Tag: big wall climbing

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Enormocast 214: Pete Whittaker – A Right Wad

On Episode 214 of the Enormocast, I beam myself to Sheffield, England, the heart of British climbing, to talk to Pete Whittaker. Pete is one half of the infamous Wide Boyz but not just an offwidth climber. His prowess on cracks of all sizes is well known and has lead to his new definitive modern crack climbing instruction book cleverly called, Crack Climbing. But on top of that acumen, Pete is also a brilliant trad climber and Grit climber. Finally, his bigwall record in Yosemite is quite astounding with several free ascents of the Big Stone and even a one day rope solo ascent of the Free Rider. Known, too, for a cheeky sense of humor and his rolling real-life-buddy-movie with Tom Randall, it always seems like Pete is indeed Alex Lowe’s mythical Best-Climber-Having-the-Most-Fun.

“Hey, Chris! Why you gotta call Pete a wad?”

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Episode 165: Adam Ondra – Getting Closer to the Luck.

Photographer: Clockwise from left: PETR PAVLICEK, BERNARDO GIMENEZ, ARCHIVE, PAVEL BLAZEK.

On Episode 165 of the Enormocast, I sit down with quite possibly the world’s best rock climber, Adam Ondra. I found Adam luxuriating with 4 friends and colleagues in the Super Bowl Campground in Indian Creek, UT of all places. He and his crew were on a whirlwind tour of Yosemite, Smith Rocks, and Indian Creek. Despite several days of crack-climbing-beat-down, Adam’s stoke comes ripping through as he talks climbing like a kid in a candy store. From bigwall trad, to sport, to comps, Adam’s enthusiasm comes through every minute of the talk. 

Silence 

Adam’s Youtube Channel

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Episode 152: Mark Hudon and Max Jones – As Free as Can Be.

Clockwise from top left: The Nose 1976, Jones on the FFA of Enduro Corner, Salathe 1979, Devils Tower 1979.

On Episode 152 of the Enormocast, I realize a stated dream by sitting down in the Oasis Camper Trailer with Mark Hudon and Max Jones. Max and Mark quietly pushed the boundaries of free climbing in the late 70s in Yosemite. Operating under the shadows of the likes of Kauk and Bachar, Jones and Hudon were every bit as visionary on big routes as those superstars. They had a tremendous 5 year run in the Valley and beyond before Max Jones turned his talents to the budding sport of Mountain Biking, and Mark Hudon started searching for something new – eventually ending up with a coffee business in Hood River and then retiring to become a climbing bum again. But several years ago, the buddy movie that was their time together in Yosemite in the 70s got a reboot and they’ve been climbing walls as a team again to this day.

Mark on El Cap Bridge

Mark and Max on South Seas 2012

 

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