Joe Grant is a professional mountain athlete that has completed some of the hardest endurance races in the world, like the Hardrock 100, UTMB 100, Iditarod Invitational, and The Colorado Trail Race. But Joe's achievements go far beyond the races he has competed. He has also completed some mind-bending self-supported adventures like the Tour of 14ers, where he biked to and summited all 57 of Colorado's 14ers, and the Nolan's 14, which links 14 14ers over 100 miles in Colorado's Sawatch Range....

On this episode I got to speak with Becca Droz, a rock climber, beatboxer, and The Amazing Race contestant. I first met Becca a couple years back when we went climbing with @TheIanKingExperience at the Black Wall on Mount Evans. Her enthusiasm was infectious and it was there that I learned she was a contestant on the Amazing Race. I ran into Becca a couple weeks ago at Outdoor Retailer in Denver, CO and she told me that she's working on a film project called Hip Hop Gone Wild for No Man's...

Recently, I ran into Patrick Hardy while scrambling in the Flatirons. It reminded me of the time I first met him a couple years ago during the Stay Local Tour at Shelf Road where we sat around a campfire drinking beers and playing guitar. The next morning I passed by his campsite while he and some friends (bandmates, maybe?) were tearing up some bluegrass tunes. Thinking about that made me wonder what he's up to. And I wanted to hear him play some more guitar. So I got on Instagram and asked...

I first met Alton Richardson when he interned at Climbing Magazine a number of years back. He was a quiet person and we didn't talk much. So I learned quite a bit about him when he stopped by my old apartment in Boulder. We talked about his upbringing outside Oakland, CA as a skater-punk kid that also participated in Boy Scouts (an unusual combination), how interning at Climbing Magazine helped his career, what he enjoys about his route setting job at Ascent Studio in Fort Collins, what it...

Can you imagine graduating from Harvard University. then getting an MBA at Harvard School of Business, only to give it all up for vanlife and a career of adventure and storytelling? Sunny Stroeer (sunnystroeer.com) did just that when she caught the bug, like many of us have, and decided that the 9 to 5, high-stress career wasn't for her. She needed to be running long stretches of trail, scaling massive, granite walls and capturing those awe-inspiring, difficult, joyous, stunning,...

Unlike a lot of other ultramarathoners, Darcy Piceu got into running later in life. She didn't run track in school. It wasn't until around 2001 when Darcy began pacing races for friends that she got drawn into the world of ultrarunning. Since then Darcy has accumulated  an impressive list of achievements that designates her as one of the top female ultrarunners. She has won the Hardrock 100 three times, has set a number of the FKT (Fastest Known Time) records, including the John Muir Trail...

You may have seen some of Rob Kepley's work in Climbing Magazine or other outdoor publications. He's a photographer from the Front Range that has spent a lot of time climbing, exploring, and shooting Eldorado Canyon and the Flatirons. You could say it's his home turf. I met Rob last year when I helped as a belayer on a shoot. Ian King, the Rubber Rambler, was the climber. He brought beers for us and had the most delightful demeanor. Ever since than when I've seen his work in magazines or on...

Tracy Martin is a guide, artist, and graphic designer that lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. She is one of the most fun people I know and I absolutely loved getting the chance to sit down with her in the van to ask about how she got into climbing, how her guiding career has evolved over the years, and about her graphic design days at Climbing Magazine. It's a fun conversation. Enjoy!

Jonathan Siegrist has built up an impressive tick list over the years. I first remember hearing about Jonathan in 2009 when he went on a tear in the Red River Gorge and redpointed seven 5.14 routes, sent three 5.13d routes, onsighted three 5.13c routes, and climbed 11 more routes ranging from 13a to 13b - all in a two week trip. Not bad. That year Jonathan got a ton of attention from the climbing media and won a Golden Piton Award for Breakaway Success from Climbing Magazine. Since then...

Chris Weidner is a writer and rock climber from Boulder, Colorado that spends part of the year in Las Vegas where he and his wife, Heather, have a condo. He writes a bi-weekly column about rock climbing for the Daily Camera (Boulder) and has written for Climbing and Rock & Ice. Currently, he is working on a new guidebook for Boulder Canyon. Chris is also a well respected rock climber that has put up many first ascents and repeated many hard lines. I met with Chris at his place in Las...

Closing out 2017 with an interview with Andy Raether. Before heading home for the holidays I had the pleasure of sitting down with Andy at his gym, Origin Climbing & Fitness, in Las Vegas. We talked about his upbringing in Minnesota, why he decided to make Las Vegas his home base, what it takes to open and run a climbing gym, the status of his climbing hold company, Menagerie, and why he enjoys training so much. It's hard to believe one person can do so much, but after meeting Andy it...

Her name is Irene Yee but many know her by her Instagram username, @LadyLockOff. She is a photographer from Las Vegas, Nevada that has earned Instagram fame for her stunning photographs that capture the joy and beauty of climbing and outdoor adventure from a wide variety of perspectives. I briefly met Irene Yee a couple years ago, but I really got to know her last winter when I unexpectedly took a guiding job in Vegas and needed a place to stay. She opened her home to me and I stayed in her...

While back in Boston to do some landscaping for a buddy I had the opportunity to sit down with Obe Carrion at Metro Rock (Everett) where he currently resides as the head coach and operations manager. I was excited to speak with Obe about his upbringing in Pennsylvania and what it was like to come up during the bouldering explosion of the early 2000s and be featured in one of the most iconic bouldering films of all time, Rampage (1999), which followed Obe and Chris Sharma on an epic ...

Ian King considers himself a lifestylist of the climbing sort. I got to know Ian through our mutual relationship with Misty Mountain Threadworks - we're both Misty ambassadors - and to this day I haven't met a climber who so thoroughly enjoys being part of climbing photo shoots. (Thank you for the countless days climbing old school routes for me, Ian.) Whenever I ask him if he has time be a climbing model he always says yes, and enthusiastically comes up with photogenic routes and colorful...

During an impromptu trip to Ventura, California I had the pleasure of catching up with Justin Roth, a friend and former co-worker. He currently works for Patagonia in the marketing department. Before that he was at Petzl and before that he served in a number of roles at Climbing Magazine and Urban Climber Magazine. Until recently he also published The Stone Mind, a popular blog that frequently contemplated climbing and Buddhism and the relationship between the two. As I have got to know...

Adventurer Buzz Burrell grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan, but it wasn't long before he packed his bags and headed west to Colorado to be in the mountains. Over the next five and a half decades he set fastest known time (FKT) records on the Colorado Trail (486 miles) and the John Muir Trail (223 miles), started the first certified organic farm in the state of Colorado, and helped take Ultimate Direction from a floundering brand to a market leader in hydration systems. I met up with Buzz at the...

If there's one thing you can't call Maura Kistler it's sedentary. She's always doing something to bring people - climbers, kayakers, outdoor enthusiasts - together to build community, all while running her gear shop, WaterStone Outdoors, and teaching. Her unbounded drive, self deprecating humor, and straight-at-it attitude has been an inspiration to me over the years and I always look forward to bumping into her, either in Fayetteville if I'm passing through town or at Outdoor Retailer. This...

As I've gotten to know Jeremy Quentin (plays under the moniker Small Houses) over the years he's become one of my favorite people. We don't see each other much, since he lives in Austin and I in Denver. But from time to time we cross paths in different cities across the country. Last week Jeremy had a show in Cambridge, MA while I was in town and I asked him to stop by my aunt and uncles for a quick chat. He obliged and even played a new song of his that he hasn't recorded yet. We had a great...

Jon Glassberg and Jordan Shipman are the co-founders of Louder Than 11. You've probably seen some of their online videos or maybe even caught one of their climbing competition live broadcasts. They've come a long way since their first videos, like Colorado Glow, and now they're leaders in the climbing media landscape. I took a drive over to their office in Boulder, Colorado and spoke with them about the evolution of live broadcast in the climbing industry, how Louder Than 11 came to be, and...

Julie Ellison joined the staff of Climbing Magazine back in 2010 when the magazine was sailing through turbulent waters. Over the next six years she gained the respect of the industry and became a leading voice in climbing media. Recently, Julie was promoted to Editor-in-Chief. But the road to the top hasn't been easy for Julie. Since joining the staff at Climbing Magazine it has changed ownership, cycled through a number of editors, and undergone many redesigns. Yet, Julie remains upbeat,...

Timmy O'Neill's career in the outdoor industry had taken him in many direction. From his modest start as a cashier at the Old Faithful Gift Shop in Yellowstone, to breaking the-then speed record for climbing The Nose on "El Cap" in Yosemite, to founding Paradox Sports, a non-profit organization that helps disabled individuals participate in human-powered sports and enjoy the great outdoors. With all he has achieved, Timmy continues to expand his horizons physically, intellectually, and...

Anton Krupicka came onto the ultra running scene when he took 1st place at the Leadville 100 Run in 2006. He was 22 years old. In 2007, he took 47 minutes off his time and won the heroic race, once again. That time still stands as the 3rd fastest on the course. Those highly celebrated wins helped Krupicka turn his passion of running in the natural world into a career. Currently, he is sponsored by La Sportiva, Buff, Petzl, Ultimate Direction, Zeal, and Stance. Krupicka stopped by the...

Even though Whitney Boland was born in Florida, a state with absolutely no worthwhile climbing and went to school in Ohio, a state with very limited climbing, somehow she fell in love with the sport and made a career of it. She serves as a contributing editor for Rock & Ice. She climbs for Black Diamond, La Sportiva, and Sterling. A number of outdoor industry brands hire her for marketing copy work. And she does all this from her home base in New Paltz, NY. Not a bad gig. Whitney...

Paul Nelson is a lot of things. He holds a PhD in history. He's a Misty Mountain and Blue Ridge Outdoors sponsored climber. He authored a book called Wrecks of Human Ambition: A History of Utah's Canyon Country to 1936. He started playing guitar at the age of five and recently started playing bluegrass mandolin. To say he's a passionate individual would be a gross understatement. Kevin sat down with Paul at the American Alpine Club Campground, which Paul manages, at The New River Gorge in...

Andres Marin won't tell you he's a badass climber, but don't let him fool you. He is. He has represented the United States in five Ice Climbing World Cups, which is a bit funny since he was born in Columbia and lived there for most of his youth. As an AMGA mountain guide he leads climbing expeditions all over the world. His mountain resume, which includes climbs in Alaska, Peru and the Alps, is quite extensive for such a young climber. Andres is a really nice dude that also has an enormous...