Alaska

Left foreground subject: Jess Roskelly. Photos: Clint Helander, Charlie Renfro, Andres Marin

On Episode 283 of the Enormocast, I sit down in a hotel in Munising, Michigan at the Michigan Icefest with Alaska-based alpinist, Clint Helander. What with the Chris Kalous Dance Party and the last call nightcap(s) at a bar literally called Whisky Dick’s, it had been a long night and an early morning for both of us. The vibe is set and Clint opens with a remembrance of his lost buddy, Jess Roskelley, then tales from life as an Anchorage-based climber. From a fifteen years of climbing in the Revelation Mountains, to all parts of the Alaska Range, Clint has become one of the most experienced Alaska climbers in the biz. An ascent in 2022 of Golgotha with Andres Marin crowned, for now, a two decade career in the alpine. For mostly better, and sometimes worse, Clint Helander has seen it all in the Alaska arena.

Clint on Instagram (and the post-avalanche vid)

More about Golgotha and Hunter

Clint’s Photography

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On Episode 209, I sit down on home turf in Carbondale, Colorado with climber and engineer, Natalie Afonina. Natalie grew up in the States but with a strong connection to her parents homeland, mother Russia. Fluent in Russian and holder of dual citizenship, Natalie has used that pedigree to her advantage as she’s travelled the world into far away places rarely accessed by Americans. Along the line, she was inspired by her mountaineer father to seek the cold and wild. A chance encounter with the North Face Team in Nepal set her on a path to climbing, though she also maintained a career in robotics software including stints at Tesla and Uber. Now on a sabbatical to cut her teeth as a full time ice climber before the next phase of her life, Natalie is ready for whatever adventure drops in her lap.

nat_exploring on Instagram

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Tag: Alaska

Enormocast 283: Clint Helander – To Live in Hearts We Leave Behind

Episode 209: Natalie Afonina – The Innumerable Paths.