American Alpine Club Podcast American Alpine Club

*Adaptive Climbing Festival is a finalist for the 2024 Changemaker Award!*

Adaptive Climbing Festival (ACF) is crafting a shift in adaptive climbing. Not only is it easier than ever for a person with a disability to TRY paraclimbing, but through ACF, there are also now more opportunities to build skills and depth in the paraclimbing community, deepening the knowledge and expertise that adaptive leaders can use to empower future generations of adaptive climbers.

We sat down with Mo Beck, one of the organizers of ACF and a pro athlete, to talk about how Adaptive Climbing Fest started, its impact, and why ACF is such a meaningful finalist for the AAC’s Changemaker Award. We also chatted about Mo’s climbing philosophy, the emotions of retiring from competing, trolls on Mountain Project, and how she’s seen the sport change over 25 years of climbing.

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Hear from the other finalists and Climbing Award winners at the AAC's Annual Gala! Learn more and grab tickets: https://americanalpineclub.org/annual-benefit-gala

*Katie Lamb's send of Box Therapy is a finalist for the AAC's Climb of the Year Award!*

In 2023, Katie Lamb sent Box Therapy. It was a definite level-up for her personal climbing, and with this ascent, she became the first woman in history to climb a boulder that many consider to be V16. Her landmark send made waves, and that’s why she is a finalist for the AAC’s Climb of the Year Award. We chatted with Katie about all that went into projecting Box Therapy, her climbing philosophy, how to use excuses to your advantage on bad days, what it was like to lose anonymity, her secret to work-climbing balance, the experience of everyone talking about you on the internet, and being authentic in the current climbing world.

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Attend the AAC's Gala to hear from more Climbing Award finalists and winners! Learn more at: https://americanalpineclub.org/annual-benefit-gala

"I like to suck" Babsi says...and this mentality means she's constantly trying climbing styles and skills that she's bad at. And with that sense of curiosity, she acquires a breadth of mastery that is evident in her Yosemite accomplishments...

In many ways, Babsi Zangerl has flown under the radar here in the United States. She doesn’t like to brag—she just wants to climb hard. But her dedication to climbing has resulted in an astonishing Yosemite resume. She has 6 free ascents of El Cap to her name, including the first female free ascents of Zodiac, El Nino, and Magic Mushroom. In this interview, we talk about some of these iconic climbs, what inspires her and her goal-setting process, how she taught herself to crack climb in Indian Creek so she could climb in Yosemite, the magic duo that is her partnership with Jacopo Larcher, and her perspective on the ground-up ethic of big wall climbing. She also admits to why she’s been avoiding the Monster Off-Width pitch and gives us a hint of her ambitions for future Yosemite trips. Dive into this episode to hear from one of the most accomplished modern Yosemite climbers—and honestly, she’s just getting started.

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Hear more incredible Yosemite stories by attending the AAC's Annual Benefit Gala this April! Learn more: https://americanalpineclub.org/annual-benefit-gala

We sat down with the master of climbing mindset, Hazel Findlay. Hazel has made many significant free ascents of El Cap, and is one of the very few to climb the storied single pitch trad test piece, Magic Line. In this episode of the podcast, we talk with Hazel about her history with Yosemite, the projecting process for Magic Line, and of course, tips and tricks for building a strong mind. She shares some of her best insights about finding flow; a new concept that compliments flow, called clutch; first steps towards building a personal sending philosophy; and even a few practical exercises you can put into practice right now to start working on your headgame. And of course, how this all got applied during her own projecting process for Magic Line, because Pro’s struggle with headgame too!

It’s about to be game on for the 28th annual Hueco Rock Rodeo, and so we had our own Game Day panel to talk shop about strategies for the competition, the major players to look out for, and how the condies are shaping up. We had Nina Williams and Jon Glassberg on the pod to chat podium predictions, climbing rivalries, who's injured, and who's coming in with momentum, and whether Daniel Woods is really going to win the Hueco Rock Rodeo, AGAIN. Dive in to get all the beta on the top competitors, funny stories from past competitions, performance tips, competitive vibes, trash talk, and more.

In this episode, we sit down with Mountain Hardwear athlete and Olympian Kyra Condie. Kyra has so much psyche and energy, and we had a wide ranging conversation, covering her past, present, and future climbing exploits. We start off with her experience winning the Hueco Rock Rodeo in 2017, her advice for competitors this year, and how her spinal fusion pushes her to have a creative mind and find her own beta. She also gave some excellent insight into the way comp climbers think, the key training focuses every climber should have, and how MORE climbers should get on routes and problems that are way too hard for them. Kyra is really open about dealing with fear of falling and fear of the unknown, and we unpack that and more, diving into relatable topics for most climbers. Finally, we cover her Olympic hopes for Paris 2024. Whether it's strategies for competing in Hueco, training tips, or mantras for good mental game, Kyra’s wisdom is worth the listen!