MtnMeister

Conrad Anker is a world renowned mountaineer who has redefined what’s possible in climbing over the past three decades. His accomplishments span from climbing 8000m peaks without oxygen in the Himalaya, to first ascents in Antarctica, to big wall climbing in Patagonia. In 1999, he located George Mallory’s body on Mt Everest. Most recently, Meru, a documentary about the first ascent of the Shark’s Fin on Meru, won the Audience Choice award for documentaries at the Sundance Film Festival.

Kelly Cordes is climber, writer, and margarita specialist. For climbing, he’s established first ascents in Alaska, Pakistan, and Peru. At one point in his life he was nicknamed "Sketchy Kelly" for his risky and perhaps reckless style of climbing. For writing, he’s been published many times in Alpinist and is the author of The Tower: A Chronicle of Climbing and Controversy on Cerro Torre. For margaritas, well, listen to find out!

Angie Payne is a climber and boulderer who lives in Boulder, CO - she’s hardly the only one. She is however, the first woman to climb v13. Meister Mike Libecki describes Angie as "A pretty special woman, and she's done some really cool stuff. I've seen her break through some interesting walls, both literally and metaphorically." Apart from climbing, Angie has held jobs as a veterinary assistant and an endoscopy tech. 

Steve Swenson is the former president of the American Alpine Club and a world renowned alpinist. According to fellow Meister Raphael Slawinski, “One of the things that I really admire about Steve, among many, is that he seems to be able to strike this balance between a demanding professional career, a wife and two kids, and climbing at the highest standards out there. He’s a recipient of the Piolet d’or and climbed Everest and K2 without oxygen. The other thing I really enjoy about Steve, although he’s 60, he’s one of the fittest people I know and more than anything he still enjoys climbing like a kid.

Jeffrey James Binney is currently training for the Leadville Trail 100 on Saturday, August 22. On MTNmeister, this is typically something that we’d expect to hear, but Jeffrey’s background is anything but typical. Jeffrey grew up on a pig farm in Missouri and is now a comedian based out of Los Angeles. A little more than three years ago, he lost his mom to obesity, and he himself weighed 340 lbs at his heaviest. He has lost over 100 lbs and is in the process of creating a hybrid comedy/documentary called Once Is Enough.

Lonnie Dupre is an arctic explorer, a mountain climber, and the founder of One World Endeavors. He has a robust list of accomplishments, many of them firsts: the first Pacific to Atlantic traverse of the Northwest Passage by dogsled, the first human-powered circumnavigation of Greenland, and the first human-powered summer expedition to the North Pole. Most recently, this past January he became the first person to ever summit Denali solo in the winter.

In this episode, there are a few times where we credit Lonnie with the "first winter solo ascent". CORRECTION: This was the "first January solo ascent" with the first successful winter solo ascent belonging to Vern Tejas in March, 1988.

Dr. Raphael Slawinski is a physics professor at Mt. Royal University in Canada. You might be wondering, What is he doing on MTNmeister? Great question. Supplemental to his physics professing is a climbing career that could stand on its own. He has completed first ascents in the Canadian Rockies and the Karakoram range in Pakistan. He was named a 2014 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year with a first ascent of K6. 

Roman Dial is a legendary Alaskan adventurer, although he won't tell you he is. He has traversed the entire Brooks Range in Alaska by ski, packraft, and kayak. He has also done it on a bicycle. When he is not on an adventure, Roman is a professor at Alaska Pacific University.

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.

The average person walks 110,000 miles in a lifetime. Andrew Skurka has probably covered that in a 10-year span. He is the only person in the world to have done the Great Western Loop, which is a series of trails that total 6,875 miles. He has also completed the 7,778-mile Sea to Sea Route, which connects the Atlantic to the Pacific through Canada and the northern part of the US. He is the author of The Ultimate Hiker’s Gear Guide: Tools & Tips to Hit the Trail, a National Geographic adventurer of the year, and now, a MTNmeister.