American Alpine Club Podcast

Welcome to the first episode of our “Undercover Crushers” Series, where the AAC talks to some of the hidden gems of the climbing community—those climbers who are hitting big numbers under the radar, but also crushing in a different sense…contributing to their community in big ways, that often go unnoticed. In our first episode, we’re talking to a prolific developer and local West Virginia crusher—Andrew Leich—who's based out of an area of West Virginia that’s ALSO undercover…the bouldering and climbs of Cheat Canyon and Morgantown, WV. We talk to Andrew about the excellent rock around this area, and his projects—including a massive endurofest double digit sloper boulder and a clean crimping 14b at the historica Seneca Rocks. We dive into developing, the trouble with grading, wrestling rhododendrons, land use ethics when developing, writing a comprehensive guidebook for the exploding rock in the region, and more. Find Andrew's guidebook, Cheat Canyon Rock, here: https://cheatcanyonrock.com

In this episode, we sit down with climbing partners Erik Weihenmayer and Felipe Tapia Nordenflycht to talk about their recent expedition to Patagonia. Erik and Felipe are each incredible athletes in their own right, but the real heart of this conversation is about partnership, and the unique ways we learn from and rely on our climbing partners. We dive into Erik’s incredible career as the first blind person to climb Everest, and Felipe’s roots in Chile that inspired this expedition and continue to influence him as he emerges as an athlete and pro photographer. We cover their unique experiences at the summit of Torre Norte, and how each of them hope to see the climbing community grow and expand. Their travels to Patagonia and their partnership are the subject of a new film sponsored by Rab—get the full story and behind the scenes details here!

On this episode of the podcast, we sat down with the infamous Tom Randall of Wide Boyz fame. Tom reflected on some of the most transformative moments in his climbing career, debunked some of the myths of climbing training, and got us hyped on the AAC’s new partnership and discount with Lattice Training. Whether it's how to train as a trad climber, or the difference that trainers see between UK athletes and US athletes, we covered a broad range of topics. If you’re curious whether you should start training for climbing, even if your goals in climbing have nothing to do with pushing grades, then dive in!

A skier on Mt. Hood had slid out and fallen into an open volcanic pit—the Devil’s Kitchen Fumerole. With a broken femur and the toxic gasses of the volcano swirling in the air—the situation was dire. Many of the folks on Portland Mountain Rescue and the Hood River Crag Rats weren’t sure that the patient would survive when they first got the call. But with their unique fumerole self-lowering rope system, PMR and the Crag Rats were able get the patient out of that alien world of ice and snow and toxic gasses. To dig into the details of the mission, we sat down with Cully Wiseman, a surgeon and the head medical lead on this mission, and Scott Norton, a rescue leader on the mission. Learn about their decision making process during rescues, the types of accidents they most often see, and what they wish climbers knew about SAR. *** Portland Mountain Rescue is a winner of this year's Rocky Talkie Search and Rescue Award. Hear the other finalists' stories and vote for the most inspiring story among them at Americanalpineclub.org/sar-awards-2023

When rockfall takes its toll, things get serious. Late in the day on an alpine climb in the Sierra, a microwave sized block fell and broke the leg of a climber as she stood at a belay 1,500 ft up Mt Emerson. As Inyo County Search and Rescue launched into the mission, they quickly realized that helicopter evacuation would not be possible given the weather. With freezing temperatures setting in and darkness falling, the ground team sprung into action—ultimately climbing hundreds of feet to the patient, and rigging hundreds of feet of a static lowering system to ultimately get her to a hospital 24 hours later, dodging inclement weather and rockfall hazards along the way. In this episode, we sat down with Todd Vogel, one of the team leads for the mission, to learn about the nitty gritty details of the rescue, what happens when the weather is too bad for helicopters, and how SAR teams deal with the emotional roller-coaster of their work. *** Inyo County Search and Rescue is a winner of this year's Rocky Talkie Search and Rescue Award. Hear the other finalists' stories and vote for the most inspiring story among them at Americanalpineclub.org/sar-awards-2023

When the Chelan County Mountain Rescue team first heard that there was a boulder pinning a hiker in the Enchantments, they just assumed the hiker was trailside and easily accessible. But as the helicopter dropped them off at the scene of the accident, they quickly realized that the fridge sized boulder was pinning the hiker between a tree and another rock—right above a perilous cliff edge. The patient had both of his legs pinned and one arm–and his stats were falling fast. The team had to work quickly to secure everyone on the cliff side, and utilize a novel technique to lift the boulder and free the hiker fast, and without causing more crush injuries. We sat down with Vern Nelson, President of Chelan County Mountain Rescue and one of the team leads on the mission, to talk about this new rescue technique, what he wishes climbers knew to prevent accidents in the mountains, and the culture of blame and shame around climbing and hiking accidents. *** Chelan County Mountain Rescue is a winner of this year's Rocky Talkie Search and Rescue Award. Hear the other finalists' stories and vote for the most inspiring story among them at Americanalpineclub.org/sar-awards-2023

Is comp climbing the new cutting edge of our sport? We’re featuring a conversation between guest host and AAC board member Cody Kaemmerlen, and USA Climbing’s Head Coach, Josh Larson. Cody and Josh hang out at the USA Training Center to record this conversation, and talk team culture, behind the scenes of comp training, and even a bit about how the Olympics is shaping competitive climbing. This isn’t your typical training podcast. We’re taking a deep dive into the inner workings of an ever evolving part of our sport. Listen in to get some insights on the philosophy powering the USA Climbing Team, from the coach who trains some of the best climbers in America.

In this engaging conversation, Pete Takeda, the editor of Accidents in North American Climbing, sheds light on alarming trends in climbing accidents, emphasizing the impact of crowding and social media education. He poignantly reflects on the climbing community's resilience in the face of tragedy. Joining him, Lee Preston discusses the American Alpine Club's rescue benefits and medical coverage, providing vital information for climbers to prepare for unexpected incidents. Their insights spotlight the blend of thrill and responsibility in the climbing world.

Have you ever wondered: what’s at the root of Alex Honnold’s need for speed? In this episode of the podcast, we sat down with the ever-fascinating Alex Honnold, and put him in conversation with one of ulta running’s forefathers and one of the inventors of the FKT concept, or “fastest known time,” the one and only Buzz Burrell. In this episode, we took inspiration from Alex, who blends sports like running and rock climbing to create massive link-ups like the HURT and the CUDL, to investigate the philosophies behind climbing speed records, ultras, and mountain traverses and link-ups. Why are we so obsessed with speed in the mountains? How do speed records and first ascents play off each other? And what can putting ultra runners and speed record holders together in conversation reveal about these sports we love? The iconic Alex Honnold and Buzz Burrell weigh in on all this and more.

Climbing in America’s Wilderness areas—places like Joshua Tree, Yosemite, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, and so many other iconic climbing areas—is under threat. The bolting wars of old have been revived, but with a new inflection. It’s no longer sport climbers and trad climbers duking it out. Federal land managers feel cornered by increased usage on our public lands...and are arguing its necessary to ban the use of fixed anchors. But this is in conflict with climbers, who know that fixed anchors have always been allowed in Wilderness and prohibiting them will not resolve this issue, but only present new ones. While normally climbers and land managers are partners, this disagreement over fixed anchors in Wilderness is a strong threat to our ability to work together. So what exactly is this bolting war about, and what’s at stake here? In this episode, the AAC sat down with Erik Murdock, the Vice President of Policy & Government Affairs at Access Fund, to talk about the nitty gritty details of this critical conversation about bolting and fixed anchors in Wilderness. We also cover the Protect America’s Rock Climbing Act (or PARC Act), which will help climbers preserve climbing in Wilderness as it has been historically protected, and continue to partner with land managers to conserve the public lands we all love. Get your legislators to support the PARC Act and protect Wilderness climbing here: https://www.accessfund.org/action-alerts/protect-wilderness-climbing-national