The Enormocast

April 23, 2025April 23, 2025

Enormocast 304: Sam Stroh – Naturally Decent

On Episode 304 of the Enormocast, climber Sam Stroh drops by my suite at the Arcteryx Academy in Squamish to talk climbing and get to the bottom of a misunderstanding. Sam cut his teeth in New Mexico and soon after high school was on the road as a classic itinerant dirtbag. After falling in with his climbing-life-partner, Adrian Vanoni, the duo started audaciously skipping through the grades and finding themselves on bigger and bigger missions. El Cap sends ensued. Professional offers appeared. Deals were made. And now Sam is out on a limb farther than he ever dreamed. But somewhere in there, Sam and Adrian heard something from one of their thought leaders, yours truly, that didn’t sit well with the boys. In this interview, we get to the bottom of my apparent diss that’s been stuck in their mutual craw for years. But we hug it out in the end.

Wet Lycra Nightmare with Sam and Jordan Cannon

Get ‘Em While They’re Hot: Sam Stroh Arcteryx Academy Clinic Spots

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Spotify | RSS

April 4, 2025April 4, 2025

Enormocast 303: Sean Villanueva O’Driscoll – A Very Particular Set of Skills

On Episode 303 of the Enormocast I sit down with one of the most compelling and somewhat enigmatic climbers of our times: Sean Villanueva O’Driscoll. It was a multi-year dance, but we finally sat down puss-a-puss in the Canadian Rockies at the Banff Mountain Film Festival. Sean is known for his big wall antics across the globe, often in the company of his broer van een andere moeder, Nico Favresse. But that bright and shiny sense of humor belies the fire and climbing beast that Sean can muster when the going gets tough, cold, and seemingly insurmountable. We discuss his Belgian, Irish, Spanish multi-cultural background and what his Irish roots in particular mean to him. Sean also fills us in on his beginnings, partnerships, forced COVID retreat in El Chaltén, Greenland, sea sickness, meditation, philosophy and more. And of course, I didn’t unlash him from his seat until we got some Irish tin whistle. I mean, come on!

Riders on the Storm and Reel Rock 19

Sean’s mentee Siebe Vanhee on the Enormocast

Wide Boy plus Sean in Patagonia

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Spotify | RSS

March 11, 2025April 4, 2025

Enormocast 302: Last Rites 2025 (FKA Taps) Don’t Side-Eye the Trad-Dad Edition

Episode 302 of the Enormocast is the annual airing of grievances in climbing: the laments, the beefs, and the sad truths of the dumb shit we do as climbers. What was formerly known as Taps is now Last Rites. Once again, this year’s slam evolves from listeners’ calls. Andy Salo, Andrew Bisharat, and Mary “Token girl” Harlan join Chris to dole out advice, ethics, and perform last rites for the dying trends in climbing we’d like to see live on. We also mark a few things for extermination. Ryan Devlin of the Struggle Podcast stops by, too. On this year’s docket: chalkbag carabiner (again), bitchy looks and girl-on-girl side-eye, downgraders, soft routes in the gym, trad-dads, and much more. Finally, we propose our start-up idea: need a belay on the proj and all your bros are out golfing? Call a Beluber. As usual, the laughs come fast and furious, but leave your sensitivities at the door because one of your sacred cows is likely headed to the butcher.