

The RunOut Podcast
Andrew Bisharat & Chris Kalous
Chris Kalous (The Enormocast) and Andrew Bisharat (Evening Sends) bring decades of climbing experience to the mic, talking with the most interesting voices in the sport. From bouldering to big walls, comps to alpinism—no discipline is off-limits and no dogma goes unchallenged. You might not always agree, but you’ll probably laugh about it later.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 1, 2024 • 1h 19min
RunOut #130: Thomas Huber Unleashes Freedom on America
Thomas Huber is our favorite Huber brother—no offense to Alex. He needs little introduction, and is one of the most prolific climbers of the last 30 years thanks to a resume that includes establishing some of the best free climbs on El Capitan and across Europe, to winning the Piolet d’Or for his bold alpine ascents, to being a member of the beloved Stone Monkeys. His new book Freiheit, In the Mountains There is Freedom, is now available in English from DiAngelo.
But first, yer hosts consider the question of giving and receiving encouragement while climbing. Why do we feel the need to yell, “You got it!” at people who clearly Do. Not. Have. It.? And is a little peace and silence too much to ask around here?
Last but never least, our final bit is another awkward collision between climbing and mainstream media, as the news tries to capture the heroism of a dramatic, life-saving rescue.
Show Notes
Buy Thomas Huber’s book
Follow Thomas Huber on Instagram
Read an excerpt from Huber’s book on Evening Sends
Follow Jordan Cannon
Become a RunOut Rope Gun! Support our podcast and increase your RunOut runtime. Bonus episodes, AMA, and more will be available to our Rope Guns. Thank you for your support! http://patreon.com/runoutpodcast
Contact us Send ideas, voicemail, feedback and more. andrew@runoutpodcast.com // chris@runoutpodcast.com

Jul 24, 2024 • 1h 11min
RunOut #129: Olympic Fever; Plus: When Climbers Become Parents with Allyson Gunsallus
Allyson Gunsallus is a climber and lawyer who serves on the board of the American Alpine Club. She is also the producer and director of Hand Holds, a new film interview series providing resources for climbing parents. Our conversation explores how climbing parents navigate the risks inherent to our sport with the demands of their new identity, not to mention the little person in their lives.
But first, we’ve got a tepid Olympic fever and the only cure is more speed climbing. We give the run-down on who to look for in the Olympics, and why it’s only Sam Watson.
Last but never least, the great Steph Davis onsights an off-the-couch piano performance of the soundtrack of Interstellar.
Show Notes
Hand Holds is six free-to-watch episodes featuring interviews with well-known climbers, including Beth Rodden, Majka Burhardt, Eddie and Anna Taylor, Jon and Jess Glassberg, Kris Hampton, and Chris Kalous. Visit handholdsfilm.com for more information.
Follow Allyson Gunsallus / Hand Holds on Instagram
Follow Steph Davis on Instagram
Who is in the Olympics?
Watch Sam Watson set the world record
Become a RunOut Rope Gun! Support our podcast and increase your RunOut runtime. Bonus episodes, AMA, and more will be available to our Rope Guns. Thank you for your support! http://patreon.com/runoutpodcast
Contact us Send ideas, voicemail, feedback and more. andrew@runoutpodcast.com // chris@runoutpodcast.com

Jul 2, 2024 • 1h 3min
RunOut #128: Activism and Climbing with Miranda Oakley
Miranda Oakley is an AMGA certified rock climbing guide, who set the record for being the first woman to rope solo the Nose in a day. As a Palestinian-American, she recently made headlines by hanging a political banner on the side of El Cap. We discuss this unlikely nexus between climbing and activism, and imagine how it can go right or wrong.
But first, fresh off a week of climbing in America’s new favorite sport crag, Kalous has some observations he wants to share.
For our final bit, we’re stoked to share the Salt Lake City progressive rock climber band Better in Color with their track “The Imprisoned One.”
Show Notes
Follow Miranda Oakley on Instagram
Climbers Hang “Stop the Genocide” Banner from El Capitan
Movement Lessons from Climbers With Palestine’s Yosemite Banner Hang
Better in Color
Follow Better in Color on Instagram
Become a RunOut Rope Gun! Support our podcast and increase your RunOut runtime. Bonus episodes, AMA, and more will be available to our Rope Guns. Thank you for your support! http://patreon.com/runoutpodcast
Contact us Send ideas, voicemail, feedback and more. andrew@runoutpodcast.com // chris@runoutpodcast.com

Jun 20, 2024 • 1h 16min
RunOut #127: Sensei and Sensibility: Climb Smarter with Justen Sjong
Today’s guest is climbing coach Justen Sjong. Justen is known for his first free ascents of Magic Mushroom (VI 5.14a) and The PreMuir (VI 5.13c/d) on El Capitan, and redpoints of 5.14 sport climbs. His approach to improvement in climbing is far more cerebral than most standard training fare, and his intuitions and sensibilities as a coach have helped numerous climbers mine their untapped potential by clearly mental barriers and finding the present.
But first, your egotistical hosts talk about the infamous climbing ego: the ways it can hold us back, and how it might be embraced so as to fully excel.
Our final bit comes from a late evening in a dusty desert hill, as the campfire embers cooled and all the little boys and girls had already turned in to their sleeping bags. One of our favorite climbers and musicians, Lisa Hathaway, plays us a tune.
Show Notes
Climbing Sensei — Book a coaching session with Justen
Follow Justen Sjong on Instagram
Training with Justen, Part 2 — Evening Sends
Become a RunOut Rope Gun! Support our podcast and increase your RunOut runtime. Bonus episodes, AMA, and more will be available to our Rope Guns. Thank you for your support! http://patreon.com/runoutpodcast
Contact us Send ideas, voicemail, feedback and more. andrew@runoutpodcast.com // chris@runoutpodcast.com

May 31, 2024 • 1h 16min
RunOut #126: Who Was Tobin Sorenson? A Stonemaster Pays Homage to One of the Climbing’s All-Time Greats
Today we have a double-header. Two guests, same great show.
First up is Rajiv Ayyangar—an entrepreneur, CEO, and host of The China Beach podcast, a show about his obsession with arguably the best sport climb on earth (at least according to him!). Rajiv might have the most niche podcast on earth, and we dive into where his obsession with this one route comes from.
Next is OG Stonemaster Rick Accomazzo, who has just completed a new book on Tobin Sorenson. In the 1970s, Tobin completed some of the most audacious climbs, bringing a a kind of fearless courage that both left his partners in awe and shaking with fear. His 1977 season in Chamonix might just be one of the best seasons any climber has had in that range, ever. Tobin perished in the mountains at the young age of 25, but his legacy is now being told for the first time in a way that lives up to his achievements, skill, and vision.
Our final bit is a poignant but hilarious recording from our archive with the late, great Paul Nelson.
Show Notes
Follow Rajiv Ayyangar and the China Beach Podcast
China Beach Podcast
Watch Nina Williams climb China Beach
Stonemaster Books
Pre-order Tobin, The Stonemasters, and Me 1970-1980 by Rick Accomazzo
Read “The Day I Sent Colorblind” by Paul Nelson
Become a RunOut Rope Gun! Support our podcast and increase your RunOut runtime. Bonus episodes, AMA, and more will be available to our Rope Guns. Thank you for your support! http://patreon.com/runoutpodcast
Contact us Send ideas, voicemail, feedback and more. andrew@runoutpodcast.com // chris@runoutpodcast.com

May 17, 2024 • 1h 9min
RunOut #125: Michael Levy Brings Back Summit Journal; Plus, the Definitive Gumby Episode
After Rock and Ice and Climbing magazines stopped printing issues, a hole was left in the climbing media landscape. Enter Michael Levy, a writer based in New York City and a former editor at Rock and Ice. He has recently revived Summit Journal, and reimagined it as a heavy stock climbing magazine for climbers today. We talk about climbing media and the viability of print, and what it takes to make it in today’s digital world.
But first, yr crooked-helmet wearing hosts talk about Gumbies. What are they? Who are they? Why are they? And why does Alex Honnold think Gumby is such a joyous term. Strap in for the definitive lesson in how to not be such a Gumby—even though you’ll never not be one.
Last, we’re psyched to share the music of climber / producer Smith Curry, a session player and producer for Willie Nelson, Taylor Swift, Maren Morris, Dolly Parton, Pharrell Williams, Kid Rock, Jason Aldean and 200+ more.
Show Notes
Summit Journal
Follow Summit Journal on Instagram
Follow Michael Levy on Instagram
Follow Smith Curry on Instagram
Smith Curry
Become a RunOut Rope Gun! Support our podcast and increase your RunOut runtime. Bonus episodes, AMA, and more will be available to our Rope Guns. Thank you for your support! http://patreon.com/runoutpodcast
Contact us Send ideas, voicemail, feedback and more. andrew@runoutpodcast.com // chris@runoutpodcast.com

Apr 30, 2024 • 55min
RunOut 124: How Jesse Grupper is getting Psyched and Ready for the next Olympics
Last fall, Jesse Grupper took home the gold medal at the Pan Am games, securing his spot on Team USA for the Paris Olympics in 2024. Now just a few months out from the Games, we caught up with Jesse to hear about how he is preparing and getting psyched to represent our country in lead and bouldering at the Olympics—all while balancing life as a mechanical engineer pushing the limits of soft robotics to improve people’s lives.
But first, yr sticky, sweet podcast hosts get into a debate about glue and when it’s appropriate to use it to fix boulder problems that break. This discussion comes after one of Colorado’s oldest and most historic boulder problems broke, and locals put the question to the community for a vote.
Buster Jesik, IFMGA / AMGA mountain guide, lays down a sick drum track for today’s final bit.
Show Notes
Jesse Grupper Wins PanAM
Watch Jesse flash Livin’ Astro
Follow Jesse Grupper on Instagram
Mental Standard Has Broken — Instagram
Mental Standard — Mountain Project
Mountain Project Thread
Follow Buster Jesik on Instagram, Youtube, or contact him for guiding buster@coloradomountainschool.com
Become a RunOut Rope Gun! Support our podcast and increase your RunOut runtime. Bonus episodes, AMA, and more will be available to our Rope Guns. Thank you for your support! http://patreon.com/runoutpodcast
Contact us Send ideas, voicemail, feedback and more. andrew@runoutpodcast.com // chris@runoutpodcast.com

Apr 16, 2024 • 1h 7min
RunOut 123: How NFL Lineman Wes Schweitzer Uses Rock Climbing to Move Better and Get Stronger
Our guest today is #71 for the New York Jets: Wes Schweitzer, an offensive guard whose injuries sent him down a curious path of recovery: rock climbing. Since discovering the sport, Wes has fallen in love with climbing and uses it as a tool to improve his performance on and off the field. At 6’4” 330-pounds, Wes is considered one of the strongest lineman in the game, putting up 765-pound deadlifts well over twice his body weight. As a true professional athlete, Wes delivers some fascinating insights into how both football and climbing training mentalities could benefit from each other.
But first, yr favorite climbing podcasters play a game of Fuck, Marry, Kill with climbing gear.
Our final bit is a track from Harris Freif called “Tortillas and Peanut Butter” off his album Guitar 2.
Show Notes
Follow Wes Schweitzer on Instagram and Twitter
“Meet the 330-pound NFL Lineman Addicted to Rock Climbing”
Check out Harris Freif on Spotify
Become a RunOut Rope Gun! Support our podcast and increase your RunOut runtime. Bonus episodes, AMA, and more will be available to our Rope Guns. Thank you for your support! http://patreon.com/runoutpodcast
Contact us Send ideas, voicemail, feedback and more. andrew@runoutpodcast.com // chris@runoutpodcast.com

Mar 26, 2024 • 1h 31min
RunOut 122: Will Moss Leaves No Stone Unclimbed
Will Moss is a comp climber turned traddie from New York City, who has been quietly ticking some of the hardest gear-protected routes in the country over the past couple of years. His most recent notable ascent is the FA of the Gunks hardest: The Best Things in Life Are Free (5.14d R).
But first, we wind our way into a discussion about the elusive “undercover crusher,” and whether this mythical beast actually climbed the thing before everyone else, or if this is just what some bro is saying in order to take you down a peg or two.
Last, we’re honored to feature the atmospheric music of climber and musician Jessica Kilroy, with her track “It’s Infinite.”
Show Notes
Follow Will Moss on Instagram
William Moss, 18, Establishes 5.14d R Trad in the Gunks via Climbing Magazine
R-Rated: 5.14 Climbing on Marginal Gear on YouTube
About James Litz
Nacho Sanchez on Instagram
Follow Jessica Kilroy on Instagram
Jessica Kilroy Bandcamp
Jessica Kilroy on Spotify
Become a RunOut Rope Gun! Support our podcast and increase your RunOut runtime. Bonus episodes, AMA, and more will be available to our Rope Guns. Thank you for your support! http://patreon.com/runoutpodcast
Contact us Send ideas, voicemail, feedback and more. andrew@runoutpodcast.com // chris@runoutpodcast.com
Will Moss on Brozone (5.14b) at the Gunks. Photo by Gregory Berg

Mar 8, 2024 • 0sec
RunOut #121: Beth Rodden Reveals A Light Through the Cracks
Today’s guest is a climbing icon and legend: the great Beth Rodden. Beth was a youth national comp champ who went on to become one of the greatest female climbers of her time, with important first free ascents of El Cap and single-pitch trad test pieces such as Meltdown, a 5.14c crack that many say is harder and took a decade before it was repeated. Her new book is called A Light Through the Cracks.
But first we talk about the elusive “all-around” climber, with Bronwyn Hodgins at the top of mind. What does it take to be considered a great all-around climber? And is that the future for what we demand of our top-end climbers?
Today’s final bit comes courtesy of the extremely talented Beezer (aka Mason Earle) with the track Loggersports.
Show Notes
Follow Beth Rodden on Instagram
Pre-order A Light Through the Cracks from an independent book store or big one
Follow Bronwyn Hodgins on Instagram
News / post about Bronwyn’s latest redpoint
Watch Bronwyn and Jacob Cook free climb a big wall
Follow Mason Earle on Instagram
Check out Beezer on YouTube
Become a RunOut Rope Gun! Support our podcast and increase your RunOut runtime. Bonus episodes, AMA, and more will be available to our Rope Guns. Thank you for your support! http://patreon.com/runoutpodcast
Contact us Send ideas, voicemail, feedback and more. andrew@runoutpodcast.com // chris@runoutpodcast.com


