sponsorship, but because she genuinely loves documenting routes and helping people have better days in the mountains. She's what the climbing community needs more of: someone creating value without asking for anything in return.
This is Steph's second time on the show. Three years ago, she had just landed a data science job and bought a house in Estes Park. Now she's unemployed, living in a Transit van, and writing a book of her favorite climbs across North America. What happened in between is a story about rejection, redirection, and choosing passion over security—even when it doesn't make financial sense.#femaleclimber #rockclimbing
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Philip Setter is an insurance broker and software entrepreneur from Canada who's been climbing for over a decade. He is known to quietly solo some of the gnarliest ice the Canadian Rockies has to offer and has an affinity for chossy, runout, dangerous, and psychologically demanding routes.
Phil has a tangible passion and enthusiasm to extract the most out of life. Whether its in business, his partnerships, or in climbing he gives everything 100%. Part of life's meaning for Phil is triumphing through adversity and the shenanigans he seems to always find himself in provide the perfect place for him to create the memories and stories that will last a lifetime. But what's the difference between shenanigans worth pushing through and those that become reckless? What does it mean to build a life that holds space for risk while being responsible to the people who depend on you?
Expect to learn about Phil's framework for ice climbing risk assessment, how he tore his A2 pulley and how peptides accelerated his recovery, what it's like selling life insurance to climbers who might not want to admit they're doing something dangerous, why many accomplished climbers have something else in their life besides climbing, how he works on setting boundaries, how we define success & failure, the role vices play in our lives, and much more…
#iceclimbing #tradclimbing #mountaineering
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Drew Brodhead is the Staff Advocacy Coordinator and Anchor Maintenance Coordinator for the Salt Lake Climbers Alliance, one of the most respected local climbing organizations in the country. With 18+ years of climbing experience and SPRAT Level 3 certification, Drew leads a professional anchor maintenance program that rebolts routes across the Wasatch Range April through November. This episode explores what it actually means to professionally maintain climbing infrastructure, the ethics of rebolting existing routes, and why Drew believes climbing is a privilege—not a right.
We discuss Drew's philosophy that if it's scary, leave it the same; if it's dangerous, change something—a quote from Boone Speed that guides how SLCA approaches rebolting decisions. Drew explains the difference between maintaining safety and preserving the climbing experience, why once bolts are placed they become community property, and how first ascensionists who refuse to allow rebolting create liability when climbers get hurt on deteriorating anchors.
We dig into the tension between access and advocacy, including the Logan Canyon rebolting controversy where an individual's well-intentioned work triggered land manager scrutiny because of poor communication with the climbing community. An example of how one mistake can ripple across the entire country.
Topics include: SLCA anchor maintenance program structure, SPRAT Level 3 certification, rebolting ethics, Half Dome Northwest Face, Logan Canyon access issues, land manager relationships, Protect America's Rock Climbing Act, nonprofit economics, Bears Ears advocacy, and community stewardship.#Access&Advocacy
Cover Photo: @emilytrombly
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Paul Rogers is an active duty US Army Special Forces (Green Beret) officer who previously served as the commander of the Special Operations Mountain Warfare Training Center (SOMWTC), the specialized schoolhouse responsible for training all military mountaineers for US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). This episode explores what it actually takes to train elite operators for mountain warfare, why these skills matter in modern combat operations, and the staggering complexity of preparing soldiers to fight enemies in mountainous environments where the terrain itself is trying to kill you. Paul walks through the history of Special Forces mountain warfare dating back to World War II, why unconventional warfare and violent conflict occurs disproportionately in mountains, and how US Special Operations Forces are trained to operate there. We discuss the different levels of mountain operator certification (basic, summer, winter), what the 7-8 week intensive courses actually entail, the 2-to-1 instructor-to-student ratios required for safety, and why many instructors are pursuing IFMGA guide certifications to become legitimate mountain guides. Finally, we dive into Paul's own 2200-foot fall on Wilson Peak's North Face in Telluride, Colorado, where he hit a buried rock while ski mountaineering, tomahawked 400-500 feet, nearly came to a stop, and then was swept over multiple cliff bands by an avalanche of his own slough. He ended up partially buried 2200 feet below with a collapsed lung, broken ribs, broken hands and wrist, a compound fracture with bone sticking out of his knee, and severe internal bleeding from his intestines separating from the mesh holding them in place. His ski partner and fellow Mountain Warfare instructor Bobby executed a technical rescue—solo downclimbing through hazardous terrain to reach Paul, stabilize him, and coordinate helicopter extraction with San Miguel County Search and Rescue. Bobby would later receive the Soldier’s Medal (nation’s highest award for heroism during non-combat operations) for his actions that day.
Topics include: Special Operations Mountain Warfare Training Center, Green Beret mountain training, unconventional warfare in mountains, Afghanistan Takur Ghar 2002, foreign internal defense, instructor qualifications, IFMGA guide certification, Dunning-Kruger effect in training, ski mountaineering accidents, Wilson Peak North Face, 2200ft fall survival, avalanche burial, and technical mountain rescue
**The views and opinions on this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the views, stances, or policies of any of the entities they may represent.**
#military #alpinism #mountaineeringWatch the full episode on Youtube
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Jared Wicks has been a rock climber for over 30 years, he is a former SWAT officer, and one of seven full-time commissioned officers on the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Search and Rescue team. Born and raised in Montana, Jared served in the military and spent his off-duty hours climbing at Red Rock—falling so in love with the area that he moved to Las Vegas in 2006 specifically to combine his passion for climbing with a career in law enforcement. After nearly two decades working patrol, firearms instruction, and SWAT, Jared finally landed his dream position on the SAR, where he now responds to rescues across 8,000 square miles of Clark County—from Red Rock Canyon to Mount Charleston to Lake Mead. This episode explores what it takes to be on one of the most unique full-time SAR teams in the country, how helicopter operations actually work, and what happens when 911 gets called from a climbing route. Jared walks through the structure of LVMPD SAR's four specialty teams (lead climb, mountain rescue, dive recovery, and tactical medical support), the qualifications required to even test for the position, and how 40+ volunteers—including world-class 5.14 climbers and SPRAT Level 3 rope access technicians—support the full-time officers. We discuss the death of his mentor Dave Van Buskirk, who fell during a hoist rescue 13 years ago after saving a stranded hiker, and how that tragedy changed rescue protocols across the entire SAR community. Jared breaks down a recent rescue from this past weekend on Dream Safari, what percentage of climbing rescues are preventable versus pure chaos, and how witnessing accidents over the years has fundamentally changed his own approach to risk and gear placement.
If there's one thing Jared wants you to take away from this conversation, it's that LVMPD SAR is funded by tax dollars—rescues are free. Never hesitate to call 911 if you're in trouble. Jared and his team are ready to come get you.
Topics include: LVMPD SAR team structure, Red Rock Canyon, helicopter rescue operations, 911 communication protocols, volunteer SAR requirements, Dave Van Buskirk's legacy, preventable versus unpreventable accidents, risks, double rack philosophy, how SAR changes your climbing, and why tax dollars—not rescue fees—fund Las Vegas search and rescue operations.Watch the full episode on Youtube
#searchandrescue #climbingaccident #tradclimbing #climbingsafety
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Justin Sackett, an AMGA guide who googled "hardest hike" in college and ended up on a 20,000-foot peak in Ecuador with zero mountaineering experience. That failure lit a fire that led him from complete beginner to professional guide to running his own guide company at 28—all while training single-mindedly for Everest without supplemental oxygen. This episode explores his rapid progression to being an alpine guide, the mentor who gave him the technical foundation most climbers take years to develop, and the Liberty Ridge storm where 60mph winds and inadequate gear taught him lessons about weather forecasts and risk tolerance. We discuss the Rainier ice block incident that made several of his friends quit guiding, why he started his own company instead of working for established services, how he vets guides, and what training for Everest without oxygen actually looks like when you're also running a business. Justin opens up about the genetic lottery of altitude performance, why the West Ridge of Everest represents the ultimate objective in his mind, and how he's preparing mentally for both success and failure.
Topics include: becoming a mountain guide, AMGA certifications, Liberty Ridge conditions, guide company management, hiring guides, Everest without oxygen training, altitude acclimatization, post-objective depression, risk tolerance at 8,000 meters, and balancing business ownership with personal climbing goals.Watch the full episode on Youtube
#amgaguides #highaltitudeclimbing #mountaineering #alpinism
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David Baltz started climbing in 1974 when there were only eight climbers in all of Albuquerque. Over five decades, he's witnessed climbing's transformation from a fringe pursuit requiring pitons and commitment...to a commercialized sport with grid-bolted crags and documentaries glorifying free soloing. This episode explores the clean climbing revolution that defined David's early years, the bolting controversies that followed sport climbing's arrival in New Mexico, and what gets lost when safety becomes the priority over experience. We discuss finding partners in an era before Facebook groups, the ethics of retrobolting established trad lines, Alex Honnold's impact on climbing culture, and how David approaches climbing now.
Topics include: clean climbing history, New Mexico first ascents, bolting ethics, trad climbing at 69, helmet debates, commercialization of outdoor sports, Free Solo culture, risk versus safety, aging climbers, psychological climbing, sport climbing evolution, and maintaining old school values in modern climbing.
Watch the full episode on Youtube
#livinglegend #oldschoolclimber
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Jason met a new climbing partner through a Facebook group, vetted him over a few conversations, and went to Eldorado Canyon for their first route together. Twenty feet up the Yellow Spur, his partner fell onto a ledge—rope behind the leg, face-first impact... broken wrist and severe facial trauma. This episode walks through the accident sequence, the rescue, and what Jason feels went wrong. Despite multiple outreaches, his injured partner stopped communicating with him after the accident and has left Jason to process and reflect on the accident alone. He reflects on partner vetting, extending gear on traverses, communication during high-consequence terrain, attentive belaying, and processing the guilt of an accident where someone gets badly hurt and disappears. In this conversation we cover topics such as: finding partners online, multi-pitch trad climbing, ledge fall dynamics, first aid response, and helmet effectiveness.
Watch the full episode on Youtube
#ClimbingAccident #TradClimbing
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After being literally run over by a school bus in Atlanta, climber Taylor Martin rebuilt her life through big mountain pursuits and solo aid climbing. This episode dives deep into Taylor's five new Yosemite first ascents established in a single season, including several big and technical aid routes in Yosemite. We explore her 70-hour Hardrock 100 ski traverse with only one hour of sleep, advanced aid climbing techniques like back-looping and daisy soloing, and the psychological toll of spending days alone on big walls. Taylor opens up about navigating trans identity in competitive climbing and record-keeping, the traumatic recovery from devastating injuries, and why partnerships rank above performance despite climbing mostly solo. Topics include: A3/A4 aid climbing, traumatic brain injury recovery, solo endurance objectives, new route development in Yosemite, mental challenges of solitary big wall pushes, modern speed climbing ethics, and finding meaning beyond grades in mountain sports.
Watch the full episode on Youtube
#routedevelopment #aidclimbing #firstascents #trauma #bigwallclimbing
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22-year-old Zion crusher Connor Baty on first ascents, rope soloing the Triple Wall in 12 hours, and why he climbs without sponsors. Kora FA, Towers of the Virgin, and living the unsponsored dream.
Today's guest is 22-year-old silent crusher from Zion, Connor Baty. Connor has been climbing since he was 8 years old, with key early development as a trad climber at Garden of the Gods in Colorado—a notoriously chossy area with soft, loose sandstone. Since then he quickly progressed through the grades, leveling out around the 5.13 range. He then took that knowledge and merged it with his true passion: adventure. Connor has been quietly building a reputation as a cutting-edge first ascensionist and endurance linkup climber. Connor was the partner to our previous guest James Barrow for the Complete Tower of the Virgin Traverse. They also established a new 5.12+ multipitch route in Zion, called Kora. Connor has climbed Time Wave Zero down in Potrero car to car in 5 hours and most recently he’s claimed the rope solo speed record of the Zion Triple Wall—linking Touchstone, Moonlight Buttress, and Prodigal Son in a blistering 12 hours. Needless to say Connor is a crusher.
He could easily seek out sponsorships at the level he is climbing. But as we learn in our conversation, Connor has zero interest in self-promotion. For him it's all about personal progress, adventure, and living the life he has now to the fullest. He even has groundbreaking pursuits outside of climbing and is currently attempting to navigate the Colorado River from source to sea. What I found most interesting about our conversation is how well-spoken, composed, and level-headed Connor is as a human and a climber. Back when I was 22 I could not say the same thing about myself. I really felt the stoke and energy from Connor in our conversation and I'm happy to be sharing it with you now.Watch the full episode on Youtube
#firstascents #bigwallclimbing #routedevelopment #aidclimbing #speedclimbing
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Vitaliy is one of the most prolific and respected alpinists of his generation and has a reputation as a master of long, complex alpine objectives—including becoming the first person to complete The Goliath Traverse in the Eastern Sierra…which might be the longest ridge traverse in the western hemisphere…if not the world.. He's established more first ascents in the Eastern Sierra than any other person, authored a three-volume guidebook series to the Eastern Sierra, and spent years developing new routes around the world. He's summited all the peaks in the Fitz Skyline and only has one summit left to complete the Torre Skyline: the infamous Cerro Torre. Even with such an astounding list of achievements, Vitaliy's deep sense of empathy, humility, and curiosity keep him grounded, thoughtful, and heartfelt.
Sean McLane is an American climber and alpinist with a knack for hard ice climbing. He blends curiosity, adventure, and a commitment to exploring terrain that few others pursue. One of his life goals is to complete Guy Lacelle's Favorite 135 Ice Climbs—a notorious list of iconic, hard, and bold routes. Sean has currently completed 71 of the 135 and soloed 61 of them. That's an insane amount of soloing on hard ice routes. Along with several other first ascents, Sean recently put up The Penitent Path, a 12-pitch M9 considered one of the longest routes at the grade in the U.S. Beyond his technical prowess, Sean is a deeply thoughtful and introspective human—and this is his first time ever sharing his story.
We start with Sean's background and how he was introduced to climbing while living abroad in China. We then explore a deeply personal and traumatic story from Sean's past involving a tragic ice climbing accident that took the life of Meg O'Neill and left Sean with a broken back. We use this story to expand on grief and loss, and learn how Sean processed these deep emotions and reintroduced climbing into his life. We then pivot to Vitaliy's background—a wildly unique story checkered with unbelievable suffering, uncertainty, and struggle, but also resilience, empathy, grit, and growth. Next, we dive into Vitaliy and Sean's recent climbing trip to India—an adventure that tested their commitment, focus, determination, and humility. We then contrast their India trip with a wildly successful and spontaneous trip to Patagonia. Finally, we close by diving into deeper topics around work-life balance, the sacrifices we make for success, unmitigatable risk justification, the concepts of faith, luck and self-reliance, and mastery versus complacency.
Watch The Climbing Majority on Youtube
#alpinism #mountaineering #firstascents #routedevelopment #partnerships #iceclimbing
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Way out in the Canadian wilderness — six hours from the nearest city, little to no cell reception, surrounded by mossy forests and granite — lies a world-class bouldering destination. Secluded, quiet, and breathtakingly beautiful, The Nooks has quickly become one of the most talked-about new climbing areas in North America. With incredible rock quality and a massive spread of problems from V0 to V13, it’s the kind of place that feels unreal the first time you see it.
The Nooks was first discovered in 2018 by Michigan climber Brendan Baars. Since then, he has spent nearly every climbable weekend out there — cleaning hundreds of boulders, building trails, collaborating with the local community, and documenting the entire process alongside his close friend DJ Viernes. Brendan’s vision and commitment have transformed a patch of remote forest into a full-blown destination area visited by hundreds of climbers a year — something that almost never happens on this scale. Today, I’m sitting down with both Brendan and DJ to talk about how it all came to be.
In our conversation, we dive into the history of The Nooks, why Brendan fell in love with bouldering, and what it actually takes to develop an area of this size. We break down his first ascent of a new V13 called Deadliness, and get a deeper understanding of how The Nooks has shaped both Brendan's and DJ’s lives over the last seven years.
We also talk at length about DJ’s new feature-length film The Developer, which documents the area and the process behind building it from the ground up. It’s beautifully shot, full of heart, and we use it as a reference point throughout this conversation.
If you’re interested in watching The Developer, DJ has created an exclusive 20% discount for the first 50 listeners to check out the film, making it just $4 to rent or $16 to purchase. Click the link in the show notes and use code “TCM20” at checkout. I don’t expect those codes to last long.
Did you know this podcast is also on YouTube? I spend an enormous amount of time and money making sure the video and audio quality are as professional as possible — and this time, DJ even set up a full studio on his end so we could capture his side of the conversation at the highest quality. So if you want to watch this episode, the trailer, or any of our video podcasts, head over to YouTube and hit subscribe — even if you’re not normally a video-podcast person. We’re getting close to our goal of 1,000 subscribers, and every sub helps a ton.
Watch The Climbing Majority on Youtube
#routedevelopment #bouldering #firstascents
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Watch "The Developer" on Vimeo - Use Code "TCM20" for 20% OFF (First 50 Listeners)
The Nooks is on KAYA
Brendan's IG
DJ's IG -
Randy Leavitt.
As a climber who grew up in Southern California, I’ve been hearing this name since the very beginning of my climbing career. Collaborative inventor of the wide-crack climbing technique so aptly named “Leavittation,” developer of thousands of routes — with around a dozen graded 5.14 or harder, including Jumbo Love at Clark Mountain, the first 5.15 in the United States — and long-time athlete manager for Maxim Ropes… Randy’s name has carried serious weight and inspiration for decades. A climbing legend if there ever was one.
I actually remember listening to his episode on The Enormocast way back in 2012, when I was just getting started as a climber. So to now be sitting down with Randy in person, over thirteen years later, felt surreal. While Randy is best known for his achievements in the sport climbing world, the life behind the headlines tells a much broader story — one built on creativity, discipline, and a blue-collar work ethic. He found climbing young and quickly cut his teeth in Yosemite, climbing The Leaning Tower at age sixteen, The Zodiac and The Ephemeral Tis-sa-ack at seventeen, The Pacific Ocean Wall at 18, AND the first person ever to climb up — and then BASE jump off — El Capitan at just twenty. Back then, all of this was part of his bigger vision: to become a high-altitude mountaineer. But as he would discover throughout his life, his passion for business and financial independence remained just as strong, ultimately leading him toward a more balanced existence where climbing fit into a much larger picture.
In our conversation, we explore Randy’s 1986 expedition to the Karakoram — including summit pushes on Gasherbrum IV and The Nameless Tower. We revisit his gripping ascent of The Stratosfear in the Black Canyon; we talk about the origins of his business, the freedom it’s given him, and his philosophy on route development, mentorship, and legacy. We also touch on a recent development in his health that has made climbing too painful to pursue — and how he’s learning to navigate that new reality. Later, we take a deep dive into the climbing industry itself: how it really works, how athletes are chosen, and what brand support actually looks like. And finally, we reflect on how climbing culture has evolved over the decades — and why Randy believes the rise of climbing gyms has changed the sport more than anything else in history.
Watch The Climbing Majority on Youtube
#firstascents #routedevelopment #livinglegends #proffesionalclimbers
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Resources
Randy's IG
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Today I have the privilege to be sitting down with our previous guest Silas Rossi..Silas is an IFMGA Certified Mountain Guide and President of the AMGA organization. After Silas and I’s last conversation in April, I’ve been jotting down a list of questions and reflections in preparation for our inevitable next conversation. So simply put, this conversation is a culmination of that list. We dive into a wide variety of topics; including nuanced gear questions surrounding rappelling, anchor building, fixed point belays, and clipping cams in sequence. We also explore more thoughtful questions like what it means to move away from fear and towards joy in our climbing. Or how we can balance learning through our own experience vs learning from the experie nce of others. We also get to hear about a guided trip early in Silas’ career involving an epic with an older client in freezing whiteout conditions.
As many of you already know, Silas is such a wealth of knowledge and wisdom and being able to sit down with him to pick his brain on such specific nuanced topics… was just really special.
Watch The Climbing Majority on Youtube
#AMGAguides #climbingsafety
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Get 15% OFF Silas' Annual Ascend Membership HERE
"Enrollment will require a credit card to receive your 15% discount. If you choose to remain an Ascend member, you will continue to receive 15% off of your recurring annual membership until you choose to cancel it. You can easily unsubscribe anytime to avoid being charged. If you need help with this just reach to me at [email protected]" - Silas
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In his earlier years, Kevin dedicated his life to the craft of climbing. He lived in a van, chased adventure across the globe, and devoted every ounce of his energy to the pursuit of performance. During that chapter, he climbed up to 5.13b, established several major first ascents, and ticked over fifteen hundred routes. Climbing wasn’t just something Kevin did — it was who he was. His identity was built around his achievements, his grades, and his ever-growing tick list… until one day, everything changed. After successfully rope-soloing Freerider on El Cap, a dream that would represent the pinnacle of accomplishment for many, Kevin found himself not elated — but empty. Confused. Frustrated. Wondering what it all meant. That moment became a turning point — a quiet reckoning that forced him to question why he climbed in the first place. It was from that reflection that a new path emerged. Today, Kevin is an AMGA-Certified Rock Guide and co-owner of Vertical Pursuits, a guiding service based out of Lake Tahoe. His focus has shifted from personal performance to mentorship — helping everyday climbers build competence, confidence, and a deeper connection with the craft.
In our conversation, we use Kevin’s climbing stories as a framework to explore some of climbing’s bigger questions. We start with his rope-solo ascent of Freerider — and how that experience reshaped his identity. Then, we dig into a story from his time climbing with Brad Gobright, using it to dissect the psychology of risk management. From there, we travel back into Kevin’s dirtbag years and get to hear several increidble stories. A bear encounter in the Wind River Range. A remote big-wall first ascent in the wilds of British Columbia. And his time on the iconic Andean peak Alpamayo. We wrap up by exploring Kevin’s guiding philosophy — how he sees mentorship as one of the most underutilized tools in modern climbing, and how professional instruction can change the way we learn, grow, and stay alive in the mountains.
This conversation is full of honesty, vulnerability, and hard-won wisdom. I walked away from it reflecting on my own relationship with climbing, and I think you might too.Watch The Climbing Majority on Youtube
#AMGAguides #climbingsafety
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Thanks to our sponsors!
LIVSN Designs
Checkout their Ecotrek Overalls HERE
Use Code "TCM15" At Checkout for 15% OFF Your Order
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Resources
Book Kevin's Guide Services
Kevin's Personal Website
Kevin's IG
Kevin's Mountain Project Profile
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- Visa fler
