Enormocast 328: Matt Cornell – The Right Reasons

On Episode 328 of the Enormocast, we sit down with alpinist and Michigander, Matt Cornell. That’s right, one of the world’s best alpinists grew up in the mountain-less upper Midwest dreaming of vertical playgrounds beyond his home State’s borders. Despite the pressures of modern suburban expectations, Matt moved into his hatchback and become a climbing bum post high school. But it was a suggestion of a mentor that convinced Matt to move to Bozeman and become an ice climber. After a season or two of bumbling his way into the hard-nose and hard-knock scene in Hyalite Canyon, Matt’s fuse was lit and the greater ranges beckoned. An epic or two later, Matt’s burgeoning skills finally started to knab him first ascents and coalesced a crew of like minded climbers around Cornell. Epically, but not finally, Cornell, Jackson Marvell, and Alan Rousseau did what some would say is the finest alpine style ascent of all time on the North Face of Jannu in 2023.

Enormocast 327: Karly Rager – Days of Glory

Photos: Travis Perkins, Karen Klane

On Episode 327 of the Enormocast, I sit down with climber, coach, and entrepreneur, Karly Rager. Karly got a soft start to climbing in her home State of South Dakota when she went top-roping with a family friend. As many before her, she was hooked in an instant. But it wasn’t until she was pursuing an engineering degree at Colorado State that the fever really took hold. She weekend warriored through a masters in structural engineering and several years 9-5ing it until something just broke. Unhappy and stressed out, Karly bailed into her van and hit the road following her climbing dreams and getting GOOD. Then she took her former side hustle as a climbing gym coach and made it into her professional life by starting Project Direct Coaching. Now Karly is part dirtbag, part pro-climber, full-on climbing coach, and happier than ever.

Enormocast 326: Julia Cassou – Telling True Stories

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On episode 326, I connect from Colorado to Chamonix to hear from French photographer and expedition climber, Julia Cassou. Julia grew up in a rural part of France in a town known for foie gras and its suggestive name (in English anyway). Her first camera was borrowed from her dad, and her first love was art photography on film. But once climbing appeared in University, the die was cast and Julia started shooting climbing. As her skills on ropes grew, and she found a knack for suffering, Julia became an in-demand documentarian for big climbs around the world: the Dawn Wall by sailboat with Seb Berthe, sailing to the Mirror Wall in Greenland, the Torres Del Paine, and more. Now at 30 years old, we find Julia at a perfect moment to reflect on her whirlwind life of telling other people’s true stories through her lens.

Julia’s Website

Julia on Instagram