Red Rock Canyon is a National Conservation Area about 17 miles from the Las Vegas Strip. Its striking red and cream-colored sandstone walls hold thousands of climbs — from 20-foot sport routes to adventurous 20-pitch trad lines. Today, I’m sitting down with long-time local Andrew Fulton. Andrew has been climbing in Red Rocks since January of 1993 — back before the city even had climbing gyms, when pioneers like George and Joanne Urioste were putting up countless first ascents in the canyon. Over the last 30 years, he’s witnessed massive changes in the city, the climbing culture, and Red Rock Canyon itself. As a newer Las Vegas local myself, I was stoked to connect with Andrew — not just to hear the history of a world-class climbing area, but to get a feel for what it was like to be a climber “back in the day.”

In our conversation, we dig into the complicated history of The Original Route on Rainbow Wall, Andrew’s unique perspective on risk and how it shaped both his climbing and his guiding career. We dive into several wild stories from his past — including rockfall, a massive fire, swarms of bees, and a 100+ foot aid fall that nearly cost him his life. We close things out by going deep into the meaning of climbing, and ultimately uncover what we see as three pillars of climbing: spirituality, adventure, and performance.

Quick disclaimer: this was the first episode I filmed in-person in my new home studio. The video came out great, but the audio — especially on my end — isn’t quite up to the usual standard even after spending a large amount of time trying to save it. But, the kinks are now worked out, so all my future in-person episodes will have the professional, crispy audio you’re used to. If you’d like to watch this interview, check out the TCM YouTube channel — you can find the link in the show notes.

One more thing. I have a huge favor I need from all of you. TCM’s Youtube channel currently has 665 subscribers and I really need to get to 1000. With the number of listeners we get per episode I know that we can hit that number within the week. So even if you prefer to listen to your podcasts outside of Youtube, please head over to the channel and hit subscribe. 

Watch The Climbing Majority on Youtube

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