Enormocast 272: Connor Herson – Deeds of Youth

All Photos Christian Adam

On Episode 272 of the Enormocast, I connect with young trad-phenom, Connor Herson. Connor first burst into climbing’s collective consciousness with the 6th free ascent of the Nose at the tender age of 15. Connor had already climbed 14 5.14s by the age of 14 (say that ten times fast), and he went on to collect 50 by the age of 18. His resume includes two youth national lead titles and a few 5.14 first ascents. Most recently, Connor swept into Squamish and nabbed repeats of some of the hardest routes in the area. Connor credits his family’s connection to climbing with much of his success – his dad Jim was a hot Yosemite climber in his day, his mom is a tireless supporter and belayer, and his sister Kara was a successful youth climber. Mix that pedigree with a boatload of talent and you get a singular climber: Connor Herson.

Enormocast 215: Lauren Delaunay Miller – The Five Year Plan…

On Episode 215 of the Enormocast, I connect with climber, writer, former YoSAR member, Lauren Delaunay Miller. Lauren found climbing in the waiting room of a doctor’s office, and quickly made a plan to climb El Cap in 5 years despite not having any idea what rock climbing actually entailed. She pursued her goal not quite relentlessly, but nevertheless ended up in Yosemite a few years later. She did, indeed, climb the Nose in just under 5 years and then quickly pulled off a NIAD and a one day ascent of the Triple Direct with Quinn Brett and Josie McKee. In that same season, climbing lost some of its glow with a near fatal accident of Lauren’s mentor and a series of other tragedies in her tight-knit scene. Helplessness in the face of these accidents made Lauren resolve to learn more and finally qualify to join the feted YoSAR. Her latest challenge is completing a 78,000 word manuscript on some of the somewhat forgotten female legends of climbing.

Lauren on the Gram

Lauren’s book website

Lauren at the Climbingzine

Special Episode: Brad Gobright Repost.

Young Brad Gobright on Winner Takes All in Indian Creek

On November 27th, 2019, climber, friend, and former guest of the Enormocast, Brad Gobright fell to his death in Potrero Chico, Mexico. I had known Brad for a decade, and he had appeared on the the Enormocast in 2016. This is a repost of that interview with an added intro. The original is here. Since this interview, Brad had been spending much of his time free climbing and speed climbing on El Cap with, among thousands of other pitches, a repeat of Pineapple Express, a one day free ascent of El Corazon, and holding the Nose speed record until it was taken by Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell in a protracted campaign. Brad represented a certain type of under-the-radar nonchalance that climbing has always held sacred, but cumulatively, he was one of the best and the boldest the sport has ever seen.