Today, in the final interview of the season, we are talking to young legend in the making, Jordan Cannon, who is fresh off of an incredible season of big wall climbing. Most important for this conversation is his recent ascent of The Free Salathé, including the infamous Pitch 19, one of only a handful to do the route this way. Jordan’s emphasis on aiming for the best style possible without letting that get in the way of having an incredible experience is refreshing. It’s not about rules. It’s just for the love of the game. In this episode we get nerdy about some of the individual pitches, including Pitch 19, the roof and the headwall, and try to parse out some of the confusing history. We also discuss Jordan’s ascent, the style he aimed for, and the compromises he had to make. And finally, why Jordan isn’t yet finished with The Free Salathé.     Jordan on Instagram Watch Free As Can Be   PREORDER THE BOOK AND GET BONUS EPISODES!   BIG WALLS, SIGNED BY PAUL PIANA: https://www.powercompanyclimbing.com/store/p/big-walls Check out our website for related episodes, resources and more! ---------------------------------- Season Two is generously supported by Rab.  This episode is supported by Tension Climbing and The Tension Board 2. Written in Stone is co-created with Power Company Climbing.

Mark Hudon is a bonafide climbing legend. One of the best free climbers of the 70s and early 80s, he and partner Max Jones looked past convention and moved hard free climbing to the big walls of Yosemite. His article Long, Hard and Free inspired a whole generation of climbers, including Todd Skinner and Paul Piana, and laid the groundwork for the game that is Yosemite big wall free climbing. In this episode we discuss the idea that eventually led to the Free Salathe, how Mark felt about it finally getting done, and how his philosophy about climbing has changed over time.  Find Mark online Read Long, Hard and Free Watch Free As Can Be   PREORDER THE BOOK AND GET BONUS EPISODES!   BIG WALLS, SIGNED BY PAUL PIANA: https://www.powercompanyclimbing.com/store/p/big-walls Check out our website for related episodes, resources and more! ---------------------------------- Season Two is generously supported by Rab.  This episode is supported by Tension Climbing and The Tension Board 2. Written in Stone is co-created with Power Company Climbing.

Steve Bechtel is a Wyoming climbing legend who moved to Lander when the limestone at Wild Iris was discovered and helped to develop it alongside Todd Skinner and Paul Piana.  In this episode we discuss the sides of Skinner and Piana that often get lost when listing accomplishments - their roles as friends and community builders. Their humanity. Find Steve online.   PREORDER THE BOOK AND GET BONUS EPISODES! BIG WALLS, SIGNED BY PAUL PIANA: https://www.powercompanyclimbing.com/store/p/big-walls   Check out our website for related episodes, resources and more! Join the Secret Stoners Club for FREE and get bonus episodes. ---------------------------------- Season Two is generously supported by Rab.  This episode is supported by Tension Climbing and The Tension Board 2. Written in Stone is co-created with Power Company Climbing.

After causing a ruckus in Yosemite Valley and Index, Todd Skinner didn’t slink away. He looked up. Way up. At El Capitan. He and Paul Piana had been dramatically influenced by an article written by Mark Hudon called Long, Hard and Free, and the dusty disappointment of the Valley Demi-Gods wasn’t going to hold them back.  Using tactics borrowed from the future, Skinner and Piana got to work on their big objective, free climbing the Salathé Wall. Many great climbers had made free attempts. Each contributed to the mystique. Several claimed it would never go free. The two cowboys from Wyoming didn’t believe that - they had been collecting skills that made them uniquely suited for this route. The flaring cracks of Vedauwoo. The runouts of The Needles. The pin scars of City Park and The Renegade. The dynamic climbing of Hueco Tanks. It would be, all at once, a notice of change and a love letter to the past.They weren’t going to take no for an answer, even if it killed them. It nearly did. BIG WALLS, SIGNED BY PAUL PIANA: https://www.powercompanyclimbing.com/store/p/big-walls Check out our website for related episodes, resources and more! Join the Secret Stoners Club for FREE and get bonus episodes. ---------------------------------- Season Two is generously supported by Rab.  This episode is supported by Tension Climbing and The Tension Board 2. Written in Stone is co-created with Power Company Climbing.

By the middle of the 1980s, the shift to sport climbing was in full swing. Two Wyoming cowboys, Paul Piana and Todd Skinner, recognized that the strength they’d gained from sport climbing would give them an advantage on projects left behind by the previous generation. However, that previous generation wasn’t so quick to embrace the changes. Particularly in Yosemite Valley, resistance was massive – they wanted their walls preserved in a time that was already in the past. It would take a new age maverick to push through the noise, but that maverick would need a calming and realistic voice beside him.  BIG WALLS, SIGNED BY PAUL PIANA! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel! Check out our website for related episodes, resources and more! Join the Secret Stoners Club for FREE and get bonus episodes. ---------------------------------- Season Two is generously supported by Rab.  This episode is supported by Tension Climbing and The Tension Board 2. Written in Stone is co-created with Power Company Climbing.

Rob LeBreton wears a lot of hats. First, he’s a long time friend of the show, but he’s also a dad, husband, gym owner, former president of Sport Climbing Australia, and absolute climbing legend - the first Australian to establish climbs of 31 and 32 (13d and 14a) in Australia.  After the Snowbird episode came out, Rob sent me a video of the finals that he had recorded onto VHS back in 1988, which resulted in several things. First, I got excited to see the famous Edlinger moment at the top of the wall. Second, I posted it on YouTube and have been blown away by how many people are excited to see it - the link is in the shownotes - and third, it made me realize how much someone across the world can be impacted by a story and the media created around that story. So I asked Rob to come on the show so I could better understand where Australian climbing was in '88 and what seeing this television broadcast meant to him. Watch the Snowbird Finals Video at https://youtu.be/Gl0spp0S34Q   Check out our website for related episodes, resources and more! Join the Secret Stoners Club for FREE and get bonus episodes. ---------------------------------- Season Two is generously supported by Rab.  This episode is supported by Tension Climbing and The Tension Board 2. Written in Stone is co-created with Power Company Climbing.

Alan Watts is widely recognized as the father of American sport climbing and a leading developer at Smith Rock. However, most don’t know about his impact on the indoor climbing industry in the US or the fact that in 1988 he set for the very first international climbing competition in the country - Snowbird. In this episode we discuss his role as route setter and judge, and how that meant he had an up close and personal view of the drama that unfolded during semi-finals. We also speculate as to what might have happened had the original rules held rather than the World Cup rules. What if Didier hadn’t been disqualified? What if Destivelle had remained out or if that huge move in the middle of the finals route had been a little smaller? Watch the finals of Snowbird 1988! Check out our website for related episodes, resources and more! Join the Secret Stoners Club for FREE and get bonus episodes. ---------------------------------- Season Two is generously supported by Rab.  This episode is supported by Tension Climbing and The Tension Board 2. Written in Stone is co-created with Power Company Climbing.

In 1985, 19 of the top French climbers signed a manifesto against competition climbing. But competitions came anyway. Quickly, most of those same signees defected - becoming the climbers to beat at every event. As happens in every competitive sport, rivalries were formed, and would play out in the vertical theater.  In 1988, America would host its first International competition at Snowbird in Utah's Little Cottonwood Canyon. The 115 foot artificial wall would become a battlefield. Competition versus climbing. The organizers versus Didier Raboutou. Catherine Destivelle versus Lynn Hill. And for the crown, Jibe Tribout versus Patrick Edlinger.  It was going to be a showdown. Several of them. Check out our website for related episodes, resources and more! Join the Secret Stoners Club for FREE and get bonus episodes. ---------------------------------- Season Two is generously supported by Rab.  This episode is supported by Tension Climbing and The Tension Board 2. Written in Stone is co-created with Power Company Climbing.

A big part of my research for any UK climber ends up being first, climbing-history.org run by Remus Knowles, but then immediately after I start reading endless threads on UKclimbing.com. While there, I often bump into an authoritative voice who obviously absolutely LOVES climbing history. Ted Kingsnorth.  I first came across Ted’s name when he made an extended effort to climb Just Do It at Smith Rock - a route whose history we detailed last season and I’m sure Ted’s descriptions of the route influenced the episode. Ted made multiple trips to Smith from the UK over 3 years before succeeding, and it’s that determination and belief that made me take notice.  I could have reached out to a lot of people to talk about the influence of Jerry Moffatt, but as you’ll hear in this conversation, Ted was absolutely the right person.  Follow Ted on YouTube and Instagram. Image credit: Sam Lawson Check out our website for related episodes, resources and more! Join the Secret Stoners Club for FREE and get bonus episodes. ---------------------------------- Season Two is generously supported by Rab.  This episode is supported by Tension Climbing and The Tension Board 2. Written in Stone is co-created with Power Company Climbing.

In 1984, Jerry Moffatt was quite possibly the best climber in the world. A year later, he was out of climbing entirely, with severe elbow problems. During his couple of years off, climbing moved on without him - and it moved fast. Bolts became the norm, yo-yo ascents were all but gone, replaced by redpoint tactics, difficulty had skyrocketed from 13c to 14b, and the best climbers were all competing. To make it that much more daunting, Jerry couldn't even climb his old warmups.  But he wanted to be the best. So he got to work. Check out our website for related episodes, resources and more! Join the Secret Stoners Club for FREE and get bonus episodes. ---------------------------------- Season Two is generously supported by Rab.  This episode is supported by Tension Climbing and The Tension Board 2. Written in Stone is co-created with Power Company Climbing.  

Beyond being a top athlete, Wolfgang Güllich was also a training nerd and developed the campus board. Because of this, I knew I needed to talk to Mark Anderson. Mark is one of the twin Anderson Brothers - both great climbers and pioneers in the training space. They wrote The Rock Climbers Training Manual, developed the Rock Prodigy Hangboard and Training Method, and Mark made a pilgrimage to The Campus Center in Nuremberg to see the original campus board. He climbed some routes in the Frankenjura while there too, of course. In this episode we get into the campus board, Wolfgang’s impact, over-romanticizing the routes of your heroes, and more. The original campus board measurements and specs. Check out our website for related episodes, resources and more! Join the Secret Stoners Club for FREE and get bonus episodes. ---------------------------------- Season Two is generously supported by Rab.  This episode is supported by Tension Climbing and The Tension Board 2. Written in Stone is co-created with Power Company Climbing.

After establishing Punks in the Gym, the first 14a (8b+), Wolfgang Güllich was looking for a change. First he accepted an invitation to a competition in Bardonecchia, Italy. It left a bad taste in his mouth. Over the next year, after doing a few more hard routes, he experimented with bold climbing on gritstone and free soloing, culminating in his free solo of Separate Reality in Yosemite. After that, he established his second 14a, Wallstreet, in the Frankenjura. Being in his home area, this one was special. So when someone enlarged the crux pocket, he took it personally.   Check out our website for related episodes, resources and more! Join the Secret Stoners Club for FREE and get bonus episodes. ---------------------------------- Season Two is generously supported by Rab.  This episode is supported by Tension Climbing and The Tension Board 2. Written in Stone is co-created with Power Company Climbing.

Thanks for listening. We're back next week with our regular season.  Check out our website for related episodes, resources and more! Join the Secret Stoners Club for FREE and get bonus episodes. ---------------------------------- Season Two is generously supported by Rab.  This episode is supported by Tension Climbing and The Tension Board 2. Written in Stone is co-created with Power Company Climbing.

Over 40 years ago, Mountain Magazine published an article by Rosie Andrews called No Spare Rib. Filled with photos of strong women and asserting that women would eventually climb at the highest levels while explaining why they were behind in the '80s, it did two things: inspired some and ruffled the feathers of others.  Today, women like Brooke Raboutou, Katie Lamb, Babsi Zangerl, and Janja Garnbret are proving Rosie right.  In this episode we go back to the '80s and discuss The Gunks, climbing Right Wall with Jill Lawrence, the other leading women of the era, and of course, we dig deep into No Spare Rib. We finish with Rosie setting the record straight on an old Supertopo thread.  Check out our website for related episodes, resources and more! Join the Secret Stoners Club for FREE and get bonus episodes. ---------------------------------- Season Two is generously supported by Rab.  This episode is supported by Tension Climbing and The Tension Board 2.  Written in Stone is co-created with Power Company Climbing.

Louise Shepherd was and is a juggernaut for women’s climbing, particularly in Australia, where she did for climbing what Lynn Hill did in the US - make it impossible to ignore that women are excellent at this. And this was before everybody got the news from everywhere immediately - so, yes, there needed to be a palpable example in all of the climbing hotspots. And there was. Jill Lawrence in the UK, Catherine Destivelle in France, Christine Gambert, though French, was often climbing in Germany, Lynn Hill in the US, and of course, Louise Shepherd in Australia.   Louise and I only had a short time to chat, so I came in researched and ready, and trying to fill some of the gaps that I hadn’t been able to fill through my reading, and in turn, got some great stories from Louise about climbing with the other women we’ve been discussing.  Save Arapiles Climbing Petition: https://www.change.org/p/save-natimuk-stop-the-rock-climbing-ban-at-the-famous-mt-arapiles Save Arapiles Climbing Video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_bYfeWq_Nw Check out our website for related episodes, resources and more! Join the Secret Stoners Club for FREE and get bonus episodes. ---------------------------------- Season Two is generously supported by Rab.  This episode is supported by Tension Climbing and The Tension Board 2.  Written in Stone is co-created with Power Company Climbing.

Alison Osius is easily one of the most impactful people in climbing media. She helped to shape how so many climbers learned more about and engaged with the sport from the '80s into the '20s. She’s a former editor at Climbing, Rock and Ice and Outside, the first woman president of the American Alpine Club, wrote Second Ascent: The Story of Hugh Herr and has received the AAC Literary Award.  She's a climbing legend.  In this episode we discuss how she discovered climbing through journalism, her first times meeting the other top women of the '80s, and some of the first big competitions. We also get Alison's side of the rivalry with Bobbi Bensman that we heard about last season, and of course, because she's a media legend, I ask her theorize about the answers to impossible to answer questions. We start the conversation talking about a big event that had just happened before we recorded.  Check out our website for related episodes, resources and more! Join the Secret Stoners Club for FREE and get bonus episodes. ---------------------------------- Season Two is generously supported by Rab.  This episode is supported by Tension Climbing. Use code WRITTEN15 at checkout. Written in Stone is co-created with Power Company Climbing.

Lynn Hill is THE legend, and quite possibly the most impactful climber of all time. I could make a case that Lynn's free ascent in a day of The Nose is the greatest climbing achievement of all time.  But Lynn and I aren't talking about Lynn. We're talking about the other women of the '80s: the women she climbed with, competed against, and was inspired by. We also get into who is inspiring her now.  More from Lynn at her website.  Check out our website for related episodes, resources and more! Join the Secret Stoners Club for FREE and get bonus episodes. ---------------------------------- Season Two is generously supported by Rab.  This episode is supported by Tension Climbing. Use code WRITTEN15 at checkout. Written in Stone is co-created with Power Company Climbing.

Today I sit down with my good friend Amy Skinner - who, in the early '80s in Las Vegas, sort of stumbled into the scene that would eventually be called sport climbing. We discuss that movement, where she first encountered other female climbers, who her favorite female climbing partners have been, and more.  Like many of the women who have been mentioned in this series, Amy is still involved in the climbing community, but has also become a pillar in her greater community. A business owner, an advocate, a supporter, and a friend.  Check out our website for related episodes, resources and more! Join the Secret Stoners Club for FREE and get bonus episodes. ---------------------------------- Season Two is generously supported by Rab.  This episode is supported by Tension Climbing. Use code WRITTEN15 at checkout. Written in Stone is co-created with Power Company Climbing.

In Part 3 of our series on female climbers of the 1980s, we wrap up the decade with difficulty reaching new heights. We see a smart pattern start to emerge at the top of the pack as women realize how to leverage their unique strengths, and in doing so, they prove themselves with resounding success at the most futuristic crag in the world - Buoux.  In this episode we discuss Christine Gambert, Catherine Destivelle, Lynn Hill, Isabelle Pattisiere, as well as many women who were involved in the business and culture of climbing.  Listen to the Audio Stories from The Pinnacle Club. Check out our website for related episodes, resources and more! Join the Secret Stoners Club for FREE and get bonus episodes. ---------------------------------- Season Two is generously supported by Rab.  This episode is supported by Tension Climbing. Use code WRITTEN15 at checkout. Written in Stone is co-created with Power Company Climbing.

In Part 2 of our series on women climbers of the 1980s, we focus on the middle of the decade, when difficulty soared.  We take a closer look at the 1984 International Ladies Meet hosted by The Pinnacle Club in North Wales, how it connects to the women who were at the forefront of sport climbing a year later, and how standards began to skyrocket. We wrap up in Australia where Nyrie Dodd is the first to finish an often tried project. In this episode we discuss Jill Lawrence, Gill Price, Catherine Destivelle, Christine Gambert, Lynn Hill, Isabelle Pattisiere, Luisa Iovane, and more. Check out our website for related episodes, resources and more! Join the Secret Stoners Club for FREE and get bonus episodes. ---------------------------------- Season Two is generously supported by Rab.  This episode is supported by Tension Climbing. Use code WRITTEN15 at checkout. Written in Stone is co-created with Power Company Climbing.