Author: Chris Kalous

Owner, operator, guru, yogi of enormocast.
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Enormocast 296: Barry Blanchard Live in Banff

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On Episode 296 of the Enormocast, we rebroadcast an interview that was recorded live at the Banff Mountain Film Festival with alpinist and Canadian legend, Barry Blanchard. Barry showed up at the Banff Centre at 9:45am and brought the fire and the wisdom of 50 years in the game. Barry’s feted exploits range from his home in the Canadian Rockies to the worldwide ranges of Alaska, Pakistan, India, Chamonix, the Andes, Patagonia and frankly, anywhere there are mountains to climb. During the one hour interview in front of a hometown crowd, we talk about the Rupal Face on Nanga Parbat, The North Pillar of North Twin, but more interestingly, we get into Barry’s motivations, indigenous roots, darker side, and lost partners. Finally, we preview Barry’s next book and hear the story of his rebirth after a more domestic accident nearly took his life. Just a fine hour of Barry Blanchard.

The BMFF World Tour

Spindrift: The Barry Blanchard Story

More Barry over at the Firn Line Podcast

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Enormocast 295: Aaron Peterson – Paying His Dues

Middle Photo: Fallon Rowe
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On Episode 295 of the Enormocast, I sit down at a splintery picnic table on a hot morning in Lander, Wyoming with Aaron Peterson. Aaron is a young (ish) climber for whom activism, protest, and speaking his mind goes hand in hand with his motivations as a climber. At a cost to his mental health, Aaron will engage on the thorny subjects of racism and Trumpism online and in person wherever he goes. His need to speak up comes from a youth exposed to inequality in Phoenix, AZ and a previous life with one foot in the dangerous side of hip-hop culture. A difficult illness for his mother and theft of his life-collection of music production equipment sent Aaron on a difficult path to wellness and climbing, in that order. Now Aaron is a half-time road-dawg spreading the gospel of equality, inclusion, and environmentalism as he sees it while climbing and visiting the far corners of the America.

Music Tracks:

Boom, Boom

Wake Up, E$cott ft. Shawn P

E$cott – Cliche Ft. Doberman

James Baldwin Quote

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Enormocast 294: Simon Carter – Climbing Through the Lens

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On Episode 294 of the Enormocast, I connect to Katoomba, NSW in Australia- the heart of the Blue Mountains – to chat with photographer Simon Carter. Simon has been in the game as long as anyone currently active, and after four decades of producing some of the most iconic images in climbing, he’s published a retrospective: The Art of Climbing. After a demoralizing start in the mainstream world of photography, Simon began using his camera to capture climbing in the late 80s and early 90s and thereby found his muse. A State-promoted course in business planning resulted in Simon creating a selling a climbing calendar and voila, he was a professional. In the 40+ years since, Simon travelled the world shooting climbing, publishing photos, and writing guidebooks. He also worked through the shift from film to digital. Carter’s done more than anyone to bring the incredible beauty of Australian climbing to the world, and now he’s fighting a battle to keep two of its most legendary areas open to climbing.

The Art of Climbing at CNN

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