Last month, an 8-year-old boy and his dad “climbed” El Capitan with the help of two other anonymous climbers who presumably guided the father-son team, fixing all the ropes so they could jug up the wall. We look at the media attention this ascent received, and discuss our concerns over claiming these kinds of records.

Our main guest is a woman who Lynn Hill once called, “the greatest female sport climber” — Katie Brown. Katie has produced a new memoir about her precocious life as a world-class competition and sport climber, as well as her fraught relationship with her mom, her struggles with eating disorders, and how becoming a mom herself has helped her reframe everything.

Our final bit is pulled from the archives of The Davenports with this yacht rock classic cover of Jay Ferguson’s 1977 song Thunder Island. Who’s that on bass, you ask? None other than our own Chris Kalous.

Show Notes

Did an 8-year-old actually climb Yosemite’s El Capitan? Not really. It’s complicated

Father of 8-year-old who ascended El Capitan challenges criticism of his son’s feat

Unraveled: A Climber's Journey through Darkness and Back

Jay Ferguson - Thunder Island (1978 - HD)

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