The Fighter
When protests erupted in Iran in fall of 2022, human rights activist and professional climber Nasim Eshqi was climbing in France. As she watched the uprising back home unfold, Nasim knew that returning home at that moment would mean arrest and imprisonment at the hands of the government. She doubled down on her criticism of Iran’s repressive regime and used her climbing to bring the struggle to the international climbing community.
Image: Monica Dalmasso
Safety Police
Underground legend and editor of Accidents in North American Climbing, Pete Takeda joins us to talk safety. We can learn from mistakes, but sometimes it’s worth speaking up before they happen.
Image: Mike Thurk
The Greatest Lie Chapter 4: Belief
After successfully establishing the first fair means ascent of Cerro Torre’s SE Ridge and chopping Maestri’s bolt ladder, Hayden Kennedy and Jason Kruk smash into reality. In the mountains, a rescue for their friend is under way. In El Chaltén, frustration boils over and the police get involved. Meanwhile, David Lama heads back up the mountain.
Image: Kelly Cordes
The Greatest Lie Chapter 3: Fair Means
In the 2000’s, a new, global generation of alpinists armed with a broad toolkit of skills and advancements in weather forecasting led a climbing golden age in Patagonia. While popular, Maestri’s Compressor Route becomes the target of climbers looking to leave a lasting impression on the sport.
Liar, Liar
How big of a problem is lying in climbing? Jonathan Siegrist returns to the show to talk about dishonesty in our sport.
Image: Ryan Deegan
The Greatest Lie Chapter 2: Disneyland
In 1959, Cesare Maestri, an outsider and rebel drawn to the siren song of the world’s fiercest mountain, Cerro Torre, ripped a hole in climbing’s only true rule – a climber is only as good as their word.
The Greatest Lie Chapter 1: The Queen & The Pawns
In 1959, Cesare Maestri, an outsider and rebel drawn to the siren song of the world’s fiercest mountain, Cerro Torre, ripped a hole in climbing’s only true rule – a climber is only as good as their word.
Full Circle
In May 2022, The Full Circle Everest team made history when seven of the members reached the world’s highest point. They were the first all black expedition team to do so. Today, we talk with Phil Henderson, Adina Scott and Eddie Taylor about their experiences on Chomolungma and the power of summits.
Image: Evan Green
The Greatest Climb
Is reaching a summit the true measure of success or is there something deeper? In 1978 a dream team of alpinists – Jim Donini, Jeff Lowe, George Lowe, and Michael Kennedy – spent 26 days tackling the North Ridge of Latok 1 in the Karakoram range and came up just short of the summit after illness struck. Their attempt became legend and a testament to the power of friendship.
Image: Michael Kennedy Collection
Should We Make Old Routes Safer?
A route’s history is important, but does it make it sacred? Prolific first ascensionist, student of the sport and arguably America’s best sport climber Jonathan Siegrist joins the Climbing Gold team to discuss bolting and rebolting routes.
Image: Irene Yee
Board Games
We journey through the world of Moonboarding with the world’s best – Ravioli Biceps. And Ben Moon walks us through the underground climbing trend that started in the cellars of Sheffield, England and has now spread across the globe.
The Route That Changed My Life
Could a route change you? Kareemah Batts joins Alex, Fitz, Lauren and Leici to talk about the routes that changed what they thought was possible
Image: Travis Perkins
Our Best Is Always Changing
In April of 2022, Anna Pfaff set out to tick an Alaska classic – the Harvard Route on Mount Huntington. With her partner Priti Wright, Anna romped up the 3,000 foot face of ice, rock and snow, but the climb would prove to be a life changing experience.
Image: Tyler Stableford
Not So Mellow
The Mellow crew provides. Between sends of the world’s hardest boulders, Daniel Woods, Shawn Raboutou, Giuliano Cameroni and Jimmy Webb took climbing media into their own hands, authoring YouTube ready videos of climbing’s cutting edge with an aesthetic more akin to skate films than National Geographic.
Image: Rainer Eder
Strength vs Technique
Philosophy professor and member of the exclusive 5.14 after 60 club, Bill Ramsey has a bone to pick with those who value strength over technique. In this roundtable discussion, we dive into our bias towards power and Bill’s concept of the pain box. Nothing’s worse than the pain of sucking.
Image: Ben Walburn
The Dark Horse
Quiet and humble, Lucho Rivera was the antithesis to the wild, loud and over the top antics of the Stone Monkey generation. Yet in that band of misfits, he found a home. Now, after three decades of climbing in Yosemite, Lucho may have made the greatest contribution of his generation to the Valley’s history.
Image: Gabriel Mann
Hot Henry
In the 1970’s, no flame burned brighter than Hot Henry Barber. Often heralded as the first traveling climber, Henry redefined standards for free climbing and free soloing not just the US, but every country he visited. Along the way, he shattered egos before learning to check his own.
Image: Henry Barber - Mountain Ventures collection
Dope Lake: Aftermath
After Jack Dorn’s death, conspiracies begin to fly in the Valley. Camp 4’s dirtbags figure out what to do with their spoils. And the plane crash becomes the stuff of Hollywood, literally. Our final installment of the Dope Lake series.
Dope Lake: The Black Book
By early April, the rumors of Dope Lake began to spread far beyond the Valley. What was once an under-the-radar get rich mission had spiraled out of control. When the rangers get a tip, they decide it’s time to take back the lake, but not before one of the legendary Stonemasters escapes with a kilo of cocaine and the black book. The party has to end.