MtnMeister

Peter Metcalf is the CEO of Black Diamond Equipment and a board member of the Outdoor Industry Association. He wasn’t always all business though. He has climbed audacious routes in Alaska, one of which is a first alpine ascent of the Central Rib on Mt. Hunter’s south face. Black Diamond was started when Chouinard Equipment filed for bankruptcy and Peter and some other passionate climbers scrounged up enough money to buy out the assets.

For his daring free solo ascents, Alex Honnold has received worldwide recognition both within and beyond the climbing community. Yet, the free solo tick list is only a fraction of his accomplishments. In his new book Alone on the Wall, Honnold recounts some of his more memorable climbs, and co-author David Roberts fills in with the meaning of those ascents. We sat down with Alex in NYC to talk about the book, free soloing, the media, and more. In the second half of the discussion, we take questions from the audience. This was supposed to be a live-streamed discussion, but unfortunately there was an issue. Apologies to those who tuned in and didn't see it!

Barry Blanchard is a Canadian alpinist who in the 80's and 90's established highly technical routes in the Canadian Rockies and the Himalaya. Throughout his childhood, he faced challenges of poverty and growing up "a dark-skinned, brown-eyed, half-breed kid" in a predominantly white, affluent area. His transformation from a poor kid from the wrong side of the tracks to one of the most respected alpinists in the world is chronicled in his most recent book The Calling: A Life Rocked by the Mountains.

Mary Brent Galyean is an expedition chef. She cooks some of the tastiest dishes you’ll ever eat in places that very few people have ever been. MB does it all without electricity and running water, and I had the wonderful opportunity to taste this five star cuisine on the Gauley River in West Virginia. Courses included but were not limited to lamb sliders, salmon and acorn squash poached in spiced honey, and the crowd favorite sweet potato and red apple au gratin.

On September 24th, 2015 Heather “Anish” Anderson broke the self-supported speed record of the Appalachian Trail. Without any assistance, she made her way nearly 2,200 miles starting in the north from Mt. Katadhin and finishing in the south on Mt. Springer. 54 days, 7 hours, 48 minutes. 

Gavin McClurg is an adventurer of many disciplines. After briefly racing for the US Ski Team in the early 90s, he moved on to kayaking. A near death experience on a waterfall in Mexico caused him to trade the rivers for the sea, where he lived for 13 years and sailed around the world twice. Most recently paragliding is the activity of choice. He holds the North American record for longest foot launch, where he flew 240 miles in one go.

Mike Libecki is climber, explorer, athlete, and father. He has completed over 60 major expeditions and 40 first ascents, many of them solo, in some of the most remote locations in the world. He has received a long list of grants and awards for both his climbing and also his fathering - he's even won Father of the Year at his daughter's school! Mike is based near Salt Lake City, Utah where he lives with his daughter, dogs, cats, parrot, pot-belly pigs, chickens, and rabbits.

Stacy Bare is the director of Sierra Club Outdoors and co-founder of Veterans Expeditions, a nonprofit which empowers veterans to overcome challenges associated with military service through outdoor training and leadership. These challenges are not foreign to Stacy. After serving in Baghdad for the US Army, he faced post-traumatic stress and adjustment disorders. If it wasn’t for climbing and other experiences in the outdoors, he may not be here to talk to us about it.

Jeremy Jones is a professional snowboarder, founder of Jones Snowboards, and founder of Protect our Winters. With hundreds of first descents on some of the biggest, steepest terrain on planet earth, he is widely regarded as one of the best big mountain freeriders in the world  He accesses this terrain in a human powered approach, which allows him to reach peaks that helicopters can’t.

Alexander Barber is a high altitude mountaineer whose tick list is characterized by solo ascents, without sherpa support, and without supplemental oxygen. These include Cho Oyu, Manaslu, and most recently an attempt on Annapurna which was cut short by the Nepal Earthquake. Alex is member of the American Mountain Guides Association and formally a guide for Rainier Mountaineering.