Author: Chris Kalous

Owner, operator, guru, yogi of enormocast.
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Enormocast 239: Janja Garnbret – Her Hardest Hue to Hold

On Episode 239 of the Enormocast, I have the privilege to sit down with Gold Medalist, Janja Garnbret. A Slovenian climbing hero, Janja, of course, took Gold at the inaugural climbing Olympics, but before that she was already the winningest climbing athlete of all time. As she beams into the interview from Oliana, Catalunya, a relaxed Garnbret talks about the pressures and joys of performing at the Olympics. Her secret seems to have been letting go of perfection. Now, as Janja faces her post Olympic period (until the next one), she is looking to continue to dominate the indoor field and set new standards for women’s outdoor climbing as well. But mostly, she wants to inspire girls and women to be their best and do what they love.

The Wall: Climbing for Gold

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Enormocast 238 – Tommy Caldwell: Concerned Climbing Citizen

On episode 238 of the Enormocast, Tommy Caldwell shows up for his sophomore appearance on the podcast. A lot has gone down since his first show in 2016. Both Tommy and the Royal We had a child – his second. He wrote a New York Times best seller. He and Honnold put up a free route on El Cap that nobody cared about. They also teamed up to do the Nose on El Cap in under 2 hours. But perhaps most importantly, Tommy turned his sights on environmental activism by getting involved in Climb the Hill, the protection of Bears Ears and Oak Flat and more. Finally, we find a slightly mellowed Caldwell, bent on being a great dad and husband, but still chasing after that elusive sense of adventure.

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Enormocast 237: Anna Hazelnutt – Not Afraid to Try

Photos: Mike Hutton, Austin Keith, Austin Keith

On Episode 237 of the Enormocast, I catch up with freshly minted trad climber, Anna Hazelnutt. Anna cut her teeth on high-ball slab boulders in So Cal, but then turned to sport climbing in Catalunya. After a great season in Ten Sleep, Wyoming, she traded fun in the sun for windy and rainy on the UK coastline where she sent the storied trad-slab, Once Upon A Time in the Southwest (5.13 b/c R), marking Anna as one of the highest achieving trad climbers in the world. But there was more to the story as Anna had only previously ever climbed up to about 5.9 on gear. Anna is also part of a cadre of young women climbers whose renown comes partially from a strong social media presence, with all its ups and downs (AKA dickhead dudes).

Anna’s Youtube Channel

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