Episode 32: Paige Claassen- Climbing isn't everything.

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Paige Claassen bleeding out in Mill Creek. Photo: Lisa Hathaway

Hola! Bienvenidos al Episodio 32 con Paige Claassen. I am taking time out of my precious Euro climbing vacation to post this up for you! On this installment, I meet up with Paige in a seedy hotel in Salt Lake City during the darkest days of winter to find out what makes her tick. She fills us in on how to stay motivated, how to hang on until it hurts, and how to win friends and influence people. She also talks about how to navigate the moral landmines of the heathen climbing world as a believer. Prepare to get your crush on!

Paige’s Website

A Nice Video Profile of Paige by Celin Serbo

 

Episode 31: Hayden Kennedy + Andrew Bisharat + PBR = Frothy Climbing Spray.

537224_10151477366463949_1475701605_n313858_10151591187578949_1298758465_nHayden fixed lineHo, Man! On Episode 31 of the Enormocast I lure Andrew Bisharat and Hayden Kennedy into the closet for an old-fashioned bro-down. Andrew and I discuss whether or not the recent ascent of La Dura Dura, AKA the hard hard hardest route in the world, even matters. Hayden tells the story of his Piolet d’Or nominated ascent of the Ogre in Pakistan. I debase myself by begging Steve House and Josh Wharton to come on the show. And so much more. A return to form from the early days of the Enormocast: beer-fueled climbing spray!

Doug Scott on the Ogre

Perhaps the gnarliest mountaineering photo of all time

2013 Piolet d’Or nominees

 

Episode 30: Matt Samet- Climbing up from the depths of madness.

Matt Samet accompanies me to Colomibia. Not American Airlines' sweet duct tape repair!
Matt Samet accompanies me to Colombia. Note American Airlines’ sweet duct tape repair! White duct tape= classy.

On Episode 30, I travel to a place called Gun Barrel to meet up with climber and author Matt Samet. We talk about his days developing Rifle, and his start as a climber. Yes, European listeners, we love guns so much we name our neighborhoods and towns after them. More importantly, we discuss the events depicted in his new book: Death Grip. Matt spent several years in a hellish battle with antidepressants and establishment psychiatry. Then we take a deep breadth, invite his toddler Ivan to the table, and the interview unwinds with a blatant plug for Matt’s next project. Ah, commerce!

Matt Samet at Facebook

Buy Death Grip: A Climber’s Escape from Benzo Madness