On Episode 142 of the Enormocast, I sit down in a wide open and relaxing space in SLC to talk to big wall legend, John Middendorf. John disappeared to Tasmania after single-handedly changing big wall climbing in the 1990s. Previously, porta-ledges afforded respite from the vertical, but could not hold any serious storm at bay. John’s designs at his company A5 lead the way to a ledge that could handle nearly anything the weather could throw at it. Armed with this shelter, climbers could cast off into the upward void for as long as it took: come rain, shine, sleet, or snow. John himself took the ledge to the great ranges, putting up The Grand Voyage on Great Trango Tower with Xaver Bongard, perhaps still the hardest wall route in the world. Now he’s back in the designing game with the new D4 Ledges. And a shout-out to Rock Steady Body Works for the recording space.
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On Episode 122 of the Enormocast, I sit down rather early in the morning with the “Ambassador to The Nose” Hans Florine. Hans holds the speed record for The Nose on El Capitan with Alex Honnold at 2:23:46- basically, less time than you spent on Facebook yesterday. But Hollywood Hans has been a freewheeling Cali climber for decades, and climbed a lot more than just the Nose. Hans was also one of the first Americans to compete widely, and was once the man to beat in competition speed climbing. Recently completing his book, 