REWIND | Paul Piana on Mentorship, Partnership and Big Dreams

Today we REWIND to this classic episode with living-legend and climbing pioneer Paul Piana himself, 35 years after he and Todd Skinner completed their historic first free ascent of El Cap’s Salathé Wall on June 15, 1988, helping to shape the dreams of many generations of climbers to come. Lynn Hill doing the Nose a few years later, Tommy Caldwell on the Dawn Wall, and the new generation of climbers like Connor Herson, Jordan Cannon, Brittany Goris and Amity Warme.

And most important, what this latest generation has pulled from Paul and his contemporaries, is that it’s important to do it all – bouldering, sport, big walls, both adventure and difficulty, and a reverence for history without letting the mythology hold you back.

We’ve still got a handful of signed copies of Paul’s 1997 book Big Walls: Breakthroughs on the Free-Climbing Frontier available HERE. With every purchase, you’re donating to The Todd Skinner Legacy Fund, which aims to support the continuing mission of the late Todd Skinner by funding endeavors and programs in his spirit.

Click HERE to hear Kris’s poem The Cowboy King, mentioned in the episode, which features over 100 classic route names from the Lander area.

This episode originally aired on October 7, 2020.

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Find full episode transcripts and more at our website.