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.

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

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