Sean O'Rourke holds a PhD in computational physics. He also lives in a Ford Transit Connect, bathes in hot springs, and has climbed roughly 2,000 peaks across the American West, South America, the Alps, and Central Asia, mostly alone, entirely self-funded, and almost completely off the radar. He goes by Dr. Dirtbag, a name he's been writing under since 2010.

This conversation is about what happens when someone with serious credentials looks at the conventional post-graduate path and quietly walks the other direction. Sean teaches computer science and coaches Nordic skiing remotely, which frees him to spend most of his time on what actually interests him: bike mountaineering in Kyrgyzstan, tagging remote six-thousanders in the Puna de Atacama, and attempting the 82 Alpine summits over 4,000 meters entirely self-propelled, a project that ended with a loose rock, a broken toe, and a 143-euro emergency room bill in Aosta. His trip reports and route ideas live at drdirtbag.com.

This episode is supported by Wahoo. Use code WAHOOULTRA to get a free heart rate monitor!