Jan Conn: Catching Pinecones
Who was the first dirtbag? In collaboration with filmmakers Chad Heddleston and Parker Michels-Boyce, we go back in time to meet Jan Conn. Jan and Herb Conn took what might have been the first climbing road trip, and pioneered first ascents across the country. Their greatest contribution to our sport though might be utilizing their time to follow their passions. In 1945, that was about as radical as it gets.
Image: Jan + Herb Conn collection
Palestinian Climbers
Climbing feels like freedom. It’s a sentiment that most of us can relate to. In the midst of war and violence in the Middle East, we return to the climbers of Resistance Climbing and learn how they’ve kept finding joy and hope even as the walls close in. We talk with Asia Zughaiar, Faris Abu Gosh and Tim Bruns.
Image: Austin Siadak
Jordan Cannon: A Place In History
What’s the Venn diagram on Indiana Jones, El Cap and climbing history? Jordan Cannon. Jordan walks us down the path from hyper-stoked teenager to professional climber and El Cap ace. Arguably, it’s what Jordan’s done away from the wall that’s been his most recognizable contribution to our sport.
Image: Samuel Crossley
Cheat Code: Tanner Wanish and Michael Vaill
Michael Vaill and Tanner Wanish found the cheat code to adventure climbing – each other. Since they linked up on Mountain Project, it’s looked like they’ve been playing the climbing game on easy mode. We dive into one of the most incredible partnerships we’ve ever encountered.
Image: Earl Bates
Pete Whittaker: Beyond Wide
Pete Whittaker may have captured climbing’s hearts through his and fellow Wide Boy Tom Randall’s quest to complete the hardest offwidth on the planet, but he’s also quietly become one of the best traditional climbers of his generation. After the offwidth roundtable, we knew we had more to talk about with Pete.
Image: Andrew Burr
Wild Ponies and Offwidths
Offwidths – for most climbers they are a necessary evil, but for a fringe fraction, hard, often inverted offwidth climbing is the main attraction. We talk with offwidth climbers Sam MacIlwaine and Pete Whittaker to discuss the dark art of fists stacks and wide ponies.
Image: Christian Vasquez
Will Moss: Happy Little Accident
Last year, Will Moss became the first person to onsight El Cap in a day. It might not have happened though if the food and coconut water in his haul bag hadn’t gone bad, forcing him to make a game time decision to go for it. Will possesses a preternatural talent for the big stone and his tactical skills are catching up.
Image: Felipe Tapia Nordenflycht
Jon Krakauer: The Mountain’s Shadow
Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air chronicled the 1996 Everest disaster and launched a generation of interest in climbing and the natural world, but for Jon the tragedy that unfolded around him left him struggling with PTSD and searching for peace. Now 30 years later, Jon reflects on his career, the expedition that changed his life and why writing has always been harder than climbing.
Image: Jon Krakauer collection
Getting It Right: Charlize Theron and Beth Rodden
Will Hollywood ever get climbing right? Or at least passable? When Academy Award winner Charlize Theron went to work making her latest film Apex, the crew brought in climbing legend Beth Rodden to make it feel realistic. Sometimes you don’t have to climb 5.12 to look like you climb 5.12.
Image courtesy of Netflix
Connor Herson: Just Getting Started
Connor Herson couldn’t legally drive when he freed the Nose in 2018, competently navigating up his way up a route only Lynn Hill and Tommy Caldwell had freed. The climbing world wondered where this prodigy would take traditional climbing. In 2025, the 22-year-old put together the single greatest year of trad climbing.
Image: Christian Adam | Black Diamond Equipment
Going Pro: Lincoln Knowles and Zander Waller
The path to professionalism is murky at best. Even for established world-class athletes, it’s a struggle to make it work. Friends Lincoln Knowles and Zander Waller friends chart very different paths in the hopes of getting paid to do what they love.
Image: Zander Waller
Sean Bailey: Duality of Man
Sean Bailey flies beneath the radar and he wants you to know he’s cool with that. Most of the time. After retiring from a decorated comp career, Sean has sent multiple v17 boulder problems and North America’s first 5.15d, but America’s best climber seems far more interested in the hunt for the next great climb than partaking in the social media hype machine.
Image: Ben Neilson
Jimmy Chin: Always Difficult
Jimmy Chin refuses to play the game on easy mode. Whether it’s climbing, photography or filmmaking, Jimmy has spent a career figuring out the most bad ass goal in whatever medium and then making it happen. He’s had some mentors along the way, a little luck and an unparalleled work ethic, but his ability to step into uncomfortable situations is his super power.
Image courtesy of Jimmy Chin
Enter The Dragon
In the days after Alex’s successful climb of Taipei 101, Fitz and Alex debrief on the whirlwind week, including ending up in an SNL skit and the joy that comes from doing what you love.
Image courtesy of Netflix
James Bond Principles: Taipei 101
The internet is talking. Why is Alex so psyched to climb a skyscraper on live TV? How hard is Taipei 101? Is this a gimmick? The answers go deeper than you might expect. Fitz sat down with Alex to break it down before he left for Taipei.
Image courtesy of Netflix
Alain Robert: The French Spiderman
Later this month, Alex will set out to climb the Taipei 101 skyscraper, but he certainly won’t be the first. For the last three decades, Alain Robert has been the living legend of the underground scene of climbing buildings. Arrested more than 170 times, his passion for buildings stemmed out of his passion for cutting edge free soloing.
Image: Alain Robert Collection
Year In Review
2025 – what a year in climbing. Jonathan Siegrist and Leici Hendrix join us to break down the highlights. First woman to climb 5.15c. V17 in a session. El Cap flashed in a day. The next generation is now firmly in the driver seat and ready to carry climbing into its next chapter.
Image: Ryan White
Behind The Line: Biographie
In 2001, Chris Sharma ushered in 5.15a when he completed Biographie after pouring years into the long standing project. Its position, aesthetic, history and heartbreaking sequences that have spit off the best climbers cemented the route into climbing’s memory. Today, we dive into Biographie with Chris, cinematographer Brett Lowell, Margo Hayes and Jonathan Siegrist to understand what makes the route so special.
Image: Brett Lowell
I’m Just A Climber
As climbers, are we powerless in the face of what’s happening to our public lands? We sat down with retired Senator Mark Udall and Heather Thorne, Executive Director of Access Fund, to talk about what we can do to help the future of American climbing and our public lands.
Image: Mark Udall collection
Southern Climbing: Underrated or Overrated?
Alex has climbed all over the world, but he’s never visited some of our country’s best climbing areas. Today, three devoted southern climbers – Andrew Kornylak, Karen Lane and Colette McInerney – lay out the case for why the Southeast should be on his tick list.
Image: Andrew Kornylak