Enormocast 319: Freja Shannon – Moments of Glad Grace

Photos Fay Manners, Hamish Frost, Al Lee
Subscribe

On episode 319 of the Enormocast, I connect across the Atlantic with Irish/Swedish climber and guide, Freja Shannon. Freja split her youth between the west coast of Ireland and Sweden. Her first mountain sport was snowboarding which took her to Chamonix for a winter season when she was 19. But in that spring, she found climbing and finally felt “this is it!”. Freja dove into all the alpine pursuits with abandon and started racking up ascents in Chamonix, her other home in Sweden, and discovered that the sea cliffs of Ailladie were only a few miles from where she grew up. Then an serious fall in 2023 in the Alps broke her back and dealt a major blow to her confidence. Freja’s body recovered quickly but she’ also had to reassess her risk tolerance and her commitment to the alpine. The fire is still there, but Freja’s focus may have changed for the better.

Enormocast 232: Niall Grimes – The Language of Humor

On Episode 232 of the Enormocast, I meet up across the pond with fellow podcaster, Niall Grimes. Niall grew up during “The Troubles” in Northern Ireland and learned to climb on his local crags amid that terrible conflict. But as soon as he knew what was good for him, Niall moved the storied city of Sheffield in England. In Sheffield, Niall fell into the climbing scene like it was his long lost home. Soon he found a need to write about the climbing culture around him often with hilarious satirical results. Somewhere in the mix, Niall also started The Jam Crack Podcast. Now past 50, Niall reflects on his privileged life as a climber and a voice in U.K. climbing culture.

Niall’s Website and Jam Crack Podcast

King of the Crag