22-year-old Zion crusher Connor Baty on first ascents, rope soloing the Triple Wall in 12 hours, and why he climbs without sponsors. Kora FA, Towers of the Virgin, and living the unsponsored dream.

Today's guest is 22-year-old silent crusher from Zion, Connor Baty. Connor has been climbing since he was 8 years old, with key early development as a trad climber at Garden of the Gods in Colorado—a notoriously chossy area with soft, loose sandstone. Since then he quickly progressed through the grades, leveling out around the 5.13 range. He then took that knowledge and merged it with his true passion: adventure. Connor has been quietly building a reputation as a cutting-edge first ascensionist and endurance linkup climber. Connor was the partner to our previous guest James Barrow for the Complete Tower of the Virgin Traverse. They also established a new 5.12+ multipitch route in Zion, called Kora. Connor has climbed Time Wave Zero down in Potrero car to car in 5 hours and most recently he’s claimed the rope solo speed record of the Zion Triple Wall—linking Touchstone, Moonlight Buttress, and Prodigal Son in a blistering 12 hours. Needless to say Connor is a crusher.

He could easily seek out sponsorships at the level he is climbing. But as we learn in our conversation, Connor has zero interest in self-promotion. For him it's all about personal progress, adventure, and living the life he has now to the fullest. He even has groundbreaking pursuits outside of climbing and is currently attempting to navigate the Colorado River from source to sea. What I found most interesting about our conversation is how well-spoken, composed, and level-headed Connor is as a human and a climber. Back when I was 22 I could not say the same thing about myself. I really felt the stoke and energy from Connor in our conversation and I'm happy to be sharing it with you now.

Watch the full episode on Youtube

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Resources

Conor's IG