On Episode 188 of the Enormocast, I sit down in Squamish, BC with Canadian alpinist, Jason Kruk. Jason and I have been threatening to do a show for almost 8 years now and finally got it on tape. Jason delves into his beginnings, his storied partnership with Will Stanhope, his love of alpinism, and his friendship with the late Hayden Kennedy. Jason is that rare professional that walked away from the spotlight on his own terms. Now, Jason is striving to redefine his climbing in the mountains away from risk and toward something more creative, sublime, and secret.
On Episode 183 of the Enormocast, I sit down with truly legendary alpinist, Jim Donini. Jim has been banging it out on big climbs since before most of you, dear listeners, were born. Jim cemented his reputation early on in Patagonia when it was still a truly wild frontier, but Donini went on to put up first ascents on all 7 continents. His career also depicts a long love affair with the Karakorum and Alaska. But for Jim, the quality of the person at the other end of his rope is far more important than the climbing objective, and Jim has passed through thick and thin with many of the greats. 55 years and not stopping yet, Jim Donini is barometer for what’s possible in climbing longevity.
MFT on Nanga Parbat by Barry Blanchard, MFT by Nikki Smith, MFT on gravel by Dan Krauss
On Episode 172 of the Enormocast, we continue to part 2 of a conversation with Alpinist Mark Twight. The Royal We highly recommends that one has a listen to Part 1 first, but this second half does stand on its own especially if you’re already familiar with Mark’s exploits in Chamonix and on Nanga Parbat. On this installment, Mark switches to tales from Alaska, and then we go deep into what makes Mark tick, his thoughts on his legacy, and what its like to lose so many friends to the savage arena on the mountains.
