Climbing Gold

John Bachar may have been the Stonemasters brightest star. His audacious free climbs and even more audacious free solos turned heads around the globe. Sadly, John fell while free soloing in 2009. Last winter, longtime climber and author Mark Kroese approached us with a tape marked Bachar, a remnant of the research he did for his book Fifty Favorite Climbs. Time to hit play.   Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube Thanks to our sponsors The North Face Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com  Kodiak Cakes Find Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com AG1 AG1 is offering new subscribers a FREE $76 gift when you sign up. You’ll get a Welcome Kit that includes 5 AG1 travel packs, a shaker and canister in your first box. DrinkAG1.com/climbinggold  LMNT  Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold. Try the new LMNT Sparkling — a bold, 16-ounce can of sparkling electrolyte water.

El Cap. Free. In a day. It's an accomplishment that puts a climber in lofty company. In 2020, Emily Harrington succeeded on Golden Gate. It was a multi-year effort that required finding her outermost limits and letting go of perfectionism. Now, that journey comes to the big screen with Louder Than Eleven’s new film, Girl Climber. Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube Thanks to our sponsors The North Face Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com  Turtlebox Take your music anywhere turtleboxaudio.com LMNT  Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold. Try the new LMNT Sparkling — a bold, 16-ounce can of sparkling electrolyte water. Kodiak Cakes Find Kodiak products at your local grocery store– they're the ones with the bear on the box. Learn more at Kodiakcakes.com Factor Meals Eat smart at FactorMealsCLIMBINGGOLD50OFF and use code CLIMBINGGOLD50OFF to get 50 percent off plus FREE shipping on your first box.

Katie Lamb has been cutting her teeth on a steady diet of some of the country’s hardest boulders. When she became the first woman to climb V16, she was surprised by the spotlight that came with that breakthrough and the ensuing online drama after the problem was downgraded. Today, Katie has climbed V16 again and her motivation has never been more in focus.   Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube Thanks to our sponsors The North Face Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com  David⁠ Buy 4 cartons and get the 5th one for free at ⁠davidprotein.com/climbinggold⁠ LMNT  Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold. Try the new LMNT Sparkling — a bold, 16-ounce can of sparkling electrolyte water. Kodiak Cakes Find Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com Want Climbing Gold Ad Free? Check out Climbing Gold: Unroped

Together, Jesse and Molly Dufton create one of the most unique partnerships in rock climbing. Jesse knew two things from a young age. The feeling that traditional climbing gave him was something that he wanted to pursue through life and that a genetic disorder would eventually rob him of his sight. Through the years Jesse and Molly figured a path forward through a shared life of adventure climbing and first ascents.    Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube Thanks to our sponsors The North Face Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com  LMNT  Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold. Try the new LMNT Sparkling — a bold, 16-ounce can of sparkling electrolyte water. Kodiak Cakes Find Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com AG1 AG1 is offering new subscribers a FREE $76 gift when you sign up. You’ll get a Welcome Kit that includes a bottle of D3K2 AND 5 free travel packs in your first box. DrinkAG1.com/climbinggold David Buy 4 cartons and get the 5th one for free at davidprotein.com/climbinggold Turtlebox Take your music anywhere turtleboxaudio.com Music by:  Brendan O’Connell   •   Tracks provided with permission from the artists or Track Club

Sonnie Trotter would never admit to being Canada’s best rock climber, but his multi-decade career of cutting-edge trad climbs and nails-hard sport routes certainly puts him in that conversation. In his new book, Sonnie looks back to the people, experiences and community that defined his path into professional climbing. Just don’t take financial advice from him. Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube Thanks to our sponsors The North Face Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com  Kodiak Cakes Find Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com LMNT  Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold. Try the new LMNT Sparkling — a bold, 16-ounce can of sparkling electrolyte water. Music by:  Brendan O’Connell   •   Tracks provided with permission from the artists or Track Club

Writer Cassidy Randall’s new book Thirty Below unearths the story of the first all-female ascent of Denali in 1970 and reveals a deeper story of ambition and teamwork. It’s an incredible story with complex characters. In a sport obsessed with legends and heroics, why did the Denali Damsels nearly fade into history?   Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube Thanks to our sponsors The North Face Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com  LMNT  Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold. Try the new LMNT Sparkling — a bold, 16-ounce can of sparkling electrolyte water. Kodiak CakesFind Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com

Elite competition is a young person's game, but when 44-year-old legend Chris Sharma witnessed climbing on the Olympic stage last summer, it lit a fire in him, or at least a small flame. Chris undeniably changed climbing bringing the sport into its modern era, establishing the 5.15 grade, winning World Cups and World Championships as a teen, but an Olympics appearance is the one thing missing. LA 2028 is definitely on his mind. First stop– New Jersey. Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube Thanks to our sponsors The North Face Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com  AG1 AG1 is offering new subscribers a FREE $76 gift when you sign up. You’ll get a Welcome Kit that includes a bottle of D3K2 AND 5 free travel packs in your first box. DrinkAG1.com/climbinggold David Buy 4 cartons and get the 5th one for free at davidprotein.com/climbinggold LMNT  Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold. Try the new LMNT Sparkling — a bold, 16-ounce can of sparkling electrolyte water. Kodiak CakesFind Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com

Amity Warme first showed up in Yosemite Valley in 2019 young, scrappy and in love with the adventurous side of our sport. What’s followed since is a meteoric rise through the discipline of traditional and big wall free climbing. What’s taken some of the world’s best to do over decades, Amity has squeezed into five years. What makes Amity so special? We dig in.  Book of Hate Video Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube Thanks to our sponsors The North Face Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com  David Buy 4 cartons and get the 5th one for free at davidprotein.com/climbinggold  Kodiak Cakes Find Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com LMNT  Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold. Try the new LMNT Sparkling — a bold, 16-ounce can of sparkling electrolyte water.

In 2021, Vitaliy Musiyenko closed the chapter on a years-long obsession with a 32-mile-ridge line featuring 60 summits in the heart of the Sierra. The Goliath Traverse is likely the longest ridge traverse ever completed on the planet. For Vitaliy, it was part of a much larger journey that began with the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.  Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube Thanks to our sponsors The North Face Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com  Yeti See all their products at yeti.com Kodiak Cakes Find Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com LMNT  Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold. Try the new LMNT Sparkling — a bold, 16-ounce can of sparkling electrolyte water. Want Climbing Gold Ad Free? Check out ⁠Climbing Gold:⁠ Unroped

In 2024, Michaela Kiersch became the first woman to climb both V15 and 5.15 putting her on climbing’s global radar. To midwest climbers and those in the know, she was already a legend for her incredible training sessions and ability to balance a career outside climbing. Alex and Michaela chat about what it’s like to become a part of history, the lessons learned from losing a parent at a young age and her incredible 2024. Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube Thanks to our sponsors The North Face Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com  AG1 AG1 is offering new subscribers a FREE $76 gift when you sign up. You’ll get a Welcome Kit that includes a bottle of D3K2 AND 5 free travel packs in your first box. DrinkAG1.com/climbinggold Kodiak Cakes Find Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com LMNT  Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold. Try the new LMNT Sparkling — a bold, 16-ounce can of sparkling electrolyte water. Want Climbing Gold Ad Free? Check out Climbing Gold: Unroped

After rising to the highest echelon of professional skiing, Cody Townsend took a step back and embraced climbing to take him to the next chapter of his career. Today, Cody sits on the cusp of completing an all-time goal – climbing and skiing the 50 Classic Ski Descents of North America.  Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube Thanks to our sponsors The North Face Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com  David Buy 4 cartons and get the 5th one for free at davidprotein.com/climbinggold LMNT  Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold. Try the new LMNT Sparkling — a bold, 16-ounce can of sparkling electrolyte water. Yeti Check out all their products at yeti.com Kodiak Cakes Find Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com

We are back with the Greatest of All Time – Janja Garnbret. For the last decade, Janja has dominated competitive climbing, capping it off with her second gold medal at the Olympics last summer. Where does she find the motivation to keep improving when she’s won everything there is to win? Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube Thanks to our sponsors The North Face Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com Kodiak Cakes Find Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com AG1 AG1 is offering new subscribers a FREE $76 gift when you sign up. You’ll get a Welcome Kit that includes a bottle of D3-K2 AND 5 free travel packs in your first box. DrinkAG1.com/climbinggold LMNT  Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold. Try the new LMNT Sparkling — a bold, 16-ounce can of sparkling electrolyte water.

Ben Mayforth’s strength is a sight to behold. The professional paraclimber’s social clips of campusing double digit boulder problems may have made it into your social feed, but his story runs much deeper than any grade or route. It’s a story of hard work, belonging and finding a path in the world.  Forerunner features Alex Johnson Adapted Part 1 and Part 2 features Mo Beck Thanks to our sponsors The North Face  Henson Shaving Use link and enter CLIMBINGGOLD at checkout to get 100 free blades with your purchase. (Note: you must add both the 100-blade pack and the razor for the discount to apply.) LMNT Use link to get a free LMNT sample pack with any order  Altitude Climbing Learn the three key elements needed to make progress again from Dave Macleod. Sign-up for the course at altitudeclimbing.com/climbinggold COROS Use code CLIMBINGGOLD to get a free watch carabiner with the purchase of a VERTIX 2s watch when both items are in your cart.  Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube

Last summer, Alex and Tommy Caldwell rode bikes from Estes Park, Colorado to SE Alaska where they boarded a sailboat which dropped them beneath the fabled Devil’s Thumb. Their adventure is now a film on Disney+, but a lot of the experience got left on the cutting room floor. We sat down with Tommy and their photographer/wingman, Taylor Shaffer, to dive deeper into the journey. The Devil's Climb trailer Thanks to our sponsors The North Face  Altitude Climbing Learn the three key elements needed to make progress again from Dave Macleod. Sign-up for the course at altitudeclimbing.com/climbinggold. COROS Use code CLIMBINGGOLD to get a free watch carabiner with the purchase of a VERTIX 2s watch when both items are in your cart.  LMNT Use link to get a free LMNT sample pack with any order  Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube

Tucked away in a corner of Chilean Patagonia, Valle Cochamó wasn’t going to stay hidden forever. The soaring unclimbed granite walls instilled dreams of first ascents in climbers. Industrialists eyed its free flowing rivers with their potential for hydroelectric power. Conservationists hoped it could provide a final puzzle piece of an incredible protected wildlife corridor. To the families who live there, it was simply home where they ranched amidst the 3,000-year-old Alerce trees. This is the story of how a coalition of Chilean gauchos, climbers and activists fought off development efforts for two decades. Now there is an opportunity for a lasting conservation victory. How do you make the next Yosemite? You start by buying it. Donate today: https://bit.ly/SavingCochamo This episode was produced in collaboration with The Dirtbag Diaries. Listen to all episodes on Apple Podcasts or Spotify Thanks to our sponsors The North Face  LMNT Use link to get a free LMNT sample pack with any order  Altitude Climbing Learn the three key elements needed to make progress again from Dave Macleod. Sign-up for the course at altitudeclimbing.com/climbinggold. Henson Shaving Use link and enter CLIMBINGGOLD at checkout to get 100 free blades with your purchase. (Note: you must add both the 100-blade pack and the razor for the discount to apply.) COROS Use code CLIMBINGGOLD to get a free watch carabiner with the purchase of a VERTIX 2s watch when both items are in your cart.  Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube

5.13 at 78. That’s staggering, but the numbers don’t capture the breadth of Jamie Logan’s climbing career, which now spans seven decades. Through every chapter of our sport, Jamie has been a contributor from pioneering free climbing in the 1960’s to leading design trends of the modern gym. The risk she took in her 70’s may ultimately prove to be the most lasting pillar of her legacy. Never be afraid of who you are.  Watch Jamie film at bit.ly/JamieLogan Thanks to our sponsors The North Face  COROS Use code CLIMBINGGOLD to get a free watch carabiner with the purchase of a VERTIX 2s watch when both items are in your cart.  Altitude Climbing Learn the three key elements needed to make progress again from Dave Macleod. Sign-up for the course at altitudeclimbing.com/climbinggold. LMNT Get a free LMNT sample pack with any order at bit.ly/LMNTxCG Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube

Alpinist and photographer Cory Richards was living at full speed. A steady stream of Himalayan expeditions and assignments from National Geographic kept him relentlessly moving around the world. Meanwhile, his long struggle with bi-polar disorder, PTSD, alcoholism, and sex addiction hit new lows until Cory’s world came undone. Today, Cory’s stepped away from both climbing and photography, has written two books and in a lot of ways, is happier than he’s ever been.  Thanks to our sponsors The North Face  Altitude Climbing Enroll in Hazel’s brand new course to overcome fear of falling and learn more about the 7 signs of fear at altitudeclimbing.com/climbinggold. Henson Shaving Use link and enter CLIMBINGGOLD at checkout to get 100 free blades with your purchase. (Note: you must add both the 100-blade pack and the razor for the discount to apply.). LMNT Use link to get a free LMNT sample pack with any order  COROS Use code CLIMBINGGOLD to get a free watch carabiner with the purchase of a VERTIX 2s watch when both items are in your cart.  Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube

El Cap. Free. In a day. Putting those words on your resume puts you in the league of legends. How did that become the bar? Lynn Hill. A singular athlete who stepped up to the biggest stage in climbing, Lynn redefined what was athletically possible not just for her generation, but generations to come. Emily Harrington and Beth Rodden add their perspective on the momentous achievement.  “It Goes Boys” poster Thanks to our sponsors The North Face  Henson Shaving Use link and enter CLIMBINGGOLD at checkout to get 100 free blades with your purchase. (Note: Add both the 100-blade pack and the razor for the discount to apply.). COROS Use code CLIMBINGGOLD to get a free watch carabiner with the purchase of a VERTIX 2s watch when both items are in your cart.  Altitude Climbing: Sign up for a free mini-training that Hazel and Altitude have put together to bust some of the biggest myths and faulty advice when it comes to overcoming fear of falling at altitudeclimbing.com/climbinggold LMNT Use link to get a free LMNT sample pack with any order

Ms. 5.15 – that was the moniker the climbing world bestowed on Margo Hayes after she became the first woman to climb the grade. Two more 5.15’s followed and Margo seemed poised to be a defining climber of her generation. Yet, in the background, Margo was quietly struggling with Lyme disease and exploring other interests when she wasn’t healthy enough to give climbing her all. What does a professional climber owe their sport, their community, and what do they owe themselves?  Thanks to our sponsors The North Face  COROS Use code CLIMBINGGOLD to get a free watch carabiner with the purchase of a VERTIX 2s watch when both items are in your cart.  LMNT Use link to get a free LMNT sample pack with any order  Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube

While most of the elite climbing world has turned its attention to raw difficulty in sport and bouldering, Babsi Zangerl and Jacopo Larcher have been carrying the torch for hard, sometimes dangerous, traditional climbing. We talk about Eternal Flame, managing risk and getting sandbagged in Yosemite.  Thanks to our sponsors The North Face  COROS Use code CLIMBINGGOLD to get a free watch carabiner with the purchase of a VERTIX 2s watch when both items are in your cart.  LMNT Use link to get a free LMNT sample pack with any order  Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube