The Climbing Majority
Most climbing media focuses on the edges of the sport—the most elite athletes and biggest achievements. But climbing has grown far beyond that. The Climbing Majority exists to give voice to everyone else: dirtbags, weekend warriors, route developers, living legends, and world-class climbers flying under the radar. This podcast explores what climbing actually means—the partnerships, the risks, the identity, and the pursuit of meaning beyond the grades.
Episodes
119 episodes
119 | Steph Abegg: The Beta Queen - Passions, Partnerships, & Publications
If you don't already know who Steph Abegg is, I can almost certainly say that you've used her work. Her detailed route topos, trip reports, and beta overlays appear all over the internet covering climbs from the North Cascades to Red Rocks. For...
118 | Phillp Setter: Shenanigans, Mt. Yamnuska, & How To Live A Full Life
Philip Setter is an insurance broker and software entrepreneur from Canada who's been climbing for over a decade. He is known to quietly solo some of the gnarliest ice the Canadian Rockies has to offer and has an affinity for chossy, runout, da...
117 | Drew Brodhead: SLCA Coordinator - Anchor Maintenance & Climbing Advocacy
Drew Brodhead is the Staff Advocacy Coordinator and Anchor Maintenance Coordinator for the Salt Lake Climbers Alliance, one of the most respected local climbing organizations in the country. With 18+ years of climbing experience and SPRAT Level...
116 | Paul Rogers: Active Duty Green Beret - Mountain Warfare Training & A 2200ft Fall
Paul Rogers is an active duty US Army Special Forces (Green Beret) officer who previously served as the commander of the Special Operations Mountain Warfare Training Center (SOMWTC), the specialized schoolhouse responsible for training all mili...
115 | Jared Wicks: LVMPD SAR Officer - How Rescues Work, Red Rock Accidents & 30 Years of Climbing
Jared Wicks has been a rock climber for over 30 years, he is a former SWAT officer, and one of seven full-time commissioned officers on the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Search and Rescue team. Born and raised in Montana, Jared serve...
114 | Justin Sackett: Chasing Altitude - Close Calls & Training for Everest Without O2
Justin Sackett, an AMGA guide who googled "hardest hike" in college and ended up on a 20,000-foot peak in Ecuador with zero mountaineering experience. That failure lit a fire that led him from complete beginner to professional guide to running ...
113 | David Baltz: 50 Years Of Climbing: Old School Ethics & Timeless Stories
David Baltz started climbing in 1974 when there were only eight climbers in all of Albuquerque. Over five decades, he's witnessed climbing's transformation from a fringe pursuit requiring pitons and commitment...to a commercialized sport with g...
112 | Jason Niemeier: An "Eldo" Accident - Partner Vetting, Ledge Falls & Processing Blame
Jason met a new climbing partner through a Facebook group, vetted him over a few conversations, and went to Eldorado Canyon for their first route together. Twenty feet up the Yellow Spur, his partner fell onto a ledge—rope behind the leg, face-...
111 | Taylor Martin: Alone on Big Walls - Five New First Ascents, Trauma Recovery, & Trans Identity
After being literally run over by a school bus in Atlanta, climber Taylor Martin rebuilt her life through big mountain pursuits and solo aid climbing. This episode dives deep into Taylor's five new Yosemite first ascents established in a single...
110 | Connor Baty: Flow Without Fame - Zion First Ascents, Rope Soloing & Unsponsored Climbing
22-year-old Zion crusher Connor Baty on first ascents, rope soloing the Triple Wall in 12 hours, and why he climbs without sponsors. Kora FA, Towers of the Virgin, and living the unsponsored dream.Today's guest is 22-year-old silent cru...
109 | Vitaliy Musiyenko & Sean McLane - Tragedy, Partnerships & Risk Management in Alpine Climbing
Vitaliy is one of the most prolific and respected alpinists of his generation and has a reputation as a master of long, complex alpine objectives—including becoming the first person to complete The Goliath Traverse in the Eastern Sierra…which m...
108 | The Developer Of The Nooks w/ Brendan Baars & DJ Viernes
Way out in the Canadian wilderness — six hours from the nearest city, little to no cell reception, surrounded by mossy forests and granite — lies a world-class bouldering destination. Secluded, quiet, and breathtakingly beautiful, The Nooks has...
107 | Unpacking The Life of A Legend w/ Randy Leavitt
Randy Leavitt.As a climber who grew up in Southern California, I’ve been hearing this name since the very beginning of my climbing career. Collaborative inventor of the wide-crack climbing technique so aptly named “Leavittation,”
106 | Into The Mind Of A Mountain Guide w/ IFMGA Silas Rossi
Today I have the privilege to be sitting down with our previous guest Silas Rossi..Silas is an IFMGA Certified Mountain Guide and President of the AMGA organization. After Silas and I’s last conversation in April, I’ve been jotting down a list ...
105 | The Performance Paradox: Redefining Success in Climbing and Life w/ AMGA Guide Kevin Heinrich
In his earlier years, Kevin dedicated his life to the craft of climbing. He lived in a van, chased adventure across the globe, and devoted every ounce of his energy to the pursuit of performance. During that chapter, he climbed up to 5.13b, est...
104 | Into the Unseen: Climbing and Living with Vision Loss w/ Justin Salas
Justin Salas has a significant visual impairment. He lost his sight due to an undiagnosed optic neuropathy when he was 14. Imagine, you're a teenager fresh into highschool…you have ambitions to join the military, you already own a small busines...
103 | Timeless Tales From A Local Legend w/ Andrew Fulton
Red Rock Canyon is a National Conservation Area about 17 miles from the Las Vegas Strip. Its striking red and cream-colored sandstone walls hold thousands of climbs — from 20-foot sport routes to adventurous 20-pitch trad lines. Today, I’m sitt...
102 | Surviving the Goliath Traverse w/ Michael Vaill & Tanner Wanish
Today we once again have the honor of sitting down with The Quad Fathers—Michael Vaill and Tanner Wanish. The last time I spoke with them, they had just wrapped up their legendary Yosemite Quad. But little did we know, on the descent f...
101 | A New Era Of Journalism w/ Michael Levy
My guest today is Michael Levy: recreational alpinist, rock climber, journalist and the owner and editor of The Summit Journal. Originally founded in 1955 by Jean Crenshaw and Helen Kilness, The Summit Journal was the first climbing-focused pri...
100 | TCM Legacy: Accidents, Mentorship, and First Ascents w/ Joshua Reinig
Today, we’re doing something a little different. For the first time ever, I’m releasing a TCM Legacy Episode—diving back into one of the show’s earliest conversations, this one with Joshua Reinig.It’s been over three years since...
99 | Beyond Chasing Grades w/ Tal Wanish Part 2
We kick things off by diving into the nuances of Totems—what their limitations are, whether they’re as good as everyone says, and whether the mystical powers of the black Totem are fact or fiction. From there, we dig into climbing part...
98 | Beyond Chasing Grades w/ Tal Wanish Part 1
Today, I sit down with Tal Wanish—rock climber, mentor, prominent route developer in Colorado’s Front Range, and brother of our previous guest, Tanner Wanish. But Tal’s not just a rogue route developer. He’s a deeply involved member of his loca...
97 | The Mountain Angel: A Life of Search & Rescue in the High Sierra w/ Dean Rosnau Part 2
Today, we’re continuing our conversation with Dean Rosnau. If you haven’t listened to Part I yet, I highly recommend checking that out before diving into this episode.We pick up with one of the most personal and tragic stories in Dean’s ...
96 | The Mountain Angel: A Life of Search & Rescue in The High Sierra w/ Dean Rosnau Part 1
As we progress as climbers and inevitably turn our gaze toward higher peaks and more remote objectives, a common lesson begins to emerge: the mountains are a dangerous place to play. But early on, this remains a lesson heard, not truly...
95 | Local Legend of Lover's Leap w/ Petch Pietrolungo Part II
Today, we’re picking up right where we left off with Petch Pietrolungo—climber, AMGA certified guide, free soloist, and the local legend of Lover’s Leap in California. If you missed part one of this conversation, I highly recommend headin...
