On a 1961 expedition to Makulu, Edmund Hillary forbade Irene Beardsley to step foot on the mountain, despite her impressive mountaineering resume, including ascents in the Tetons and Peru. But Irene was hungry for summits, regardless of being relegated to the “wives camp.” She knew a woman’s place was on top. This hunger would drive her to be part of the first American, and all-women’s, expedition to summit Annapurna I.

Legacy Series: The First American Ascent of Annapurna, Through the Eyes of Irene Beardsley

We’re climbers. Gym climbers and trad climbers. Sport climbers and mountaineers. Boulderers, backcountry skiers, and alpinists. We’re the largest community of rock-scaling misfits in the country—and you belong here.

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That’s right. You can now take a deep dive into your favorite American Alpine Club content via your headphones, car stereo, and more. The drive to work—or your favorite hang board routine—just got way more interesting. Episodes will typically fall into four categories: Climb; Protect; Educate; Connect. 

“Climb” episodes are just that—about climbs big and small, and the things they make us realize, in conversation with AAC community members. 

“Protect” episodes dive into the nuances of policy and advocacy issues that matter most to climbers. 

“Educate” episodes span the logistics of safety and accidents, as well as the history of climbing and how it can inform our present. 

“Connect” episodes cover the social side of our climbing community, including important conversations about equity and inclusion that have emerged from our work with the Climb United initiative.

Sports

In this episode, we cover the untold and complex experience of local climbers in the Greater Ranges—how Sherpa, Baltis, and other local climbers have navigated the complex landscape of living and working on Everest and in the Karakoram. We sat down with three incredible writers—Nandini Purandare and Deepa Balsavar, who are the authors of the newly released book "Headstrap–Legends and Lore from the Climbing Sherpas of Darjeeling"; and also the well-known mountain writer Bernadette McDonald, who has recently released "Alpine Rising: Sherpas, Baltis, and the Triumph of Local Climbers in the Greater Ranges." 

Though it's easy to lump these mountains together from a foreign climber’s perspective, these books cover distinct geographical locations that are deeply impacted by the politics of this region of the world. In conversation, these writers illuminated the unique challenges for Nepali, Tibetan, Pakistani, and Sherpa climbers from Darjeeling, as well as the shared challenges that all of these climbers have faced in making a name for themselves, fighting for safe working conditions, navigating the way colonization has impacted the boundaries of mountaineering, and more. We discuss topics like how Tenzing Norgay’s identifying as Sherpa when he first climbed Everest catapulted the idea of “Sherpa” into the limelight, how the Partitioning of India and Pakistan affects the work prospects of Darjeeling Sherpa, navigating relationships with foreign climbers vs climbing for themselves, and much more. Whether you’re a mountaineer yourself, or just have a passing respect for Everest, join us in this episode to hear about the deeply human experiences of individual Sherpa and Pakistani climbers, and how they navigate death, risk, financial independence and glory in the big mountains of our world. 

Learn more about these two books and grab a copy yourself at mountaineers.org/books!

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We apologize but there are two or three moments in this episode where the audio was corrupted—we couldn't fix it, but we think the episode is great anyway! Sorry for the inconvenience!

EDUCATE: The Untold Stories of Sherpas, Baltis, and other Local Climbers in the Greater Ranges

Note: This episode is explicit. 

In this episode, we had adventure photographer Jeremiah Watt on the pod to talk about all things climbing photography. Miah is a big fan of the AAC, and regularly donates his incredible photos to us! In this episode, Miah and the AAC’s award-winning Graphic Designer Foster Denney dive into topics like the life of a freelancer, what it takes to get the right shot on the wall, trends in climbing photography, the physical toll like jugging fixed lines to get the shot, mistakes new photogs make, and more. Ever wondered what’s going on behind the lens? Listen to this episode to get the behind the scenes life of an adventure photographer!

CONNECT: Inside the Life of a Climbing Photographer

*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

CONNECT: Mo Beck on the Impact of Adaptive Climbing Fest, and Retiring from Competitions

*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

CLIMB: Katie Lamb Dives Deep on Her Send of "Box Therapy" and Losing Anonymity

"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

Legacy Series: The First American Ascent of Annapurna, Through the Eyes of Irene Beardsley

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