RunOut #62: Climbing’s New Regs. Plus, John Branch & Sidecountry

The days of unbridled climbing freedom are OVER! Or are they? With new regulations for climbing big walls in Yosemite installed this year, and the threat of similar regulations coming to crags around the country, climbers are waking up to the new reality of what it means to have a sport that’s popular. We consider the slippery slope of where this all leads next.

Our main guest today is the venerable New York Times journalist John Branch, a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and the guy who made the Dawn Wall the Dawn Wall with his viral coverage. We dive into the state of media and storytelling, get some more backstory on the Dawn Wall, and discuss his new book “Sidecountry: Tales of Death and Life from the Back Roads of Sports.”

For the final bit, ADAM ONDRA—as played by comedian / route setter Dylan Taylor, aka @climberisms on Instagram—gives us the latest update from life at the cutting edge.

Show Notes

* Follow John Branch on Twitter, and especially this thread on his new book.* “Sidecountry” is available for pre-order on Amazon, and comes out June 1 from Norton.* Follow Dylan Taylor on Instagram.* AP reports on Yosemite’s new regulations.* Reservations at Mount Evans and Brainard Lake, and potentially coming to Eldorado Canyon.