All Things Climbing

We talk to Tommy Caldwell and Access Fund Policy Director, Erik Murdock, to discuss a massive public lands bill that’s moving through congress called the Natural Resources Management Act. We dive into what makes it so important, hear about Tommy’s involvement with the Access Fund, then Erik helps us unpack the Natural Resources Management Act — what it is, how it was created, and why it matters to climbers. TOPICS & TIMES: Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What’s the biggest environmental impact we have as climbers? It’s easy to be distracted by the obvious stuff: chalk marks, cat holes, bolts. But, as journalist J.B. MacKinnon points out, the reality is much more complicated. Longtime climber J.B. Mackinnon is a contributor to The New Yorker on ecology and consumer issues. He has written several award-winning nonfiction books including The 100 Mile Diet and The Once and Future World, and he is now working on a book on consumerism in the outdoor industry. In this conversation, we talk about the places climbing has the greatest environmental impact, how this has changed over the decades, and how we as a community can reduce our footprint. (MacKinnon's website and work) TOPICS & TIMES Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Erick Davidson makes the best cams that you’ve never heard of — they aren’t sold in stores or online, and Davidson’s company, Merlin Rock Gear, doesn’t even have a website. Erick, a mechanical engineer by day, designs and fabricates large-format cams that are much larger than Black Diamond’s number 6 Camalot, and that cover sizes way beyond what is protectable with more common commercial cams. And because of some clever engineering and expert construction, they’re also much lighter than the Valley Giant cams that span similar sizes. Beyond the engineering elements of it all, making your own cams and selling them to people for use in very consequential settings is a much more serious undertaking than making chalk bags, packs, or bouldering pads. So we talk to Erick about the innovations in design he brought to Merlin cams, how he convinced himself that they were safe to use and sell, and where you can pick one up before you find yourself at the base of an unprotectable squeeze chimney. TOPICS & TIMES Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are we headed for a future where The Nose (or other well-traveled walls) are headed for a permit system? We started debating this “what if” scenario almost a year ago, prompted by a conversation about the recently established permit system governing the cables route on Half Dome (the standard “hiking” route to the summit). If crowds grow or rescues become frequent, could certain technical routes, such as The Nose, find themselves governed by a system similar to the one used on Half Dome? Over the past few months we also put this question to several of our guests to bring in some expert perspectives. So for today’s episode, we’ve got American Alpine Club CEO Phil Powers explaining why he thinks a permit system is likely, and Alex Honnold and Maury Birdwell making the case against. Even after producing this episode, we’re still deliberating, so we’d love to hear your thoughts or opinions and collect more data! Let us know what you think on this episode’s instagram post. TOPICS & TIMES PRESENTING SPONSOR: RHINO SKIN SOLUTIONS Climbing is complex and performing at your limit means bringing many variables together at the right moment. Rhino Skin Solutions makes the best skin care products for keeping your skin dry, healthy, and resilient, which brings one of the most crucial elements of performance under your control. Keeping your skin in good condition not just before a redpoint attempt but throughout the season means more effective training and climbing harder on the wall, it’s as simple as that. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A couple weeks ago, our host Dave Alie and his wife Katie set off to Yosemite with the goal of climbing The Nose, often called The Greatest Rock Climb on Earth. It has a reputation as being accessible to non-elite climbers, yet at least half of the teams who leave the ground end up bailing on Day 1. With the good fortune of a stable forecast, relatively low traffic on the route, and a supportive ground team (helmed by the adventure baby), we succeeded in climbing the route wall-style over three days. Prior to our attempt on The Nose, we had done tons of prep and research, but still had a ton of questions going in. So this episode is a trip report and our chance to answer many of those questions for folks who might want to give The Nose a go. And if you have any questions that we didn’t cover or you’re gearing up for an attempt and want some beta, feel free to reach out to through Blister at (dave@blistergearreview.com) or on Instagram (@hakunaburrata). TOPICS & TIMES Check out the show notes to this episode to see photos from the route, including the loose block at the Wild Stance. PRESENTING SPONSOR: RHINO SKIN SOLUTIONS Climbing is complex and performing at your limit means bringing many variables together at the right moment. Rhino Skin Solutions makes the best skin care products for keeping your skin dry, healthy, and resilient, which brings one of the most crucial elements of performance under your control. Keeping your skin in good condition not just before a redpoint attempt but throughout the season means more effective training and climbing harder on the wall, it’s as simple as that. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Justin Brown is a Bend, Oregon local who spends much of his free time climbing around the country and volunteering as a board member of the Smith Rock Group. Between campfires and trail-building, he’s even found himself clipping the chains on routes as hard as 5.14a. He recently ditched his career as a chef to start Rhino Skin Solutions, after elevating his own climbing by creating recipes for some extremely effective antiperspirant and skin-recovery products. We talk about what it has been like to start a business in the outdoor sports industry, why it’s important for us all to give back to the resources we depend on, and why belaying just might be the sport of the future. We also cover why skin care is so important and how it can change your climbing. TOPICS & TIMES Bivouac Coffee Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt Pincus is a climber’s climber, deeply committed to the sport and the community. He’s also the content manager and head coach / trainer at TrainingBeta, and a Blister alumn. Suffice it to say, when it comes to improving your climbing, the guy knows his stuff. Since the days back when he and I used to trade notes while reviewing gear, he has taken his life on the road, climbing as much as possible and sharing his wisdom and experience with others through coaching sessions and writing. We caught up recently to talk about what he’s learned along the way, how it’s shaped his climbing, and what his perspective is on the trendiness of “training.” TOPICS & TIMES Bivouac Coffee Presented by Rhino Skin Solutions Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alex Honnold “The Climber” needs absolutely no introduction. He is one of the most talented climbers of his generation, and he is without question the greatest free soloist of all time. And yet, Alex Honnold The Philanthropist” may be even more impressive. Roughly five years ago, Alex teamed up with Maury Birdwell (an extremely talented climber himself), to start the Honnold Foundation. Since then, they’ve donated countless hours and several hundred thousand dollars (most of it Alex’s money) to support energy access projects in various parts of the developing world. Few climbers have advanced our concept of the sport to the extent that Alex has, yet his more important legacy could be the lives changed by the work of the Honnold Foundation. In this episode Luke and Dave Alie talk to Alex and Maury about how, exactly, the Foundation works; how they choose their projects; how they gauge whether they’ve been successful; their hopes for the future of the Foundation; and how working in development has changed their perspectives on climbing. And finally, Alex also details what it was like to film the upcoming documentary Free Solo, a film by Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, about his astounding, ropeless ascent of The Freerider on El Cap. TOPICS & TIMES: support the foundationPresented by Rhino Skin Solutions Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the number of people that are climbing outside continues to explode, there is increasing pressure on land managers and advocacy groups. This often leads either to “active management” (e.g., restrictions on bolts or route development, etc.) or to complete closure. Does this stuff work? Why do we need these types of interventions? How are the ethics and culture of climbing altered or preserved through rules implemented by non-climbers? Furthermore, this trend is picking up steam all across the US. As just one recent example, a handful of Blister Climbing Editor Dave Alie’s local crags in Golden, Colorado have seen dramatic increases in the number of visitors in recent years, causing the County to step in and take a more active management role. So in this episode, we take a close look at how this practice has impacted climbers through the lens of some high profile Front Range crags. We hear from both Eric Kraus, who oversees outdoor recreation for Jefferson County, and Dave Montgomery, who sits on the Fixed Hardware Review Committee that advises the county on climbing related actions. TOPICS & TIMES: Part I - Eric Kraus Part II - Dave Montgomery Presented by Rhino Skin Solutions Climbing is complex and performing at your limit means bringing many variables together at the right moment. Rhino Skin Solutions makes the best skin care products for keeping your skin dry, healthy, and resilient, which brings one of the most crucial elements of performance under your control. Keeping your skin in good condition not just before a redpoint attempt but throughout the season means more effective training and climbing harder on the wall, it's as simple as that. On top of all that, Rhino Skin Founder Justin Brown sits on the board of the Smith Rock Group, which helps plan and fund-raise for various maintenance projects at Smith Rock State Park. We're donating all our proceeds from the show, after production costs, to the American Safe Climbing Associate and the Access Fund. Rhino Skin is fully behind this effort and has offered to knock 10% off your order and kick an additional 10% over to the Access Fund when you use the promo code “Blister” at checkout. Head over to Rhino Skin Solutions to check out their offerings. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nik Berry has propelled himself onto the national climbing scene with a seemingly unending series of hard sends on long routes all over the country. With a taste for big walls and an aptitude for committing routes, Nik has racked up an impressive list of hard, gear-protected test-pieces including the Salathe Wall (ledge-to-ledge variation) and El Corazon, The Hallucinogen Wall (5.13 R), and El Sendero Luminoso in Wyoming, and the first free ascent of Lunar Ecstasy (5.13 R) in Zion. He has also cultivated a career in nursing and remains one of the most enthusiastic climbers I’ve ever spoken with. In this episode, Nik discusses how he balances a career with the training required to climb at an elite level; what sort of climbs he aspires to for the rest of his career; and what goes into finding big-wall routes that have potential for free climbing. TOPICS & TIMES: Presented by Rhino Skin Solutions Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Prior to John Sherman’s arrival on the climbing scene back in the time of the Stonemasters, bouldering wasn’t really taken seriously. There was no meaningful, open-ended grading system to compare problems, and Hueco Tanks was just some place in West Texas. John changed all that, and did so before bouldering pads existed. In the years since casting his long shadow over the sport, John has dedicated himself to wildlife photography, with a particular focus on working to protect the California Condor. He filled me in on how photography and bouldering are linked, what has been lost in climbing since his heyday, and why he thinks there are more impressive feats than Alex Honnold’s free solo of El Cap. TOPICS & TIMES: Presented by Rhino Skin Solutions Rhino Skin Solutions makes high-end skin care products for climbers, by climbers. No matter where you climb or how hard, sandstone, granite, limestone, and plastic are all brutal on your skin, and there’s no sense missing a day on the wall because of blisters or splits. And there’s no reason to grease off your project when there are better solutions out there then chalking up every 4 moves. On top of all that, Rhino Skin Founder Justin Brown sits on the board of the Smith Rock Group, which helps plan and fundraise for various maintenance projects at Smith Rock State Park. We’re donating all our proceeds from the show, after production costs, to the American Safe Climbing Associate and the Access Fund. Rhino Skin is fully behind this effort and has offered to knock 10% off your order and kick an additional 10% over to the Access Fund when you use the promo code “Blister” at checkout. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The American Alpine Club is one of the oldest climbing institutions in the US. Yet despite its deep past, the AAC takes a forward-looking approach to improving the climbing experience for all on issues like safety, access, and education. This makes the AAC one of the modern climber’s biggest allies. American Alpine Club CEO, Phil Powers, has climbed for decades all over the world, and has brought the lessons from his experiences to the helm of the AAC. In our conversation, he introduces the American Alpine Club to climbers who might not know why the AAC’s mission is so important. We also talk about his vision for the AAC’s role in shaping climbing as we move forward, as well as the decision to give their prestigious Underhill award to Alex Honnold for free soloing The Freerider, even as they work to encourage safe climbing practices. This episode is presented by Rhino Skin Solutions, makers of high end skin care products for climbers. Climbing days are the best days, make sure your skin is healthy and ready so you can take full advantage. Check out their solutions to everything from blisters to splits to greasing off holds at www.rhinoskinsolutions.com TOPICS & TIMES: Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Will Anglin and Ben Spannuth, founders of Tension Climbing, are two of climbing’s most dedicated technicians. Not only have they spent years studying the physiological components of “training,” Will and Ben have also devoted themselves to scrutinizing climbing’s more nebulous aspects: movement, personal weaknesses, and so forth. They are famous for their belief that no detail is too small to be examined closely, and their skill on the rock is testament to the value of this approach. In this episode, we talk about the culture and discipline of setting routes, what sort of fine-tooth considerations go into shaping holds out of wood, and their thoughts on which Olympic sport should be brought back from the dead. TOPICS & TIMES: Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Will Anglin and Ben Spannuth have spent a lot of time thinking about how climbing works — why this foot and not that one? What precisely makes this move hard? They are extremely accomplished climbers themselves, but seem to enjoy the tinkering with and dissecting of climbing’s finer points as much as they enjoy actually climbing. Tension Climbing, where Will and Ben design, shape, and manufacture wooden holds and training tools, is their effort to bring what they’ve learned to the rest of us. Recently they gave me and Luke a tour of their shop, then sat down with us to talk about some of the things they’ve learned about climbing mastery through years of training, coaching, and setting routes. Will and Ben had a lot of insightful stuff to say, so this episode is part 1 of 2. TOPICS & TIMES: Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Photographer Jim Herrington's new photo book "The Climbers" is an undeniably compelling portrait collection of many of the most influential climbers of the 20th century, including Fred Beckey, Yvon Chouinard, John Gill, Cesare Maestri, John Long, Jeff Lowe, and many more. Grand Prize Winner at the Banff Book Awards, "The Climbers" serves as an important tribute to those who paved the way for the sport as we know it today. Dave and Luke take a close look at the pictures and review clips from Luke’s interview with Jim. TheClimbersBook.com JimHerrington.com TOPICS & TIMES: Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you’ve climbed in the mountains of North America, there’s a good chance you’ve climbed one of Fred Beckey’s routes. Beckey, known for his tremendous number of classic first ascents and his eccentric personality, continued climbing well into his nineties before passing away late last year. DIRTBAG: THE LEGEND OF FRED BECKEY is Dave O'Leske's documentary of one of the most influential climbers of all time. O'Leske followed Fred for a decade toward the end of Fred's life, and that story — combined with volumes of archival materials — makes for a universally compelling film. O'Leske shares with us what it was like to tell the story of such a complex and controversial figure, as well as some of the material that was ultimately left out of the film. DIRTBAG is still on tour — check out the dates at dirtbagmovie.com/tour.html. TOPICS & TIMES: Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How safe are the bolts we encounter in the wild? Can we really trust them? Who maintains them? And what makes a bolt fail, anyway? Greg Barnes, the Director of the American Safe Climbing Association, answers all our questions about bolts and more. The ASCA is a small non-profit with a not-so-small mission: to replace old and dangerous bolts across the country. Greg has personally installed and replaced thousands of bolts, and now spearheads the effort to get new hardware into the hands of local climbing coalitions so we can all stay safe. We talked about how exactly the ASCA (with its limited resources) decides what hardware needs to be replaced; how bolts fail and what the warning signs might be; and what climbers should know before the leave the safety of the gym. TOPICS & TIMES: Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we’re picking up where we left off with Jonathan Siegrist, who’s been at the top of American rock climbing for over a decade. Over that time, he has watched the sport change and grow dramatically, and he’s spent a lot of time reflecting on those changes and his own relationship with the sport. In this episode, we get a little deeper into his thoughts on the up-and-coming generation; his time on the Dawn Wall with Tommy Caldwell; what role “adventure” plays in climbing; and how we can shape the future of the sport in a positive way. Topics: Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the first half of our conversation with professional rock climber Jonathan Siegrist. Jonathan is one of America's most psyched climbers. After years spent climbing full time, he has an impressive resume of hard ticks, both on bolts and gear. He also has a deep enthusiasm for the sport, its history, and his fellow climbers. We covered a lot of ground, so we broke the conversation into two parts. Topics: Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dave and Luke Alie headed to Outdoor Retailer's first trade show in Denver to get the details on the biggest news in and updates to rock shoes for 2018. We talk to Black Diamond product designer, Kasey Jarvis, about all the decisions and details that went into their brand new line of climbing shoes. Then we have an in-depth discussion about shoe technology and how it’s being put to use in SCARPA’s newest shoes with Mark Busby, the climbing manager for SCARPA North America. Topics and Times: Black Diamond SCARPA Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.