The Enormocast

December 12, 2023December 13, 2023

Enormocast Tweener: A Candid Ascent of Trango Tower with Jordan Cannon, Jesse Huey, and Matt Segal [Part 2]

When we left the boys in the last Episode, they had just summited the Trango Tower via the 2nd ascent of Cowboy Direct. In this installment, the summit emotions and revelations come fast and furious as well as the realization that hits every alpinist on the summit: “Oh, shit, we still gotta get off this MF!”. Spoiler: the guys get down safely but the grind doesn’t stop at basecamp. Finally, the spa in Islamabad was the perfect ending to an outrageous trip for Jordan, Jesse, and Matt.

SERIOUSLY, DON’T BE SOME SORT OF BARBARIAN! GO BACK AND LISTEN TO EPISODE 276

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December 7, 2023December 7, 2023

Enormocast 276: A Candid Ascent of Trango Tower with Jordan Cannon, Jesse Huey, and Matt Segal [Part 1]

All Photos: Cannon, Huey, Segal because it was just them up there.

On Episode 276 of the Enormocast, three guys dreamed big and got it done. Climbers Jordan Cannon and Jesse Huey hitched their wagons to Matt Segal‘s long standing dream of free climbing the second ascent of Todd Skinner et al’s master piece, Cowboy Direct, on Trango Tower in Pakistan (AKA Nameless Tower). What ensued was a mostly self-supported trip up the greatest big wall in the word and a 2nd ascent 27 years in the making. On this interview, we go deep into the logistics, the work, the pain, and the elation that it takes to climb such an audacious project. We also mine the depths of the interpersonal relationships and inner landscape of the three friends that set out to climb Trango and the changed climbers that returned. And this is only part one ending on the summit. Return for the second half to hear the boys’ revelations from 20k feet and their return to the valley below.

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November 22, 2023January 12, 2024

Enormocast 275: Anna Liina Laitinen – Born to Kiivetä

Photos: Jan Novak, Sami Laitinen, Jan Novak

On Episode 275 of the Enormocast, I sit down face to face with Finnish climber Anna Laitenin. After a youth in gymnastics, Anna found climbing and then almost accidentally found herself one of the best climbers in Finland. A life of competitions and pursuing hard climbs at home and beyond followed, as did becoming a professional climber. But it hasn’t been a free ride for Anna. A discouraging and relentless string of injuries ensued, and Anna had to learn to let go of expectations from others and even from her own mind. Now the former Finnish wunderkind loves climbing even more than the day she started, though a career in competitive boot throwing is not out of the question.