The Climbing Majority

Shea McCrary is living proof that just about anyone can turn a dream of climbing faraway mountains into a life. Raised in the Midwest, she found climbing the way so many of us do, in a climbing gym. But unlike most, she became captivated by big objectives in a corner of the country with barely any multipitch to speak of. She taught herself from Freedom of the Hills, bought a double rack off Facebook Marketplace within her first couple of months, and learned the ropes from a local mentor, an o...

Nearly a decade ago, Kevin Dahlstrom walked away from a seven-figure corporate career in search of a happier, more fulfilling life. The decision had been brewing for years, until one day, at the very top of his career, sitting at a table with some of the most powerful people on Wall Street, it all became clear. He was unhappy. He had climbed the wrong mountain. Two weeks later he quit, and soon after he moved his family from Dallas to Boulder, Colorado, to rebuild his life around the thing th...

In May 2026, Bryce and I climbed The Nose on El Capitan (5.9 C2, 3,000ft) big wall style over three days. On September 19th, we went back and stood on top again, this time in 15 hours, 48 minutes, and 22 seconds. This conversation is our trip report. To help me unpack our experience, I brought in my friend and Vertical Pursuits guide Erik Griffith. As someone who has climbed NIAD in ten and a half hours he brings a unique and experienced perspective. We talk about the gear we brought, the sys...

Steven Dimmitt is the host of The Nugget Climbing Podcast, labeled as "one of the best long-form interview podcasts in the outdoor space" by Outside Magazine, with over 300 episodes and conversations spanning some of the sport's most accomplished athletes, coaches, and thinkers. He's also a serious climber in his own right — double digit boulderer, onsighting 5.13a, training out of the Tension HQ in Colorado, and building a body of climbing experience that informs how he approaches every conv...

Noah Kane is a creator first and a climber second. He first picked up a camera when he was only 10 years old. From those early days he already found a proclivity for creating content while crafting horror scenes, comedy skits, and digital effect experiments. While in film school, his adventurous spirit rejected dense urban life and caused a profound shift in life trajectory. Soon after he found climbing, and simultaneously, a new place for all his creative efforts. In our conversation we talk...