Tag: Canadian Rockies

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Enormocast 289: Smith Curry – A Climber Boy Can Survive

On Episode 289 of the Enormocast, I connect to Nashville, TN to talk to climber and musician Smith Curry. Smith is one of the busiest session players in Music City on dobro and pedal steel. He also happens to be a veteran climber with big walls, first ascents, and alpine gnar under his harness-belt. Smith was introduced to climbing as a kid on a trip to Yosemite when Wayne Merry gave him a lesson at the Church Bowl. Then the next 15 years saw Smith on two paths: climbing and music. Music edged ahead as an obsession after he saw a young Jerry Douglas on Dobro. Then Smith ended up in Nashville and a 30 year career which lead him to play on over 20k songs, record for or with over 200 signed musicians including Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton. All the while, Smith snuck in his climbing with ascents from Canada to Peru, Yosemite, the Southeast and everywhere in between. Smith is still on a session recording hot streak with the current Hot 100 #1, The Bar Song (Tipsy), and his climbing is still going strong.

Smith’s Website

T- Swift with Smith

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Enormocast 273: Brette Harrington – Keeper of the Flame

Photos: Drew Smith, Mathis Dumas, Elliot Bernhagen

On Episode 273 of the Enormocast, I reconnect with Brette Harrington who appeared on the Enormocast in 2016. Just after that first appearance, Brette and Mayan Smith-Gobat left for an audacious attempt on free climbing Riders on the Storm on Torre Central on the Torres de Paine massif. Even though they failed in their ultimate objective to free the route, that climb set the stage for Brette to burst onto the alpine climbing scene. Her partnership with Marc-André Leclerc introduced her to Canadian Rockies climbing and her fate was set. Then when Marc-André was lost on a climb in Alaska, Brette grieved by setting out on a two year tear through alpinism, establishing hard routes from Canada to Patagonia. Now, Brette has established herself as force in alpine climbing, rock climbing, and big mountain skiing. She won’t ever forget her love and learning from Marc-André, but Brette is going forward in a life of light and new goals.

Brette on Instagram

Ascent Climbing Trips

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Episode 208: Margo Talbot – Climbing Through the Pain.

On Episode 208 of the Enormocast, I have a very enjoyable and inspiring talk with ice climber and author, Margo Talbot. Margo is Canadian and based out of Canmore, Alberta. In her memoir, All That Glitters, Margo reveals that she had a youth of drug addiction, depression, and suicidal tendencies but found climbing ice to be therapy she needed to start to face her demons. Instead of using climbing to hide her trauma, ice climbing gave her strength to dig at the roots of her addiction and depression. Finally overcoming her loneliness and darkness with the help of good friends, deep introspection, and the peaks surrounding Canmore, Margo now helps teach others to heal their own trauma by her example.

More about Margo: margotalbot.com

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