Patagonia

September 4, 2025September 5, 2025

Enormocast 311: Gisely Ferraz (Souza) – The Heart is a Puzzle

Photos: Kaya Lindsay, Irene Yee, Eva Cappozola, Adam McClatchie

On Episode 311 of the Enormocast, I catch up in Moab with Brazilian climber Gisely Ferraz AKA Gisely Souza AKA Brazilianclimbergirl AKA Gi. Though Gisely started climbing in Brazil, she has spent much of the last two decades in North America- first in the Northeast and then out West. Though she fell in and out of climbing during her early life, after she raised a boy and got him through college, Gisely felt free to pursue her climbing dirtbag dreams at 40. That path led her into the arms of Ken Anderson and a few dream years together on the wing with her perfect partner. But then tragedy struck and Ken perished from a long fall while he and Gisely were on the Chief in Squamish. The years following were brutal for Gisely, but she carried on and healed as best she could through climbing. Gisely has gone on to be a force in OW climbing, new routing in the desert, and climbing in Patagonia. And Ken Anderson’s inspiration has never left her.

Gisely on Insta

Crack Clinics with Gi

Gi’s Website

Wild Geese by Mary Oliver

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May 14, 2025May 14, 2025

Enormocast 305: Caro North – Magnetic

On Episode 305 of the Enormocast, alpinist and guide Caro North joins me in my lovely hotel room in Banff, AB during the Banff Mountain Film Festival for a heartfelt talk about her journey as an international female climber. Born in Switzerland, but raised in Germany, Caro actually found herself on top of Aconcagua in Argentina at the age of 16. She was hooked on the climbing life from that moment forward. Soon she was deep in the alpine clubs in Germany and learning amongst a group of her female peers. So once Caro set out on her own, it seemed natural to try and climb with women in the mountains. Then she found that being a polyglot and multinational opened her partner pool to the world and a frantic decade of expeditions ensued. Some burn-out was the cost, though, and Caro took assessment of her exhaustion at the ripe age of 26. This talk finds her a part time resident of El Chalten, a full blown UIAA Swiss guide, and on a (very) slightly more restful path as she still pursues her goals in the mountains.

Caro on the Gram

Passes for Banff 2025

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April 4, 2025April 4, 2025

Enormocast 303: Sean Villanueva O’Driscoll – A Very Particular Set of Skills

On Episode 303 of the Enormocast I sit down with one of the most compelling and somewhat enigmatic climbers of our times: Sean Villanueva O’Driscoll. It was a multi-year dance, but we finally sat down puss-a-puss in the Canadian Rockies at the Banff Mountain Film Festival. Sean is known for his big wall antics across the globe, often in the company of his broer van een andere moeder, Nico Favresse. But that bright and shiny sense of humor belies the fire and climbing beast that Sean can muster when the going gets tough, cold, and seemingly insurmountable. We discuss his Belgian, Irish, Spanish multi-cultural background and what his Irish roots in particular mean to him. Sean also fills us in on his beginnings, partnerships, forced COVID retreat in El Chaltén, Greenland, sea sickness, meditation, philosophy and more. And of course, I didn’t unlash him from his seat until we got some Irish tin whistle. I mean, come on!