“Mountaineering, climbing - whatever name you want to give it - is probably the most honest thing there is”
Sometimes… there’s room for one more episode. Even though Mountain Air is currently on a summer break between the end of series 3 and the eventual arrival of series 4, a timely interview opportunity came along that proved impossible to turn down.
The recently released book “Walking Out of the Dark: How I Learned to Love Life Again” comes from first-time author Kelvyn James. A searingly honest piece of writing, it recounts profound tragedies and long-endured traumas but ultimately describes “a life-affirming journey through mountains, memory and meaning”.
In this conversation, Kelvyn describes the origin of the book, and discusses why healing, mental health and the outdoors are so profoundly connected.
* Learn more about Kelvyn here: https://mountainservices.co.uk/
If you’d like to buy a copy of the book - profits from which go directly to the charity Wellness Walks - you can do so via the Wellness Walks website or on Amazon via the links below.
* https://wellnesswalks.org.uk/product/walking-out-of-the-dark-signed-hardback/
* https://www.amazon.co.uk/Walking-out-Dark-learned-again/dp/1068519436
Listen, enjoy, tell your friends.
[episode recorded on 16/06/25]
00:00 - Introduction
02:17 - Welcome from the most confused place in Britain
04:08 - A litany of outdoor achievements (“an insight into high-functioning ADHD”)
06:50 - An overview of Walking out of the Dark; “I didn’t know I was writing a book for a long time, I thought I was writing a journal”
09:00 - “Even from the darkest of things, people can find a way”; describing the “black hole” at the centre of the book
14:48 - Release and healing in the outdoors; a place to be open with others; the psychology of the outdoor experience
16:15 - “Mountaineering, climbing… whatever name you want to give it, is probably the most honest thing there is”
18:10 - “Climbing was the first thing where I felt me, where I first felt in charge... and when what happened happened, it was climbing I went back to”
19:20 - “I didn’t expect people to react well, and pretty much they all universally did... it gave me a sense of worth”; a personal history of a love of climbing
24:20 - Learning to lead in the outdoors: “I remember asking my instructor what his real job was”; thoughts on the tough financial reality for outdoor professionals
28:53 - All about Wellness Walks; walking from home during the COVID pandemic; putting an advert on social media and waking up to dozens of requests; the honesty that comes from walking and talking without the need for eye contact
35:00 - “I didn’t see the joy in the world for a long time, but the miracle is that joy doesn’t disappear”
38:35 - Greatest Mountain Memory: a peerless viewpoint just outside of the Chamonix valley
42:20 - All the time, money, freedom… where do you go and what would you do? Climbing Pinnacle Ridge on the Helvellyn range.
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“Mountaineering, climbing - whatever name you want to give it - is probably the most honest thing there is”
Sometimes… there’s room for one more episode. Even though Mountain Air is currently on a summer break between the end of series 3 and the eventual arrival of series 4, a timely interview opportunity came along that proved impossible to turn down.
The recently released book “Walking Out of the Dark: How I Learned to Love Life Again” comes from first-time author Kelvyn James. A searingly honest piece of writing, it recounts profound tragedies and long-endured traumas but ultimately describes “a life-affirming journey through mountains, memory and meaning”.
In this conversation, Kelvyn describes the origin of the book, and discusses why healing, mental health and the outdoors are so profoundly connected.
* Learn more about Kelvyn here: https://mountainservices.co.uk/
If you’d like to buy a copy of the book - profits from which go directly to the charity Wellness Walks - you can do so via the Wellness Walks website or on Amazon via the links below.
* https://wellnesswalks.org.uk/product/walking-out-of-the-dark-signed-hardback/
* https://www.amazon.co.uk/Walking-out-Dark-learned-again/dp/1068519436
Listen, enjoy, tell your friends.
[episode recorded on 16/06/25]
00:00 - Introduction
02:17 - Welcome from the most confused place in Britain
04:08 - A litany of outdoor achievements (“an insight into high-functioning ADHD”)
06:50 - An overview of Walking out of the Dark; “I didn’t know I was writing a book for a long time, I thought I was writing a journal”
09:00 - “Even from the darkest of things, people can find a way”; describing the “black hole” at the centre of the book
14:48 - Release and healing in the outdoors; a place to be open with others; the psychology of the outdoor experience
16:15 - “Mountaineering, climbing… whatever name you want to give it, is probably the most honest thing there is”
18:10 - “Climbing was the first thing where I felt me, where I first felt in charge... and when what happened happened, it was climbing I went back to”
19:20 - “I didn’t expect people to react well, and pretty much they all universally did... it gave me a sense of worth”; a personal history of a love of climbing
24:20 - Learning to lead in the outdoors: “I remember asking my instructor what his real job was”; thoughts on the tough financial reality for outdoor professionals
28:53 - All about Wellness Walks; walking from home during the COVID pandemic; putting an advert on social media and waking up to dozens of requests; the honesty that comes from walking and talking without the need for eye contact
35:00 - “I didn’t see the joy in the world for a long time, but the miracle is that joy doesn’t disappear”
38:35 - Greatest Mountain Memory: a peerless viewpoint just outside of the Chamonix valley
42:20 - All the time, money, freedom… where do you go and what would you do? Climbing Pinnacle Ridge on the Helvellyn range.
Episode 2#04 is thrilled to sit down with Colorado-based Renan Ozturk to discuss his latest film “The Sanctity of Space”. A climbing film at heart, it not only celebrates the stunning landscapes of Denali National Park, the Alaska Range and the film-makers’ carving of a new skyline route across the “Moose’s Tooth” peak (3,150m)… but also pays heartfelt tribute to Brad Washburn, the legendary aerial photographer whose life’s work provided inspiration for the entire project.
And there’s time for more than that too. Renan - a sponsored expedition climber, landscape artist, and previous “National Geographic Adventurer of the Year” - has had a busy career so far. You may recognise him from his previous film projects “Meru” and “Sherpa” (both 2015), or perhaps from his back catalogue of arresting mountaineering photography. Possibly you’re one of his million-strong Instagram followers, or you met “dumpster diving” at Trader Joe’s in southern California, or he offered you a lift in the “technobago” whilst you were both enjoying your dirtbag climber phase. But don’t worry if not, this interview will provide the perfect introduction either way.
> Read more about Renan here: renanozturk.com, and find him on the ‘gram here: @renan_ozturk
> Find screenings and streaming links for “The Sanctity of Space” here: thesanctityofspace.com
Listen, enjoy, tell your friends, subscribe to the podcast if you get and chance, and thank UKHillwalking.com for their kind support of this series!
[episode recorded on 10/03/22]
> Find galleries, blog posts and many more episodes at www.mountainairpodcast.uk
00:00 - Introduction
03:05 - Welcome
04:14 - “The Sanctity of Space” - Brad Washburn, the sharing of exploration, finding an antique plane, “feeling the magic” in Washburn’s camera
11:20 - “I think what he created still stands up against the highest resolution digital cameras”
11:59 - Gyro-stabilised gimbals
15:33 - The Moose’s Tooth: “… it’s going to be hard to top that experience of drawing a line with our bodies across that beautiful skyline.”
18:40 - “The factors are always stacked against you in the mountains”
19:11 - Top backcountry tip: “...just as long as you always save half your dinner, you’re never going to run out of food”
20:30 - The allure of Denali National Park: “there aren’t many places in the world that are as alive as the Alaska Range”
26:13 - The challenges of film-making: needing “the same optimism you have when you’re doing a climb”
26:58 - “It’s impossible to answer the question of why you climb, and why you suffer, and why you put yourself in these crazy situations… as artists we always want to package it in different ways where the art itself answers the question, these images give people heart-palpitations or goosebumps in a way that you can never do in a conversation at the bar.”
28:48 - Growing up in Rhode Island, discovering mountaineering at College, “I wasn’t one of these kids that grew up with Yvon Chouinard as an uncle”
32:30 - The “technobago”, a duffel bag, a backpack, an “endless summer” of climbing for seven or eight years
34:00 - Painting, not “struggling with technology”, dragging a 10ft long canvas around the landscape of Nepal
39:15 - “Dumpster diving” in Trader Joe’s in southern California, career thoughts
44:07 - Greatest mountain memory: the end of the Mooth’s Tooth traverse “moving for some 30-odd hours… hallucinating without drugs… the summertime in Alaska where it doesn’t really get dark”46:00 - All the time, money, freedom… what do you do? “I’d still be doing what I’m doing now. It’s such a random storm of luck and opportunity that’s led me here”
Mountain Air
“Mountaineering, climbing - whatever name you want to give it - is probably the most honest thing there is”
Sometimes… there’s room for one more episode. Even though Mountain Air is currently on a summer break between the end of series 3 and the eventual arrival of series 4, a timely interview opportunity came along that proved impossible to turn down.
The recently released book “Walking Out of the Dark: How I Learned to Love Life Again” comes from first-time author Kelvyn James. A searingly honest piece of writing, it recounts profound tragedies and long-endured traumas but ultimately describes “a life-affirming journey through mountains, memory and meaning”.
In this conversation, Kelvyn describes the origin of the book, and discusses why healing, mental health and the outdoors are so profoundly connected.
* Learn more about Kelvyn here: https://mountainservices.co.uk/
If you’d like to buy a copy of the book - profits from which go directly to the charity Wellness Walks - you can do so via the Wellness Walks website or on Amazon via the links below.
* https://wellnesswalks.org.uk/product/walking-out-of-the-dark-signed-hardback/
* https://www.amazon.co.uk/Walking-out-Dark-learned-again/dp/1068519436
Listen, enjoy, tell your friends.
[episode recorded on 16/06/25]
00:00 - Introduction
02:17 - Welcome from the most confused place in Britain
04:08 - A litany of outdoor achievements (“an insight into high-functioning ADHD”)
06:50 - An overview of Walking out of the Dark; “I didn’t know I was writing a book for a long time, I thought I was writing a journal”
09:00 - “Even from the darkest of things, people can find a way”; describing the “black hole” at the centre of the book
14:48 - Release and healing in the outdoors; a place to be open with others; the psychology of the outdoor experience
16:15 - “Mountaineering, climbing… whatever name you want to give it, is probably the most honest thing there is”
18:10 - “Climbing was the first thing where I felt me, where I first felt in charge... and when what happened happened, it was climbing I went back to”
19:20 - “I didn’t expect people to react well, and pretty much they all universally did... it gave me a sense of worth”; a personal history of a love of climbing
24:20 - Learning to lead in the outdoors: “I remember asking my instructor what his real job was”; thoughts on the tough financial reality for outdoor professionals
28:53 - All about Wellness Walks; walking from home during the COVID pandemic; putting an advert on social media and waking up to dozens of requests; the honesty that comes from walking and talking without the need for eye contact
35:00 - “I didn’t see the joy in the world for a long time, but the miracle is that joy doesn’t disappear”
38:35 - Greatest Mountain Memory: a peerless viewpoint just outside of the Chamonix valley
42:20 - All the time, money, freedom… where do you go and what would you do? Climbing Pinnacle Ridge on the Helvellyn range.
