Enormocast 236: Malik Martin and Conrad Anker – Brothers, Friends, and Countrymen

All photos: Max Lowe

On Episode 236 of the Enormocast, I sit down next to, but for some reason not in, a hot springs pool with Malik Martin and Conrad Anker. Conrad and Malik met at Memphis Rox when Malik was working there, and the North Face had sent Conrad to check it out. Memphis Rox is a unique gym, a non-profit, and known for its outreach to the South Memphis community. Malik was already a photojournalist, but his curiosity about outdoor photography bonded him and Conrad. Since that fateful meeting, Malik has come to call Conrad his “Mountain Dad”. Since entering the industry, Malik has become an outspoken advocate for diversity and representation for the Black community in the outdoor industry. He’s not afraid to confront racism, hypocrisy, and apathy in climbing around diversity. Climbers may be most familiar with Malik Martin from Sender Films’ Black Ice.

Malik and Conrad at the Alpenglow Speaker Series

Enormocast 228: Aaron Livingston – We Shall Be Brothers

Clockwise from top left: Spaceshot by Nolan Smythe, Aaron Livingston by Drew Smith, Aaron on Mt Hooker by Drew Smith

On Episode 228 of the Enormocast, I sit down with climber and guide, Aaron Livingston. A Utah native, Aaron splits his time between Ouray, Colorado and Moab, Utah while guiding for San Juan Mountain Guides. While we get to know Aaron in the first half of the interview, his purpose for coming in the show was to talk about his friend Nolan Smythe. Nolan was killed on El Gigante in Chihuahua, MX while climbing with Aaron. The two came up in climbing together and Aaron considered him a brother. The tale of their partnership is both inspiring and tragic, but in the end, Aaron caries Nolan’s flame as he continues to realize adventures that they had once dreamt of together.

Enormocast 210: Jason Nelson – A Life’s Work.

On Episode 210 of the Enormocast, we journey into the impossibly distant past of a year ago for an interview recorded in the pre-pandemic bliss of January 2020 with climber, guidebook author, and artist, Jason Nelson. Jason hails from Maine, but is most associated with the small town with big climbing aspirations: Ouray, Colorado. As a developer of rock climbing, ice climbing, and dry-tooling routes, Jason is a triple threat new route hound. One of his more controversial and now popular contributions is the infamous Hall of Justice cave where only dry-toolers need apply. Jason fills us in on the dark arts of dry tool choss development. Finally, Jason is the author of two guidebooks, Climbs of the Million Dollar Highway and Suffer Candy Volume One, as well as the soon to be revealed Suffer Candy Volume 2. Stick around the interview for an update from the present.