Tag: Yosemite

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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 200: Timmy O’Neill – A Life of Yes

On Episode 200 of the Enormocast, I sit down with Timmy O’Neill. Timmy made a name for himself as a speed demon on the walls of Yosemite, but also as a fast-talking wise ass in such films as Urban Ape and Paralellojams. Born on the mean streets of Philly as one member of an enormous Irish Catholic family, Timmy busted a move to the West as soon as he was able and lucked into a scene in Yosemite with such contemporaries as Dean Potter and Sean “Stanley” Leary. His brother, Sean O’Neill, lost the use of his legs as a youth, and Timmy pushed his brother to become a climber and finally climb big walls. The experience of seeing his brother thrive in the vertical world on El Cap led Timmy to help form and help run Paradox Sports for many years. He also became a trusted partner for blind climber, Erik Weihenmayer. Now at middle age, Timmy is able to reflect in a crazy life on the rocks and all the love he feels for the gifts the natural world has given him and for the community that surrounds.

Strong by London Grammar

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Special Episode: Brad Gobright Repost.

Young Brad Gobright on Winner Takes All in Indian Creek

On November 27th, 2019, climber, friend, and former guest of the Enormocast, Brad Gobright fell to his death in Potrero Chico, Mexico. I had known Brad for a decade, and he had appeared on the the Enormocast in 2016. This is a repost of that interview with an added intro. The original is here. Since this interview, Brad had been spending much of his time free climbing and speed climbing on El Cap with, among thousands of other pitches, a repeat of Pineapple Express, a one day free ascent of El Corazon, and holding the Nose speed record until it was taken by Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell in a protracted campaign. Brad represented a certain type of under-the-radar nonchalance that climbing has always held sacred, but cumulatively, he was one of the best and the boldest the sport has ever seen.

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