The Climbing Majority Kyle Broxterman & Max Carrier

When you hear "Zion National Park," what comes to mind? The Narrows, Moonlight Buttress, and some of the most stunning sandstone cliffs and peaks you’ll ever see, all packed into a canyon visited by over five million people each year. But what about the possibilities beyond the main canyon, beyond the classic hikes and climbs?
Today, we’re chatting with James Barrow. He's a father, climber, and electrician by trade. James quickly developed a knack for climbing, finding himself leading sport climbs in the 5.12+ range in under six months. But, after rushing his progression, he seriously injured his tendons, which pushed him to find a new kind of challenge. That's when he turned to adventure climbing.


James fell in love with exploring the uncharted, runout, loose, and complicated sandstone peaks and plateaus surrounding the main area of Zion National Park. His latest achievement? The Complete Towers of the Virgin Traverse—a feat that covers 20 distinct peaks, with 18,500 feet of elevation gain over 28 miles. The terrain involves runouts, canyoneering, bushwhacking, steep snow travel, soloing, and massive 70-meter rappels using a fiddlestick. The climb, rated 5.9+R/M2R, is one of the most challenging and technical routes done in Zion in the last 20 years.


I can't emphasize enough the magnitude of what James and his partner accomplished. After our conversation, he walked me through his route on Google Earth. The complexity of route-finding, the massive scale, and the varied conditions of rock, snow, and thick bushes left me amazed.


We’ve split this conversation into two parts. Today, we'll hear about the events that led James to set his sights on this massive sandstone alpine linkup, and essentially shape him as a climber. This will help us understand him better when he tells the full story of "The Complete Towers of the Virgin Traverse" in part two. We'll talk about his rapid progression to 5.12+, how he found adventure climbing, his view on risk, and what he did to prepare for this big linkup.

Resources

James' Instagram

Local News

What’s up everyone thanks for being here and for being a part of The Climbing Majority. Today we sit down with Martin Mora, co-founder and developer of Red- Point. Red-Point is a new app where you can use interactive 3d maps to explore and get detailed route information on boulders and crags. If you haven't already seen their social posts of their app in action…definitely go check them out. 
Martin is a unique individual who like many in the majority, found climbing later in his life. He found himself spending way too much time wondering where a specific route is at a new crag, and thought “There must be a better way”...Because of this h e and his business partner spent the last few years developing a process to scan and render 3 dimensional images of crags that can be explored virtually on your phone. Now they are traveling the globe to ultimately begin the overwhelming task of scanning the world's most prominent and popular rock walls.

Martin believes that the heavily detailed and  comprehensive nature of these 3D scans will soon make traditional apps like Mountain Project feel archaic. You will no longer need to stitch together subjective beta in the comments sections…. Martin even believes Red-Point is on track to become the Strava of climbing.

But Martin isn’t doing this alone; he's created a way for the entire climbing community to get involved. Through what he calls the 'Dirtbag Program,' climbers like you can contribute scans and even get paid up to $20 for each area or boulder you map. All you need is your phone.
So, whether you're a tech enthusiast, an avid climber, or just love a good story about passion fueled  innovation, you won't want to miss what Martin has to say. Let’s get started.

Resources

Red-Point

Instagram

In today's ever increasingly polarized world it can be difficult to have challenging conversations. Kyle and I are well aware that the issue of representation in sport is one that does not affect us personally.

However we were lucky enough to sit down with all around rad dude, climber extraordinaire and recent new father Eddie Taylor to learn about his ascents and what his thoughts were on the topic of representation. As a black climber in a predominantly white climbing climate Eddie gives us his perspective.

For those who don't know Eddie is a very accomplished climber. He has summited Denali, he summited Everest as a part of the first all black Everest expedition under Phill Henderson he climbed the Nose in a day and sent Moonlight Buttress to name a few of his accomplishments.

Talking with Eddie it was clear though that climbing was only part of the importance in his life. Eddie is a chemistry teacher, track coach and he expressed the importance of family and giving back to his community.

In this conversation we discuss some of Eddie's notable ascents, what to look for in climbing partners, representation in the climbing community and much more.

Please rate, review the show, and share this podcast with your friends. Word of mouth is one of the most powerful tools to help us out.

Contact us:
IG: @the.climbing.majority
Email: theclimbingmajoritypodcast@gmail.com

Today, we're diving into something that most of us are all familiar with - Mountain Project. It's the guidebook that's always at our fingertips, supported and enriched by our very own community. Yet, as revolutionary as it has been for sharing and discovering climbs, it brings up a few questions that we might easily overlook. Questions like, who actually owns the data we input? What happens to our contributions if we decide to bow out and delete our profile? And what do these practices mean for the future of climbing information? Honestly, these questions can really make you pause and think.

That's exactly why today, we're sitting down with Viet, a climber who's spotted the signs and decided to carve out a new path. He's one of the pioneering brains behind Open Beta IO, an initiative that’s rethinking our approach to how we share climbing data.

Viet’s vision? It's all about creating a space where information is not just shared but is open-sourced and accessible to all. As things stand, the data we openly donate to Mountain Project can't be repurposed or reused by others. To Viet, this lockdown of publicly sourced information is not just ethically gray; it's a blockade to the myriad of possibilities this data could unlock. But challenging the status quo and attempting to alter two-decade-old climber behaviors come with its own set of hurdles, questions to be answered, and ethical dilemmas to navigate.

So, get comfy and join us as we dive deep with Viet into the essence of Open Beta, the motivations driving it, and its potential to redefine how we, as climbers, connect with each other and the crags we cherish. At the very least, it's a chance for us to reflect on our complacency with surrendering our data, contributions, and creative outputs without much thought on how the way this data is being managed might actually be holding our community back.

Please rate, review the show, and share this podcast with your friends. Word of mouth is one of the most powerful tools to help us out.

Contact us:
IG: @the.climbing.majority
Email: theclimbingmajoritypodcast@gmail.com

Resources:

Openbeta.io

The mountains will try to kill us and yet they have no malice.
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They freeze us and yet warm our souls. 
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They fill our lives with joy and yet have nothing tangible to give. 
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The mountains deserve our respect. 
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They require meticulous preparation, mentally, spiritually and physically.

Today we are sitting down with a master of preparation. Scott Johnston is a world renown Endurance coach. Some of the athletes he has worked with over the years include Killian Jornet, Steve House, Alex Honold and Tom Evans to name a few. But Scotts true legacy and contribution to the climbing community lies with the everyday climber who he has equipped with the knowledge necessary to improve their health and wellbeing and to live a life full of adventure. In our conversation we discuss the allure of endurance sports, the nuance of endurance coaching, the future of ultra running, the importance of life beyond sport, the fragility of life and finally we discuss an accident that left Scott stranded and alone on the vast glaciers of Denali 
Please rate, review the show, and share this podcast with your friends. Word of mouth is one of the most powerful tools to help us out.

Contact us:
IG: @the.climbing.majority
Email: theclimbingmajoritypodcast@gmail.com

Resources:

Evoke Endurance

Training For The New Alpinism (Book)

Have you ever imagined what kinda person you have to be mentally and physically to climb some of the hardest routes in the world? Maybe how that person views themselves and their own accomplishment? Or even how they might view the everyday climber? 
In this conversation we wanted to move beyond what it's like to climb hard. What are the lessons of a 5.15 climber and how can we apply Jonathan's viewpoint and experiences to improve our own lives?

Jonathan helps us remember life is about private little victories. He suggests that it's important    be gentle on ourselves and to remember why we started climbing in the first place, the love of life and the outdoors.


In our chat, we talk about how Jonathan supports the community and what recreational climbers look like through pros’ eyes. We discuss how top climbers use their influence, what key traits make them successful, and finally how Jonathan plans to use his talents once he outlives his physical peak.

Please rate, review the show, and share this podcast with your friends. Word of mouth is one of the most powerful tools to help us out.

Contact us:
IG: @the.climbing.majority
Email: theclimbingmajoritypodcast@gmail.com