All Things Climbing

By Blister

What's All Things Climbing about?

This is the podcast from BLISTER (blisterreview.com) that is dedicated to the community and culture that surrounds rock climbing. We cover the major events, prominent trends in the sport, gear and equipment, and the individuals that make the climbing world so colorful. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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All Things Climbing episodes:

02.24.2019
Erik Murdock and Tommy Caldwell on the Natural Resources Management Act
We talk to Tommy Caldwell and Access Fund Policy Director, Erik Murdock, to discuss a massive public lands bill that’s moving through congress called the Natural Resources Management Act. We dive into what makes it so important, hear about Tommy’s...
12.03.2018
Climbers' Environmental Impact with Author J.B. MacKinnon
What’s the biggest environmental impact we have as climbers? It’s easy to be distracted by the obvious stuff: chalk marks, cat holes, bolts. But, as journalist J.B. MacKinnon points out, the reality is much more complicated. Longtime climber J.B. Mackinnon...
11.19.2018
Making Homemade Cams: Erick Davidson of Merlin Rock Gear
Erick Davidson makes the best cams that you’ve never heard of — they aren’t sold in stores or online, and Davidson’s company, Merlin Rock Gear, doesn’t even have a website. Erick, a mechanical engineer by day, designs and fabricates large-format...
10.29.2018
Phil Powers and Alex Honnold on a Permit System for The Nose?
Are we headed for a future where The Nose (or other well-traveled walls) are headed for a permit system? We started debating this “what if” scenario almost a year ago, prompted by a conversation about the recently established permit system...
10.08.2018
What's it like to climb The Nose?
A couple weeks ago, our host Dave Alie and his wife Katie set off to Yosemite with the goal of climbing The Nose, often called The Greatest Rock Climb on Earth. It has a reputation as being accessible to non-elite...
09.17.2018
Rhino Skin Solutions founder, Justin Brown
Justin Brown is a Bend, Oregon local who spends much of his free time climbing around the country and volunteering as a board member of the Smith Rock Group. Between campfires and trail-building, he’s even found himself clipping the chains...
09.03.2018
Matt Pincus of TrainingBeta
Matt Pincus is a climber’s climber, deeply committed to the sport and the community. He’s also the content manager and head coach / trainer at TrainingBeta, and a Blister alumn. Suffice it to say, when it comes to improving your...
08.13.2018
Alex Honnold & Maury Birdwell on the Honnold Foundation and filming Free Solo
Alex Honnold “The Climber” needs absolutely no introduction. He is one of the most talented climbers of his generation, and he is without question the greatest free soloist of all time. And yet, Alex Honnold The Philanthropist” may be even...
08.06.2018
Bolt Restrictions, Hardware Committees, & Threatened Access, Oh My!
As the number of people that are climbing outside continues to explode, there is increasing pressure on land managers and advocacy groups. This often leads either to “active management” (e.g., restrictions on bolts or route development, etc.) or to complete...
06.25.2018
Nik Berry: Trad Climbing's Cutting Edge
Nik Berry has propelled himself onto the national climbing scene with a seemingly unending series of hard sends on long routes all over the country. With a taste for big walls and an aptitude for committing routes, Nik has racked...
06.06.2018
Bouldering Legend John "Verm" Sherman
Prior to John Sherman’s arrival on the climbing scene back in the time of the Stonemasters, bouldering wasn’t really taken seriously. There was no meaningful, open-ended grading system to compare problems, and Hueco Tanks was just some place in West...
05.21.2018
American Alpine Club CEO, Phil Powers
The American Alpine Club is one of the oldest climbing institutions in the US. Yet despite its deep past, the AAC takes a forward-looking approach to improving the climbing experience for all on issues like safety, access, and education. This...
05.07.2018
Tension Climbing’s Will Anglin & Ben Spannuth, Part 2
Will Anglin and Ben Spannuth, founders of Tension Climbing, are two of climbing’s most dedicated technicians. Not only have they spent years studying the physiological components of “training,” Will and Ben have also devoted themselves to scrutinizing climbing’s more nebulous...
04.30.2018
Tension Climbing’s Will Anglin & Ben Spannuth, Part 1
Will Anglin and Ben Spannuth have spent a lot of time thinking about how climbing works — why this foot and not that one? What precisely makes this move hard? They are extremely accomplished climbers themselves, but seem to enjoy...
04.05.2018
Reviewing Portraits of Climbing Legends in "The Climbers"
Photographer Jim Herrington's new photo book "The Climbers" is an undeniably compelling portrait collection of many of the most influential climbers of the 20th century, including Fred Beckey, Yvon Chouinard, John Gill, Cesare Maestri, John Long, Jeff Lowe, and many...
03.23.2018
A Close Look at "Dirtbag: The Legend of Fred Beckey"
If you’ve climbed in the mountains of North America, there’s a good chance you’ve climbed one of Fred Beckey’s routes. Beckey, known for his tremendous number of classic first ascents and his eccentric personality, continued climbing well into his nineties...
03.07.2018
Fixing Dangerous Bolts: Greg Barnes and the ASCA
How safe are the bolts we encounter in the wild? Can we really trust them? Who maintains them? And what makes a bolt fail, anyway? Greg Barnes, the Director of the American Safe Climbing Association, answers all our questions about...
02.21.2018
Jonathan Siegrist, Part 2
This week we’re picking up where we left off with Jonathan Siegrist, who’s been at the top of American rock climbing for over a decade. Over that time, he has watched the sport change and grow dramatically, and he’s spent...
02.12.2018
Jonathan Siegrist, Part I
This is the first half of our conversation with professional rock climber Jonathan Siegrist. Jonathan is one of America's most psyched climbers. After years spent climbing full time, he has an impressive resume of hard ticks, both on bolts and...
02.03.2018
Major Trends in Climbing Shoes
Dave and Luke Alie headed to Outdoor Retailer's first trade show in Denver to get the details on the biggest news in and updates to rock shoes for 2018. We talk to Black Diamond product designer, Kasey Jarvis, about all...
01.24.2018
Barbara Zangerl
We talk to Barbara Zangerl about her recent send of Magic Mushroom on El Cap with Jacopo Larcher — the first repeat of the route since it was freed by Tommy Caldwell and Justen Sjong. We also discuss how climbing...
01.17.2018
Hazel Findlay (Ep.1)
UK-based climber Hazel Findlay kicks off the show with a conversation about her recent (and impressive) send of the Salathe wall on El Cap, managing the demands of being filmed/photographed on the wall, and an insightful article she authored this...
12.19.2017
Introducing: All Things Climbing
My name is Dave Alie, I'm the climbing editor at Blister, and I'm here to let you know that we are launching a new weekly podcast called "All Things Climbing." Many of us were drawn to climbing because of the...

What's All Things Climbing about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

All Things Climbing episodes:

Erik Murdock and Tommy Caldwell on the Natural Resources Management Act

Climbers' Environmental Impact with Author J.B. MacKinnon

Making Homemade Cams: Erick Davidson of Merlin Rock Gear

Phil Powers and Alex Honnold on a Permit System for The Nose?

What's it like to climb The Nose?

Rhino Skin Solutions founder, Justin Brown

Matt Pincus of TrainingBeta

Alex Honnold & Maury Birdwell on the Honnold Foundation and filming Free Solo

Bolt Restrictions, Hardware Committees, & Threatened Access, Oh My!

Nik Berry: Trad Climbing's Cutting Edge

Bouldering Legend John "Verm" Sherman

American Alpine Club CEO, Phil Powers

Tension Climbing’s Will Anglin & Ben Spannuth, Part 2

Tension Climbing’s Will Anglin & Ben Spannuth, Part 1

Reviewing Portraits of Climbing Legends in "The Climbers"

A Close Look at "Dirtbag: The Legend of Fred Beckey"

Fixing Dangerous Bolts: Greg Barnes and the ASCA

Jonathan Siegrist, Part 2

Jonathan Siegrist, Part I

Major Trends in Climbing Shoes

Barbara Zangerl

Hazel Findlay (Ep.1)

Introducing: All Things Climbing