Just shy of twenty 5.12 free solos, Austin Howell had climbed nineteen unique routes without a rope—one of them without shoes and butt ass naked. In 2019, Austin died free soloing in Linville Gorge, North Carolina. His love for climbing is hard to capture with words alone, so we flew to Minnesota in the summer of 2019 to borrow some of Susan’s. Austin's story is complicated, but as the pendulum in life swings both ways, he embraced both its highs and lows and especially reveled in the joy that free soloing brought him.

24: The Process

This is not a climbing podcast. Well, sorta. This is a podcast about choosing vulnerability and talking about our pain—and how we are all really just shining examples of this messy human existence.

Health & Fitness

Mental Health

On October 29, 2019, Michelle Xue and her climbing partner, Jenny Shedden, set off to climb Red Slate Mountain in the Sierra Nevada when they were struck by rockfall and killed. This story is told through the lens of her dear friend, Artem.While all genres of climbing can be dangerous, alpine climbing is likely the most. These stories of loss pay tribute to loved ones, but beyond that, the life of an alpine climber is complex. They say, “What’s done in love, is done well.” But the passion for this sport creates a catch-22.The cold paradox of alpine climbing leaves loved ones behind, pondering the timeworn question: Why do we climb? Why choose to continue a sport when the risks encountered could mean death? Everyone will grieve in this lifetime. And everyone will experience loss. It’s a painful but normal part of the human experience, and the process of grief, though it moves, will move in cycles.This episode is in loving memory of Michelle Xue and Jenny Shedden.For the Love of Climbing is presented by Patagonia. Additional support is from deuter USA, Allez Outdoor, and Ocún.Music is licensed by Music Bed and Blue Dot Sessions.Read the transcript here.Catch up on podcast (pod-Kath?) updates and general life things: @inheadlightsThis podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Because therapy is for everyone.FLC is public media which means we’re supported by listeners like you. Donate or become a patron in exchange for a warm, fuzzy feeling.

55: A Price Too Big

“Are you a good witch or a bad witch?” Glinda asked Dorothy when she crash-landed in Oz for the first time. The theory of everything is that every element has an opposite. And by this logic, if there are, in fact, “good moms”, then it would follow that there must also be “bad moms”. But it doesn’t really work that way because the system of measurement that dictates the “good mom” / “bad mom” status is fundamentally flawed.When Tracy became a newly-minted mom, she was determined to find a way to stick with climbing while she navigated all the new hurdles motherhood brings. As the dual identity of parent and climber becomes more common, we hope stories like Tracy’s won’t stand out.Tracy will always be a mom. But, she can also be a climber. She can hold one in each hand while we work to dismantle the notion that motherhood has to come at the price of one’s identity—instead of being integrated as a part of it.The mental construct that ping pongs back and forth between being “good” or “bad” traps moms and parents in a place of “not-enoughness”, when the fact of the matter is: you are.For the Love of Climbing is presented by Patagonia. Additional support is from deuter USA, Allez Outdoor, and Ocún.Music is by Chad Crouch. Additional music is licensed by Music Bed and Blue Dot Sessions.Read the transcript here.Catch up on podcast (pod-Kath?) updates and general life things: @inheadlightsThis podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Because therapy is for everyone.FLC is public media which means we’re supported by listeners like you. Donate or become a patron in exchange for a warm, fuzzy feeling.

54: Good Mom, Bad Mom

Addiction is the kind of topic where judgment is easy, and empathy is hard. Shame is at the core of addiction. It thrives best in secrecy when we feel most alone, and keeps stories like these hidden in the dark.Lucas spent years, bouncing and skidding off the bottom before sobriety. But you know what they say: every unconscionable low point has a silver lining. Before long-term recovery, you could find Lucas on the road climbing full-time. He was the guy who could wax poetic around a campfire about all types of beverages of any kind, any continent. While the conditions that preceded him to drink were probably always there, living out of his truck and reducing his life to just climbing and nature made him realize he was empty on a different level.For the Love of Climbing is presented by Patagonia. Additional support is from deuter USA, Allez Outdoor, and Ocún.Music is by Chad Crouch. Additional music is licensed by Music Bed and Blue Dot Sessions.Read the transcript here.Catch up on podcast (pod-Kath?) updates and general life things: @inheadlightsThis podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Because therapy is for everyone.FLC is public media which means we’re supported by listeners like you. Donate or become a patron in exchange for a warm, fuzzy feeling.

53: A Guy Walks Out of a Bar...

This is Jess and Chelsea. They’re both climbers, they both live in Colorado. They both love dogs, and they’re forever inextricably tied together by these very common, uncomplicated things. They’re also forever connected because of this one very complicated big thing.In September of 2020, the climbing community lost Kris Ugarizza to suicide. Three years later, we’re sharing this story through the lens of two friends in order to promote more action and awareness on prevention.This podcast continues to work with Better Help to break down the stigma and persistent societal belief that mental health issues are a sign of weakness, and because everybody deserves a good support system, and sometimes that starts with one person. Go to betterhelp.com/climbing to find out more information about online therapy.If you’re having a crisis or thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.If you or someone you know is struggling, help is here.For the Love of Climbing is presented by Patagonia. Additional support is from deuter USA, Allez Outdoor, and Ocún.Music is licensed by Music Bed. Additional music is licensed by Blue Dot Sessions.Read the transcript here.Catch up on podcast (pod-Kath?) updates and general life things: @inheadlightsTherapy is for everyone: BetterHelpFLC is public media which means we’re supported by listeners like you. Donate or become a patron.

52: My Friend Kris

Amin has been climbing for over 23 years, starting in Shiraz, a historical city in Iran. In 2017, he moved to the U.S. to work as a head routesetter, and was shot in a senseless act of violence that critically injured him and shook friends and family to their core. The irony of growing up in the Islamic Republic of Iran and never being afraid of guns until he moved to America is...sobering.Today, Amin remains deeply engaged in advocacy for Iranian people, especially women. He believes the revolution is coming and is inspired by those who have put their lives on the line for change.This is part two of a two-part story.Visit GoFundMe.com/myshare4freedom (http://GoFundMe.com/myshare4freedom) to support those who have been directly affected during the Woman Life Freedom movement.Find Amin on Instagram at @amminabbasi (https://www.instagram.com/amminabbasi/?hl=en) for updates and more. Contact him if you’re willing and able to further amplify the voice of the Woman Life Freedom movement.For the Love of Climbing is presented by Patagonia (https://www.patagonia.com/home/). Additional support is from deuter USA (https://www.deuter.com/us-en), Allez Outdoor (https://publish.blubrry.com/s-576518/episodes/e-95479059/edit/Asking%20folks%20to%20be%20brave%20enough%20to%20make%20their%20convictions%20vulnerable%20means%20really%20listening,%20for%20both%20sides%E2%80%94it%E2%80%99s%20not%20a%20one-way%20street.%20Surrounding%20ourselves%20with%20like-minded%20people%20is%20important%20to%20build%20community,%20but%20it%20doesn%E2%80%99t%20mean%20that%20we%20should%20build%20walls%20to%20ignore%20opposition.%20That%E2%80%99s%20not%20change.%20On%20an%20individual%20level,%20through%20clear%20and%20kind%20conversation,%20it%E2%80%99s%20more%20possible%20than%20we%20think.), and Ocún (https://www.ocun.com/).Music is licensed by Music Bed. Additional music is licensed by Blue Dot Sessions.Read the transcript here (https://www.fortheloveofclimbing.com/episodes/mini-episode-10-hope-is-here).Catch up on podcast (pod-Kath?) updates and general life things: @inheadlights (https://www.instagram.com/inheadlights/)This podcast gets support from BetterHelp. Because therapy is for everyone (https://www.betterhelp.com/climbing).FLC is public media which means we’re supported by listeners like you. Donate (https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/inheadlights) or become a patron (https://www.patreon.com/fortheloveofclimbing) in exchange for a warm, fuzzy feeling.

24: The Process

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