Brent Barghahn is a tinkerer first and a climber second and understanding that order tells you a lot about him. Since he was a child Brent saw the world through the lens of design, building gadgets to solve the problems he found along the way. He even had a charge account at his local hardware store that was funded by his parents. That same instinct to build, solve, and design has followed him through his life. He spent five years at Black Diamond as a product designer where he helped shape the equipment that we use every time we climb, with one of his highlight contributions being the trigger keeper we now see on large C4 cams.

While Brent lived in his van in the Black Diamond employee parking lot, he spent all his free time climbing and managed to tick his way into the elite tier of climbing athletes. With accomplishments like rope solo NIAD, an onsight of Ecstasy, and ground up Golden Gate. This conversation goes deep on what it actually means to approach climbing as a maker rather than just a performer. Brent talks about onsight threshold climbing, his term for the style of climbing he values most and why he thinks redpointing has become a party trick that the media celebrates at the expense of something he feels to be more meaningful.

We talk about the Flip-Stop—the product that started Avant—which was born from a frustrating session on Cobra Crack. Brent explains why he built Avant as a hobby business on purpose, why he describes his twelve-product lineup as solving problems that big brands ignore and the four words he uses to describe why he climbs: puzzles, community, solitude, and toil.

Brent is one of those rare people who exists at the edge of the elite climbing community without being a professional climber by his own definition and he's made peace with that in a way that feels on purpose rather than resigned.

Topics include: onsight threshold climbing, redpointing vs onsighting, Flip-Stop carabiner stabilizer, Avant Climbing Innovations, rope solo NIAD, onsight of Ecstasy, Magic Line 5.14c, trad climbing gear design, climbing ethics and style, ground up vs rap in debate, route development, climbing community building, bouldering for trad performance, and what it means to climb at the elite level without going pro.

#eliteclimber #ethics #tradclimbing

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Zach Dreher started highlining in Flagstaff until climbing came into his life, at which point he made a complete pivot with eyes on big walls. After only a year and a half into his climbing career he began cutting his teeth in Yosemite and created a huge foundation of experience with multiple big wall ascents and NIAD runs; all with the vision of even bigger international objectives. Zach made his living as a masonry worker, kept life simple, lived in a van, and saved until he could buy his first investment property. Now he's building wealth and has created a self-supported life around climbing.

This episode follows an unpublished trip report that Zach's climbing partner Will Fazio route about their recent successful ascent of Royal Flush [1,200m 5.12 A0] on Cerro Chaltén (Fitz Roy) one of Patagonia’s most elusive big wall lines. With initial goals to move as quickly as possible they arrived with minimal supplies, but quickly started to feel the weight of the commitment above them. At a pivotal moment, when Will and Zach were deciding whether or not to continue a Russian team of four climbing below them offered to team up for a 6 - person big wall push to the summit and they excitedly agreed. Zach and Will had just joined Boris, Vladimir, Ilya, and Konstantin on their push to become the first people to wingsuit and base jump off of Cerro Chaltén.

Topics include: team dynamics on big objectives, managing doubt and morale under pressure, partnership philosophy in the mountains, and Patagonia big wall logistics.

#bigwall #alpineclimbing #mountaineering #rockclimbing #patagonia

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Zach

Will

The Russian Team

Konstantin

Boris

Vladimir

Route Information

If you don't already know who Steph Abegg is, I can almost certainly say that you've used her work. Her detailed route topos, trip reports, and beta overlays appear all over the internet covering climbs from the North Cascades to Red Rocks. For nearly 20 years, she's been quietly building one of the most comprehensive free climbing resources on the internet—not for profit, not for sponsorship, but because she genuinely loves documenting routes and helping people have better days in the mountains. She's what the climbing community needs more of: someone creating value without asking for anything in return.

This is Steph's second time on the show. Three years ago, she had just landed a data science job and bought a house in Estes Park. Now she's unemployed, living in a Transit van, and writing a book of her favorite climbs across North America. What happened in between is a story about rejection, redirection, and choosing passion over security—even when it doesn't make financial sense.

#femaleclimber #rockclimbing

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Philip Setter is an insurance broker and software entrepreneur from Canada who's been climbing for over a decade. He is known to quietly solo some of the gnarliest ice the Canadian Rockies has to offer and has an affinity for chossy, runout, dangerous, and psychologically demanding routes.

Phil has a tangible passion and enthusiasm to extract the most out of life. Whether its in business, his partnerships, or in climbing he gives everything 100%. Part of life's meaning for Phil is triumphing through adversity and the shenanigans he seems to always find himself in provide the perfect place for him to create the memories and stories that will last a lifetime. But what's the difference between shenanigans worth pushing through and those that become reckless?  What does it mean to build a life that holds space for risk while being responsible to the people who depend on you?

Expect to learn about Phil's framework for ice climbing risk assessment, how he tore his A2 pulley and how peptides accelerated his recovery, what it's like selling life insurance to climbers who might not want to admit they're doing something dangerous, why many accomplished climbers have something else in their life besides climbing, how he works on setting boundaries, how we define success & failure, the role vices play in our lives, and much more…

#iceclimbing #tradclimbing #mountaineering

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Drew Brodhead is the Staff Advocacy Coordinator and Anchor Maintenance Coordinator for the Salt Lake Climbers Alliance, one of the most respected local climbing organizations in the country. With 18+ years of climbing experience and SPRAT Level 3 certification, Drew leads a professional anchor maintenance program that rebolts routes across the Wasatch Range April through November. This episode explores what it actually means to professionally maintain climbing infrastructure, the ethics of rebolting existing routes, and why Drew believes climbing is a privilege—not a right.

We discuss Drew's philosophy that if it's scary, leave it the same; if it's dangerous, change something—a quote from Boone Speed that guides how SLCA approaches rebolting decisions. Drew explains the difference between maintaining safety and preserving the climbing experience, why once bolts are placed they become community property, and how first ascensionists who refuse to allow rebolting create liability when climbers get hurt on deteriorating anchors.

We dig into the tension between access and advocacy, including the Logan Canyon rebolting controversy where an individual's well-intentioned work triggered land manager scrutiny because of poor communication with the climbing community. An example of how one mistake can ripple across the entire country.

Topics include: SLCA anchor maintenance program structure, SPRAT Level 3 certification, rebolting ethics, Half Dome Northwest Face, Logan Canyon access issues, land manager relationships, Protect America's Rock Climbing Act, nonprofit economics, Bears Ears advocacy, and community stewardship.

#Access&Advocacy

Cover Photo: @emilytrombly

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Paul Rogers is an active duty US Army Special Forces (Green Beret) officer who previously served as the commander of the Special Operations Mountain Warfare Training Center (SOMWTC), the specialized schoolhouse responsible for training all military mountaineers for US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). This episode explores what it actually takes to train elite operators for mountain warfare, why these skills matter in modern combat operations, and the staggering complexity of preparing soldiers to fight enemies in mountainous environments where the terrain itself is trying to kill you. Paul walks through the history of Special Forces mountain warfare dating back to World War II, why unconventional warfare and violent conflict occurs disproportionately in mountains, and how US Special Operations Forces are trained to operate there. We discuss the different levels of mountain operator certification (basic, summer, winter), what the 7-8 week intensive courses actually entail, the 2-to-1 instructor-to-student ratios required for safety, and why many instructors are pursuing IFMGA guide certifications to become legitimate mountain guides. Finally, we dive into Paul's own 2200-foot fall on Wilson Peak's North Face in Telluride, Colorado, where he hit a buried rock while ski mountaineering, tomahawked 400-500 feet, nearly came to a stop, and then was swept over multiple cliff bands by an avalanche of his own slough. He ended up partially buried 2200 feet below with a collapsed lung, broken ribs, broken hands and wrist, a compound fracture with bone sticking out of his knee, and severe internal bleeding from his intestines separating from the mesh holding them in place. His ski partner and fellow Mountain Warfare instructor Bobby executed a technical rescue—solo downclimbing through hazardous terrain to reach Paul, stabilize him, and coordinate helicopter extraction with San Miguel County Search and Rescue. Bobby would later receive the Soldier’s Medal (nation’s highest award for heroism during non-combat operations) for his actions that day.

Topics include: Special Operations Mountain Warfare Training Center, Green Beret mountain training, unconventional warfare in mountains, Afghanistan Takur Ghar 2002, foreign internal defense, instructor qualifications, IFMGA guide certification, Dunning-Kruger effect in training, ski mountaineering accidents, Wilson Peak North Face, 2200ft fall survival, avalanche burial, and technical mountain rescue

**The views and opinions on this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the views, stances, or policies of any of the entities they may represent.**

#military #alpinism #mountaineering

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Jared Wicks has been a rock climber for over 30 years, he is a former SWAT officer, and one of seven full-time commissioned officers on the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Search and Rescue team. Born and raised in Montana, Jared served in the military and spent his off-duty hours climbing at Red Rock—falling so in love with the area that he moved to Las Vegas in 2006 specifically to combine his passion for climbing with a career in law enforcement. After nearly two decades working patrol, firearms instruction, and SWAT, Jared finally landed his dream position on the SAR, where he now responds to rescues across 8,000 square miles of Clark County—from Red Rock Canyon to Mount Charleston to Lake Mead. This episode explores what it takes to be on one of the most unique full-time SAR teams in the country, how helicopter operations actually work, and what happens when 911 gets called from a climbing route. Jared walks through the structure of LVMPD SAR's four specialty teams (lead climb, mountain rescue, dive recovery, and tactical medical support), the qualifications required to even test for the position, and how 40+ volunteers—including world-class 5.14 climbers and SPRAT Level 3 rope access technicians—support the full-time officers. We discuss the death of his mentor Dave Van Buskirk, who fell during a hoist rescue 13 years ago after saving a stranded hiker, and how that tragedy changed rescue protocols across the entire SAR community. Jared breaks down a recent rescue from this past weekend on Dream Safari, what percentage of climbing rescues are preventable versus pure chaos, and how witnessing accidents over the years has fundamentally changed his own approach to risk and gear placement. 

If there's one thing Jared wants you to take away from this conversation, it's that LVMPD SAR is funded by tax dollars—rescues are free. Never hesitate to call 911 if you're in trouble. Jared and his team are ready to come get you.

Topics include: LVMPD SAR team structure, Red Rock Canyon, helicopter rescue operations, 911 communication protocols, volunteer SAR requirements, Dave Van Buskirk's legacy, preventable versus unpreventable accidents, risks, double rack philosophy, how SAR changes your climbing, and why tax dollars—not rescue fees—fund Las Vegas search and rescue operations.

Watch the full episode on Youtube

#searchandrescue #climbingaccident #tradclimbing #climbingsafety

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Justin Sackett, an AMGA guide who googled "hardest hike" in college and ended up on a 20,000-foot peak in Ecuador with zero mountaineering experience. That failure lit a fire that led him from complete beginner to professional guide to running his own guide company at 28—all while training single-mindedly for Everest without supplemental oxygen. This episode explores his rapid progression to being an alpine guide, the mentor who gave him the technical foundation most climbers take years to develop, and the Liberty Ridge storm where 60mph winds and inadequate gear taught him lessons about weather forecasts and risk tolerance. We discuss the Rainier ice block incident that made several of his friends quit guiding, why he started his own company instead of working for established services, how he vets guides, and what training for Everest without oxygen actually looks like when you're also running a business. Justin opens up about the genetic lottery of altitude performance, why the West Ridge of Everest represents the ultimate objective in his mind, and how he's preparing mentally for both success and failure.

Topics include: becoming a mountain guide, AMGA certifications, Liberty Ridge conditions, guide company management, hiring guides, Everest without oxygen training, altitude acclimatization, post-objective depression, risk tolerance at 8,000 meters, and balancing business ownership with personal climbing goals.

Watch the full episode on Youtube

#amgaguides #highaltitudeclimbing #mountaineering #alpinism

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David Baltz started climbing in 1974 when there were only eight climbers in all of Albuquerque. Over five decades, he's witnessed climbing's transformation from a fringe pursuit requiring pitons and commitment...to a commercialized sport with grid-bolted crags and documentaries glorifying free soloing. This episode explores the clean climbing revolution that defined David's early years, the bolting controversies that followed sport climbing's arrival in New Mexico, and what gets lost when safety becomes the priority over experience. We discuss finding partners in an era before Facebook groups, the ethics of retrobolting established trad lines, Alex Honnold's impact on climbing culture, and how David approaches climbing now. 

Topics include: clean climbing history, New Mexico first ascents, bolting ethics, trad climbing at 69, helmet debates, commercialization of outdoor sports, Free Solo culture, risk versus safety, aging climbers, psychological climbing, sport climbing evolution, and maintaining old school values in modern climbing.

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#livinglegend #oldschoolclimber

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David's Mountain Project Profile

Jason met a new climbing partner through a Facebook group, vetted him over a few conversations, and went to Eldorado Canyon for their first route together. Twenty feet up the Yellow Spur, his partner fell onto a ledge—rope behind the leg, face-first impact... broken wrist and severe facial trauma. This episode walks through the accident sequence, the rescue, and what Jason feels went wrong. Despite multiple outreaches, his injured partner stopped communicating with him after the accident and has left Jason to process and reflect on the accident alone. He reflects on partner vetting, extending gear on traverses, communication during high-consequence terrain, attentive belaying, and processing the guilt of an accident where someone gets badly hurt and disappears. In this conversation we cover topics such as: finding partners online, multi-pitch trad climbing, ledge fall dynamics, first aid response, and helmet effectiveness.

Watch the full episode on Youtube

#ClimbingAccident #TradClimbing

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