Ice Ice Beta

It’s a tale old as time: Narrative is the vehicle that connects us to something greater. And for Christian Beckwith, he’s built a career on that foundation. You probably know of Christian, or have interacted with his work. He’s spent more than thirty years immersed in the world of alpinism, and in that time he was the editor of The American Alpine Journal, co-founded Alpinist — which Reinhold Messner once called “the greatest climbing magazine in the world” — and recently started a “hardcore history” podcast about the 10th Mountain Division called Ninety-Pound Rucksack. If you haven’t heard of it, you might be living under the rock… but since you're listening to a climbing podcast, that very well may be the case. Regardless, it’s great and I encourage you to give it a listen. In this episode, we don’t talk much about the podcast, instead, we hone in on: Timestamps: 05:18 - From New England to the Tetons 14:45 - Building community through climbing 22:38 - Narrative as a tool for connection and change 27:25 - Exploring the awe 34:20 - Diving into the contribution of climbers on the 10th Mountain Division 42:28 - How history is written 47:56 - Climbing Riva Ridge to understand history Resources and links: To listen to Ninety-Pound Rucksack, head to your favorite podcast platform or learn more about it at christianbeckwith.com. If you love what Christian is doing and want to support longform narrative projects like this, I highly encourage you to become a patron at patreon.com/NinetyPoundRucksack. Find the rest of the notes on the episode page. Credits: Episode cover photo provided by Christian. Intro music by Hannah Noelle Enomoto (thanks, sis!). Patreon: That's it for Season 1! If you enjoyed the conversations and want to help us do many more for Season 2, consider supporting us on Patreon. (And for less than the price of a bougie beer per month).

What are the things in your life that have infinite complexity upon closer inspection? I’m betting you didn’t expect that question on a podcast about ice climbing. But that’s Jackson Yip for ya. An atmospheric researcher by training who specializes in cloud-microphysics, Jackson is also a deeply passionate climber and alpinist who has coupled his interests in a myriad of ways. Whether scrabbling through murky datasets or slogging to break trail, Jackson finds beauty in the mundane and labyrinthine. In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk about: Hope you enjoy this chat, I certainly did. Timestamps: 01:41 - The concept of heat death and its implications 04:00 - Having perspective 05:37 - The complexity of cloud micro-physics 09:15 - Observing and first-hand experience 11:30 - Engineering challenges in climate research 17:58 - Predicting ice formations 20:20 - The tragic consequences of misreading ice conditions 23:10 - Mechanics of slip-out pillar collapse 28:31 - The importance of patience in climbing and life 35:38 - Accessible doesn't mean easy or safe 41:13 - The seasons of life 42:43 - Supporting socioeconomic equality Resources and links: If you’re interested in collaborating on one of the ice climbing models that Jackson mentioned, you can reach him at jackson.yip@utah.edu. To connect with him on Instagram, he’s @jp_yip. You can learn more about his research on his website: jpyip.com Find the rest of the notes, timestamps, resources, and more on the episode page. Credits: Episode cover photo provided by Jackson Yip Intro music by Hannah Noelle Enomoto (thanks, sis!). Patreon: For the price of a beer per month, you can help us produce episodes like this and much, much more. If you’ve been enjoying the podcast this season, consider supporting us on Patreon.

It’s rare to find American-made climbing companies. The shortlist includes the likes of Metolius, Organic, Misty Mountain, UnParallel, and a handful of rope producers. It’s even rarer to find technical apparel made in the U.S., which makes NW Alpine so distinct. And by technical, I mean purpose-built clothing designed for the elements, not adventureleisure masquerading as such. Anywho, the idea for NWA was born out of the 2008 financial crisis. Founded by Bill Amos, a quote-unquote “climber dude” at the time, he wanted to understand what was happening and brushed up on economics. He concluded that basing the economy on financial shenanigans instead of manufacturing wasn’t the way to go. So, his solution to one of the worst recessions in the history of the country was to create a pair of pants. At its height, the company employed 75 people and put millions back into the local economy. In this episode, we talk about how NW Alpine is developing innovative apparel (in the true sense of the word), the economic and free trade factors that led to mass offshoring, and how many of your favorite brands are making huge profits off the back of exploited labor. NWA harkens back to an older ethos for climbing companies. I particularly enjoyed this chat and hope you do too. Timestamps: 02:00 - Bill's climbing journey 05:57 - Adventures in the Cascades and Alaska 20:10 - The birth of Northwest Alpine 20:13 - Understanding the economic shift in the U.S. 24:41 - The impact of offshoring on the U.S. manufacturing 33:01 - Journey to Kachatna: Scaling manufacturing 37:37 - Rise and fall of Kachatna Apparel 40:59 - Innovation in apparel: The Fortis line and rainproofness post-PFAS 50:36 - The reality of how products are made overseas 58:03 - The Future of Northwest Alpine Resources and links: Bill is graciously giving away two Black Spider Hoodies for listeners — one men’s and one women’s. To enter, head to our Instagram @ice_ice_beta to find the details. If you’d like to follow along with what NW Alpine is up to, their Instagram is @nwalpinegear. To check out their products head to nwalpine.com. They have several new lines dropping this year. Here is the video of Sir James Goldsmith predicting the future impact of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in an interview with Charlie Rose (which we reference in the episode). And NW Alpine's blog also has a lot of great trip reports from the past 14 years. This is the "contentious" IG post where Bill breaks down how much overseas workers are paid to make expensive outdoor apparel. Find the rest of the notes, timestamps, resources, and more on the episode page. Credits: Episode cover photo provided by the NW Alpine courtesy of GearJunkie Intro music by Hannah Noelle Enomoto (thanks, sis!). Patreon: For the price of a beer per month, you can help us produce episodes like this and much, much more. If you’ve been enjoying the podcast this season, consider supporting us on Patreon.

Today on Ice Ice Beta, we’re chatting with Melissa Orzechowski of The Adirondack Queer Ice Fest 🌈 a no-cost ice climbing festival solely dedicated to the LGBTQ+ outdoor community. When the idea first came about, the organizers, Melissa, Robbi, and Nol, thought they might be the only attendees — something for just the three of them. They didn’t know how big the community was in the Adirondacks, or beyond. When 40 people showed up in the middle of a blizzard — many of whom hadn’t ice climbed before — they knew there was a need. Now in their third year, they keep being surprised: Registration filled up within 45 minutes. In this episode, we talk about why identity-based affinity spaces are important, the power of starting (however small), and being the change you want to see. Timestamps: 01:32 - Melissa's (sandbagged) journey into ice climbing 06:31 - Organizing in college and beyond 11:20 - Moving to the Adirondacks and building community 18:56 - The start of the Adirondack Queer Ice Fest 25:55 - The importance of affinity spaces in climbing 37:26 - Overcoming gear challenges 45:37 - Future plans and aspirations Resources and links: While registration is full, you can support the festival by donating on gofundme. And if you’d like to follow along with this year’s event, and stay up to date for future happenings, their Instagram is @adirondack_queer_ice_fest. Melissa's IG is @melissaormo. Find the rest of the notes, timestamps, resources, and more on the episode page. Credits: Episode cover photo provided by the Adirondack Queer Ice Fest Intro music by Hannah Noelle Enomoto (thanks, sis!). Sponsors: A big thanks to our sponsor, Blue Ice, for supporting this show! Blue Ice is the best kind of ice, and also my choice when it comes to fast and light ice climbing gear. Their Aero Lites go in like a hot knife through butter and their climbing packs hit the sweet spot between function and lightweight. Designed to get to the point in the alpine, their gear is tested by mountain professionals between the Alps and the Wasatch. If you’re looking to get to the point too — and with a little less weight on your kit, check out Blue Ice’s gear at blueice.com or your favorite local retailer. Patreon: For the price of a beer per month, you can help us produce episodes like this and much, much more. If you’ve been enjoying the podcast this season, consider supporting us on Patreon.

This is the first of a new series — the Community Spotlight — which is a way to celebrate everyday folks who are helping to grow the sports of ice climbing and drytooling. You may have seen Jon Blackwood’s shipping container project on Instagram (which he is working on with Johnny Korthuis), if you’re curious like I was this chat is about what he’s up to. For Jon, his journey into drytooling began with a quest for mental healing. The discipline has become more than a tool for therapy though, in his words, “It’s a passion, a lifestyle, and a path to personal growth”. As a larger-framed individual, traditional rock climbing presented challenges, but drytooling opened a world of possibilities. The deeper he got, the deeper he got, and he ultimately invested in coaching and built his own training wall. In two years, he went from barely being able to hold onto tools to figure 4ing to competing at the competition level. Through it all, it’s been the tight-knit and supportive community that Jon appreciates most. Whether it’s cheering each other on during comps or generously sharing knowledge, there’s a genuine desire to foster a love for the sport — and Jon is certainly doing his part too. From welcoming people to climb at his home wall, The Nook, to developing a new outdoor drytooling venue, Jon wants to give back to the sport that has already given so much to him. Timestamps: 01:24 - Building a climbing structure with shipping containers 04:24 - The motivation behind the project 05:58 - The importance of vertical training 10:20 - Personal journey into drytooling 10:27 - The impact of climbing on mental health 15:41 - Building a drytooling community 19:52 - Asking for help Resources and links: Perhaps drytooling has had a big impact on your own life, and you dig what Jon is up to. If you’d like to support Jon’s projects, you can donate through PayPal. His email is spreken@gmail.com. Money will go towards holds and construction materials. You can also follow along with his journey on Instagram @living.forward. Find the rest of the notes, timestamps, resources, and more on the episode page. Credits: Episode cover photo provided by the Jon. Intro music by Hannah Noelle Enomoto (thanks, sis!). Sponsors: Thanks to Forecast Equipment for supporting this episode! Jon uses their tools and has connected with the team on a personal level. That’s because they care about their customers — Marty, Zac and Brian focus on creating products for climbers like themselves which led them to develop their do-it-all Nor*easter. The tools handle everything from moderate snow gullies to steep-and-mixy to World Cup comps and they come stock with Krukonogi picks, cheeks, and hammers so you can configure them to fit your needs. To learn more about their products, check them out at forecastequipment.com. Patreon: For the price of a beer per month, you can help us produce episodes like this and much, much more. If you’ve been enjoying the podcast this season, consider supporting us on Patreon.

We’re headed across the pond on this episode of Ice Ice Beta. Today, we’re chatting with Willis Morris and Oz Miller of the Scottish Dry-Tooling Club. The club has been called the developmental model of the future, a rolling circus, and bonkers by various authorities. But what is the organization, how does it work, and why has it been so successful in just a few short years? A few anecdotes to highlight their success: With a rapid growth trajectory and big plans, the future is bright. After listening to Willis and Oz, you’ll likely agree — they’re quite convincing! Timestamps: 01:39 - Getting to Cheongsong, South Korea isn't as easy as you'd think 07:27 - Meet Willis and Oz 08:20 - Starting the Scottish Dry Tooling Club 13:21 - The growth of the Club and its influence on the climbing community 23:22 - Importance of culture 29:01 - Scottish winter climbing 32:33 - Every climber, even Dave MacLeod, can learn something from dry-tooling 40:50 - The future of ice climbing: winter sport climbing? 41:45 - Success at the comp level (and elsewhere) 55:14 - The future of the Scottish Dry Tooling Club 59:15 - Ice climbing in the Olympics? 01:04:13 - Advice for starting a dry tooling initiative Resources and links: If you’d like to learn more about the Scottish DTC, their Instagram has all the important links. It is @scottishdrytoolingclub. As Willis mentions in the interview, the 7th and final round of the UIAA Ice Climbing Continental Cup for the season is taking place in Sunderland, UK this Saturday, February 10. Live streaming will be available for the finals. Find the rest of the notes, timestamps, resources, and more on the episode page. Credits: Episode cover photo provided by the Scottish Dry-Tooling Club. Intro music by Hannah Noelle Enomoto (thanks, sis!). Sponsors: A big thanks to our sponsor, Blue Ice, for supporting this show! Blue Ice is the best kind of ice, and also my choice when it comes to fast and light ice climbing gear. Their Aero Lites go in like a hot knife through butter and their climbing packs hit the sweet spot between function and lightweight. Designed to get to the point in the alpine, their gear is tested by mountain professionals between the Alps and the Wasatch. If you’re looking to get to the point too — and with a little less weight on your kit, check out Blue Ice’s gear at blueice.com or your favorite local retailer. Patreon: For the price of a beer per month, you can help us produce episodes like this and much, much more. If you’ve been enjoying the podcast this season, consider supporting us on Patreon.

What goes into projecting first free ascent winter lines in New Hampshire? That’s the subject of today’s chat with Jon Nicolodi, a humble MBA student and hard mixed climbing hard man. (Those are my words, he certainly would not describe himself that way.) Surprisingly, Jon’s only been mixed climbing a few years but has established some big winter FFAs in that time — the routes range from M8 to M11 and all are on some of the most prominent walls in the state. These include, “Across the Great Divide” (M8 R, 5 pitches, 550′) on Cannon Cliff, “The Resistance” (M10, 5 pitches, 360′) on Mount Washington, and “Cathedral Direct” (5.12b M11 WI5, 7 pitches). In an Alpinist recap describing a few of the climbs, Rick Wilcox, one of the most accomplished mountaineers in the area and a trailblazing climber in his own right, described what Jon is doing as “state-of-the-art as far as difficulty goes” for New England. Listen on to hear about Jon’s search for balance, how he trains, and get a great play-by-play of “Cathedral Direct Direct”, a 7-pitch, 5.12b, M11, WI5 route he freed with Chris Saulnier in February of last year. Timestamps: 02:41 - The appeal of winter climbing 06:29 - Balancing climbing and career 13:25 - The impact of Outward Bound 24:36 - The process of projecting hard climbs 37:14 - Evolving Dry-Tooling Ethics at Cathedral Cave 38:09 The art of finding potential climbs 40:28 - Gear: What he takes on climbs 46:21 - Training for climbing 51:45 - The story of "Cathedral Direct Direct" 1:07:12 - The Importance of partnerships 1:11:44 - Looking forward: Balancing climbing and Life Resources and links: If you’d like to hire Jon, you can connect with him at @jon_nicolodi on Instagram. Here are a few articles that highlight Jon's other climbs, which we didn’t get to in this episode: Alpinist recap of "Across the Great Divide" and "The Resistance"Jon's American Alpine Club write up of "Across the Great Divide"Jon's IG post about "Cathedral Direct Direct"Find the rest of the notes, timestamps, resources, and more on the episode page. Credits: Episode cover photo by Erik Howes. Intro music by Hannah Noelle Enomoto (thanks, sis!). Sponsors: A big thanks to our sponsor, Blue Ice, for supporting this show! Blue Ice is the best kind of ice, and also my choice when it comes to fast and light ice climbing gear. Their Aero Lites go in like a hot knife through butter and their climbing packs hit the sweet spot between function and lightweight. Designed to get to the point in the alpine, their gear is tested by mountain professionals between the Alps and the Wasatch. If you’re looking to get to the point too — and with a little less weight on your kit, check out Blue Ice’s gear at blueice.com or your favorite local retailer. Patreon: For the price of a beer per month, you can help us produce episodes like this and much, much more. If you’ve been enjoying the podcast this season, consider supporting us on Patreon.

I’ve been dry-tooling more than ice climbing this winter, largely because it’s been frustratingly warm in New England. Call this my adaptation strategy — but really, I feel like I’m just getting ahead of the curve since trigger alert: dry-tooling is the future of ice climbing. #provemewrong(please) Not to be all dire, dour and doom and gloom, but globally, climate change is leading to fewer days below 0°C, aka, the planet is warming. (according to an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report from 2021). Since ice forms below the freezing temp of water, it’s not hard to see that the result will be fewer climbable days of ice as a result. So what’s an ice climber to do? Today, we chat with Taylor Luneau, an ice climber from Vermont, former Policy Director of the American Alpine Club, and current Conservation Manager at The Wilderness Society. Taylor has spent the bulk of his adult working life in conservation efforts, protecting public land, and now, supporting climate change mitigation strategies through forest management policies. During his time at the AAC, Taylor commissioned a first-of-its-kind study evaluating ice season length for one of the premiere ice climbing destinations in the U.S. — the Mount Washington Valley in New Hampshire. You might have seem the film that came out of this, freeze//thaw, which shares the scientific findings and socioeconomic impact on guides in the area. Definitely worth watching. We talk about the study, how climbers can get involved in responding to climate change, along with mitigation and adaptation strategies in today’s episode. Timestamps: 3:56 - Is it an end of an era for ice climbers in New England? 6:22 - Growing up in Vermont 11:36 - Interest in environmental policy 17:45 - Experiencing climate change firsthand 20:07 - Work with the AAC 27:31 - Targetting climate messaging 31:21 - Climate solutions 35:21 - Mount Washington Valley study 51:27 - How can climbers take action? Resources and links: If you’d like to connect with Taylor, his Instagram is @taylor.luneau, and his Wilderness Society email is tluneau@tws.org. To learn more about the Mount Washington Valley study, here is the webpage that has “freeze//thaw”, an article by Jimmy Voorhis and Micheal Wejchert, and the full study by Voorhis, McDowell, and Burakowski, et al. The impact of our national forests to mitigate climate change: “Forests in the U.S. remove the equivalent of about 12 percent of annual U.S. fossil fuel emissions or about 206 teragrams of carbon, after accounting for natural emissions, such as wildfire and decomposition. Worldwide, healthy forests absorb 1.1 billion metric tons of carbon per year, the same contained in nearly 54 million tanker trucks worth of gasoline. Biologically rich, continuous networks of public lands play an important role in absorbing climate-changing emissions, sustaining plants and animals, and helping the hardest hit communities adapt to the impacts of a changing climate." Source Nationwide forest plan amendment to conserve old growth: Remember that the scoping period runs through February 2nd. Here are some resources to learn more and get involved: TWS Action AlertTWS blogFederal Register scoping noticeUSDA Press ReleaseNorthwest Forest Plan (NWFP) Amendment: The comment period wraps up on January 29th. Here are more resources and how to comment: TWS Action AlertTWS BlogUS Forest Service landing pageUSFS comment portalMake sure to get your voice heard! Find the rest of the notes, timestamps, resources, and more on the episode page. Credits: Episode cover photo by Marcus Garcia. Intro music by Hannah Noelle Enomoto (thanks, sis!). Sponsors: Of course, a big thanks to our sponsor, Blue Ice, for supporting this show! Blue Ice is the best kind of ice, and also my choice when it comes to fast and light ice climbing gear. Their Aero Lites go in like a hot knife through butter and their climbing packs hit the sweet spot between function and...

Kendra Stritch made history by becoming the first American to win a UIAA Ice Climbing World Cup medal in December of 2014 — when she took gold on the speed wall in Bozeman, Montana. Since then, Kendra has been a major force in developing dry-tooling and competitive ice climbing in the U.S.: She helped to formalize USA Ice Climbing under the auspices of the American Alpine Club, has organized countless comps around the country, and even was the first importer of speed tools in North America. A competitive athlete since she was 9, Kendra is drawn to the novelty and strategy of new sports ranging from alley cat bike racing to log rolling to kickball. She equally enjoys the camaraderie of fellow competitors, and refers to the ice climbing scene as her World Cup family. Over the past few years, Team USA has been steadily improving on the world stage — in no small part due to dedicated dry-tooling gyms across the country — and Kendra has played a vital role in getting the sport to where it is. We’ll talk about the hows and whys in today’s episode. Resources and links: If you’d like to bring a dry-tooling comp to your university or local gym, consider hiring Kendra. You can connect with her on Instagram @kendrastritch. To follow along with USA Ice Climbing this World Cup season, their IG handle is @usaiceclimbing_ and their website is usaiceclimbing.org. If you’re feeling generous and would like to donate to the team (since the athletes have to pay their own way to events) you can find a donate link on the American Alpine Club. For a fascinating look at how far USA Ice Climbing has come, Corey Buhay, a former national team member, has a great article in Climbing from 2021. Find the rest of the notes, timestamps, resources, and more on the episode page. Credits: Episode cover photo by Scott Thompson. Intro music by Hannah Noelle Enomoto (thanks, sis!). Sponsors: Big thanks to our sponsor, Blue Ice, for supporting this show! Blue Ice is the best kind of ice, and also my choice when it comes to fast and light ice climbing gear. Their Aero Lites go in like a hot knife through butter and their climbing packs hit the sweet spot between function and lightweight. Designed to get to the point in the alpine, their gear is tested by mountain professionals between the Alps and the Wasatch. If you’re looking to get to the point too — and with a little less weight on your kit, check out Blue Ice’s gear at blueice.com or your favorite local retailer. Patreon: For the price of a beer per month, you can help us produce episodes like this and much, much more. If you’ve been enjoying the podcast this season, consider supporting us on Patreon.

Life doesn’t follow a clean and cut narrative arc — unlike the stories we tell. Sure, it might all start and end the same way for folks, but it’s the complex, messy middle that makes us, us. One of our tendencies with storytelling is to simplify, which means skimming over a lot of the details. But when we do that we might find the narrative doesn’t actually work, it's not really who we are. Luckily, we can rewrite it. Narrative is a choice. In today’s episode, we talk with Shane Farver, an adaptive climber, writer, former journalism instructor, and now Director of Marketing & Communications based in Utah. After a climbing gym accident in 2018, Shane found the story he was telling himself — and others — needed a revision. Since then, he has embraced the problem-solving aspect of climbing and pursued the sport he loves while continually adapting his body through techniques and accessories. We talk about what makes ice climbing particularly accessible for adaptive athletes, how to ask “how”, and what it means to belong in the outdoors on your own terms. Resources and links: If you’d like to connect with Shane, his Instagram handle is @sfarver01. He does a lot of work with the Adaptive Climbing program at The Front if you happen to find yourself in Salt Lake City, and he's also just down the street from the new location of The Scratch Pad. This winter, he’ll be at a few upcoming ice fests. Paradox Sports is the leader in the adaptive climbing space and definitely worth checking out. For more stories with adaptive ice climbers, here is a podcast interview with Kimber Cross and here is a recent video featuring Mo Beck. If you'd like to go out with an adaptive ice climbing guide, consider Santi Vega, a full-time mountain guide in the Wasatch and Uinta mountains of Utah. Find the rest of the notes, timestamps, resources, and more on the episode page. Credits: Episode cover photo by Maureen Beck. Intro music by Hannah Noelle Enomoto (thanks, sis!). Sponsors: Big thanks to our sponsor, Blue Ice, for supporting this show! Blue Ice: Blue Ice is the best kind of ice, and also my choice when it comes to fast and light ice climbing gear. Their Aero Lites go in like a hot knife through butter and their climbing packs hit the sweet spot between function and lightweight. Designed to get to the point in the alpine, their gear is tested by mountain professionals between the Alps and the Wasatch. If you’re looking to get to the point too — and with a little less weight on your kit, check out Blue Ice’s gear at blueice.com or your favorite local retailer. Patreon: For the price of a beer per month, you can help us produce episodes like this and much, much more. If you’ve been enjoying the podcast this season, consider supporting us on Patreon.

In today’s episode with Tom Beirne, we talk about the psychology of performance and the ethics of developing a new dry-tooling crag. Tom doesn’t love labels — and definitely don’t call him the dry-tooling guy — but to help paint a picture he’s a mixed climber from Seattle who especially enjoys questing, runs The Barn, a dry-tooling gym, helped to develop Wayne’s World, a dry-tooling crag, and is a former high-level collegiate athlete and World Cup competitor… in dry-tooling. Through all of his experiences he’s been fascinated by the psychology of learning, training and performance — especially as it relates to exploring choss piles or competing. As Tom quotes in our chat, “you don't rise to your level of expectation, but fall to your level of training”. Interested in how to raise your own level of training and rise to the occasion? Listen on. Resources and links: Want to climb at The Barn and train with Tom? You can check out their schedule and upcoming events here. In the area and looking to climb at Wayne's World? This is the Mountain Project page. And here is an article with both Wayne and Kyle talking more about the development. Ready to dive into your own motivations and psychology when it comes to climbing? Tom was greatly influenced by Arno Ilgner's "The Rock Warrior's Way: Mental Training For Climbers". Lastly, a big thanks to Kyle for offering a few Ice Screw Cannons for this episode's giveaway. To learn more about his speciality climbing gear, including ultralight backpacks, aid ladders, and portaledge system, head to highmtngear.com. Find the rest of the notes, timestamps, resources, and more on the episode page. Credits: Tom would like to thank his partner, Renai, for her support spanning many adventures. Sponsors: A big thanks to our sponsors for supporting this show! Blue Ice: Blue Ice is the best kind of ice, and also my choice when it comes to fast and light ice climbing gear. Their Aero Lites go in like a hot knife through butter and their climbing packs hit the sweet spot between function and lightweight. Designed to get to the point in the alpine, their gear is tested by mountain professionals between the Alps and the Wasatch. If you’re looking to get to the point too — and with a little less weight on your kit, check out Blue Ice’s gear at blueice.com or your favorite local retailer. NW Alpine: There aren’t many companies that make climbing-specific apparel in the U.S., but NW Alpine does, and have been since 2010. They started with simple principles: to create functional and durable clothing for people who get after it in the alpine. Today, their Black Spider is a lightweight, grid fleece hoody for moving fast in the mountains while their Fortis line is made from fabric spun with ultra high molecular weight polyethylene fibers so you can tackle project after project after project. Learn more about their products at nwalpine.com. And thank you to Kyle Willis of High MTN Gear for donating Ice Screw Cannons to give away! Patreon: For the price of a beer per month, you can help us produce episodes like this and much, much more. If you’ve been enjoying the podcast this season, consider supporting us on Patreon.

It takes a village to raise an ice festival, and for Liz Sahagún and her co-organizers, it’s all hands on deck for the All In Ice Fest — which will take place from January 5th to the 7th of 2024. Entering their third year, the mission of the fest is to create a space where folks from historically marginalized communities can simply have fun ice climbing without having to feel like they’re checking a box that defines their identity. To help make ice climbing more accessible, Liz, Claire, Mari, Christina, Rosie, and the rest of the team started All In to help reduce barriers to the sport — they do this by offering low-cost clinics and programs to develop as guides, cater to people of all physical abilities, and fostering a culture where folks can simply show up and feel welcome. Listen on to hear how Liz first fell in love with the mountains, her Journey to 30 ice climbing road trip, and how she’s developed her self-care toolbox. Resources and links: If you’re interested in attending or volunteering, you can register at allinicefest.com. And if you’d like to support the organization, you can donate here. Want to learn more about what affinity spaces are and why they are important? The AMGA helps explain in an article by Monserrat Alvarez. Find the rest of the notes, timestamps, resources, and more on the episode page. Credits: Cover photo by Louis Arevalo. Intro music by Hannah Noelle Enomoto (thanks, sis!). If you’re interested in attending or volunteering, you can register at allinicefest.com. And if you’d like to support the organization, you can donate here. Patreon: For the price of a beer per month, you can help us produce episodes like this and much, much more. If you’ve been enjoying the podcast this season, consider supporting us on Patreon.

What goes into making an ice axe? Of course there is technical know-how, design, and testing, but for Marty Theriault, it was more like an act of therapy. And a way to connect with friends. Marty started Forecast Equipment after he was medically released from the Canadian military for PTSD. He’d been percolating on the idea of a new tool and finally had the time – to heal and to create. He wanted a tool that could do it all, and he drew upon decades of familiarity with different axes and uncompromising principles for certain features. How did it come together? Listen on to find out. Resources and links: Marty and the Forecast team are offering veterans and active duty military a 10% discount through January. To get the code, contact the company at sales@forecastequipment.com. You can check out the Nor*easter and the rest of the Forecast lineup on their website: forecastequipment.com. If you are struggling with PTSD and are seeking help, know that you are not alone and there are resources. Consider talking with the Veterans Crisis Line to get support. You don't have to be enrolled in VA benefits or health care to call. Find the rest of the notes, timestamps, resources, and more on the episode page. Credits: Intro music by Hannah Noelle Enomoto (thanks, sis!). Patreon: For the price of a beer per month, you can help us produce episodes like this and much, much more. If you’ve been enjoying the podcast this season, consider supporting us on Patreon.

Introducing the Meet the Maker series. Each day this week we’ll be releasing a mini episode with an entrepreneur who is making specialty gear for ice climbers. 🎙Today we chat with Kyle Siegel, the Founder of Raide, which makes gear that supports efficient human-powered movement in the mountains. Their first major drop is the LF 40L which may be the perfect backcountry skiing pack, but which I also think works well as an ice cragging or multi-pitch pack. Kyle is a jack of all trades, having done hardcore engineering at places like SpaceX, learned design and development at The North Face and Db, and built tech products to boot. During that time, he’s spent the past 10 years diving into backcountry skiing and scheming up ever bigger objectives. If only there was a backpack that could keep up… Hear more about the why and how of Raide in today’s episode. 🎁 Discount code below! *** DISCOUNT CODE: Want to put an LF 40L to the test this ice season? Kyle is offering 15% off at their store raideresearch.com. For details, check out Kyle's episode post on our Instagram page.

Introducing the Meet the Maker series. Each day this week we’ll be releasing a mini episode with an entrepreneur who is making specialty gear for ice climbers. 🎙Today we chat with Benjamin Leibham, the Founder of Alto Gear, which make ice climbing accessories out of upcycled and recycled material. You’ve probably seen Ben’s ice screw wrap at an ice festival, they are the brightly colored roll-ups made of repurposed billboard vinyl. And they are bomber (I’m a proud owner of one) – which is on purpose. Ben is a product designer whose mission is to make ice climbing gear more sustainable. To start, he’s using technical material that would otherwise end up in a landfill, sourcing and manufacturing locally, and designing gear that lasts. He’s got some big plans too. Hear more of his story and design philosophy in today’s episode. *** 🎁 If you’d like to snag your own ice screw wrap or crampon pouch, Ben is offering 15% off at their store, altogear.com. For details, check out Ben's episode post on our Instagram page here.

Introducing the Meet the Maker series. Each day this week we’ll be releasing a mini episode with an entrepreneur who is making specialty gear for ice climbers. 🎙Today we chat with Ben Carlson and Nick Hernandez, Co-Owners of Furnace Industries, which make gym-safe training equipment for ice climbing and dry-tooling. Quite simply, you’d be hard-pressed to find another company that has done more to promote dry-tooling in the U.S. Core to it all, it’s because they care. The company was started as a way to give back to the community. Ben and Nick knew they weren’t going to chase FAs or push the grades, but they could help folks train year-round and encourage new people to try the sports. Why? They believe in giving back to the sport that has given them so much – from sponsoring ice fests and Team USA to loaning out tools for dry-tooling nights to producing educational material – Furnace Industries is always forging ahead to help the community. Hear more about their story and what makes their tools special in today’s episode. 🎁 Furnace Industries doesn’t really do sales, but Ben and Nick are graciously offering a one time discount for listeners. For details, check out Furnace Industries' episode post on our Instagram page.

Introducing the Meet the Maker series. Each day this week we’ll be releasing a mini episode with an entrepreneur who is making specialty gear for ice climbers. 🎙Today we chat with Deed Ziegler, Founder of RecPak. I’m excited for these because I think ice climbers will really like them – RecPaks are 700 calorie, ultralight and ultra-packable meal replacement drinks that I think are perfect for sipping at the belay (you can fill them with hot water). Deed was inspired to make the product after a military tour overseas. He wanted something that was consumable on the move, designed for high energy output, and was a complete meal with proper macros and nutrients. They’ve since been used in environments as wide-ranging as emergency response and combat zones, to high-altitude mountaineering, long treks in the desert, and ultra races. Deed also has a great radio voice, which you can hear in today’s episode. *** 🎁 Discount code! Deed is generously offering a 25% discount so you can try RecPak this season. For details, check out Deed's episode post on our Instagram page.

Introducing the Meet the Maker series. Each day this week we’ll be releasing a mini episode with an entrepreneur who is making specialty gear for ice climbers. 🎙 Today we chat with Doug Heinrich, the Founder of Aniiu, which make technical ice climbing gloves. Doug is a longtime Salt Lake City climber, route developer, and alpinist, among many superlatives. He’s also the VP of Product Development at Black Diamond. What do you get when you combine 30+ years of ice climbing experience with technical chops? Listen to the episode to find out. *** 🎁 Doug and Aniiu are giving away 3 pairs of gloves to listeners and offering a discount code. For details, check out Doug's episode post on our Instagram page.

Sometimes opportunities arise which push you outside your comfort zone. For Kelsey Rex, an out of the blue invitation turned a next year trip to Alaska into "we're leaving in two months". That accelerated timeline required a Matrix-like download of expedition planning and put Kelsey in her sweet spot as a lover of meticulous spreadsheets. It also meant confronting her tendency towards, as she puts it, "conservative progression plans" — and perhaps, even her concept of what she's capable of. Resources and links: This is the article by Bayard Russell that Kelsey mentions, which supplemented her own gear list spreadsheet: How To Remember Everything: An Exhaustive Alaska Expedition Packing List. You can read Kelsey's 5-part recap of the trip on Instagram. Here is part 1. If you'd like to follow Kelsey on Instagram, you can find her at @kelsey_rex. This winter, Kelsey will be at the Mount Washington Valley Ice Fest, Smuggs Ice Bash, and Michigan Ice Fest, and if you'd like to try and book a day out with her, she guides with Cathedral Mountain Guides. Find the rest of the notes, timestamps, resources, and more on the episode page. Credits: Cover photo provided by Kelsey. Intro music by Hannah Noelle Enomoto (thanks, sis!). Sponsors: Thanks so much to Blue Ice for sponsoring this episode (and Kelsey)! Blue Ice began in 2008 at the base of Mont Blanc with the idea of designing products that went back to the basics. That's led them to focus on functional, ultralight gear that just works. In their words, "we get to the point with a subtle blend of purism and daring." Patreon: For the price of a beer per month, you can help us produce episodes like this and much, much more. If you’ve been enjoying the podcast this season, consider supporting us on Patreon.

Cogne is known as one of the ice epicenters in Europe. Located near the base of the Gran Paradiso, the only 4,000 meter peak in Italy, the Cogne Valley boasts over 400 ice climbs and many more mixed and dry-tooling lines. Consistency and accessibility are the name of the game: The microclimate and terrain means ice is reliable year-in-year-out and you can often start your approach to climbs right from your front door. Matthias Scherer is lucky to have called the area home for the past 20 years... Resources and links: Matthias has climbed over 1,000 frozen waterfalls, and you can see his top 100 list here. To follow along with his adventures, check him out on Instagram @matthiasscherer. Want to join for the Cogne Ice Opening? It runs from December 14-17 and you find find all the details on their website: cogneiceopening.net Find the rest of the notes, timestamps, resources, and more on the episode page. Credits: Episode cover photo provided by Matthias. Intro music by Hannah Noelle Enomoto (thanks, sis!). Patreon: For the price of a beer per month, you can help us produce episodes like this and much, much more. If you’ve been enjoying the podcast this season, consider supporting us on Patreon.