Nick, owner of Beta, wanted to learn how to multi pitch climb. He’d been climbing in a local indoor gym on a pretty regular basis for about three years. He went out with his climbing partner and someone they recently met who said he’d teach them how to multi-pitch climb. The three of them went out to Clarks Canyon to learn the basics. This is where the trip goes south. Listen into this episode to hear what went wrong and what Nick learned from this incident. 

This podcast is produced by Ashley Saupe and backed by the American Alpine Club. Episode sponsors include Rocky Talkie and Desert Mountain Medicine. 

I teamed up with Nick from Beta to do 3 giveaways. We'll do a giveaway every Friday for the next three weeks! Follow my instagram and facebook to learn how you can sign up!


--> 10% off Rocky Talkie radios at www.rockytalkie.com with code SHARPEND
—> 20% off First Aid contents at MyMedic.com with code SHARPEND20
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Ep 70 - Learning How to Multi-Pitch, Gone Wrong - Nick Tollison

On November 6, three Ukrainian climbers—Nikita Balabanov, Mikhail “Misha” Fomin, and Viacheslav "Slava" Polezhaiko—summited Annapurna III by the southeast ridge. This towering ridge line, following a knife-edge of loose snow and even looser rock to a 7,555-meter summit, had been a coveted goal of elite Himalayan climbers for 40 years. The three men spent 18 days on their extremely complex alpine-style ascent and descent. AAJ assistant editor Michael Levy spoke with Balabanov and Fomin just one week after their return to Ukraine to get the complete story of this remarkable climb.

The Cutting Edge is presented by Hilleberg the Tentmaker, with additional support from Polartec, Gnarly Nutrition, and Lowa Boots. This podcast is produced by the American Alpine Club.

First Ascent of the Southeast Ridge of Annapurna III

The Full Circle Everest team was the first all-Black team to attempt Everest, and with the majority of their team summiting, they nearly doubled the number of Black climbers who have summited the highest mountain in the world. In this episode, we sit down with three members of the team—leader and longtime climber Philip Henderson, North Face Athlete Fred Campbell, and Kenyan guide and mountaineer James “KG” Kagambi, who is the first Black African to summit Denali, Aconcagua, and now Everest. We talked about moments of joy on the mountain, what they learned working alongside their expert Sherpa team, what motivated them to join this all-Black expedition, the evidence of climate change they witnessed, the challenges of mountaineering judgment on mountains with unstable conditions, and much more. 

Dive in for a dose of inspiration and insights you won’t want to miss. 

Members of the Full Circle Everest team will be giving a keynote speech for the AAC’s 2023 Annual Gala. Don’t forget to save the date and join us for the biggest, and fanciest, get-together of dirtbags around. Learn more here: https://americanalpineclub.org/annual-benefit-gala

Visit our website for more resources and the show notes: https://americanalpineclub.org/stories/#185

CLIMB: The Full Circle Everest Team Talks Joy, Partnership, and Climate Change

Have you ever wondered: what’s at the root of Alex Honnold’s need for speed? In this episode of the podcast, we sat down with the ever-fascinating Alex Honnold, and put him in conversation with one of ulta running’s forefathers and one of the inventors of the FKT concept, or “fastest known time,” the one and only Buzz Burrell. In this episode, we took inspiration from Alex, who blends sports like running and rock climbing to create massive link-ups like the HURT and the CUDL, to investigate the philosophies behind climbing speed records, ultras, and mountain traverses and link-ups. Why are we so obsessed with speed in the mountains? How do speed records and first ascents play off each other? And what can putting ultra runners and speed record holders together in conversation reveal about these sports we love? The iconic Alex Honnold and Buzz Burrell weigh in on all this and more.

CONNECT: An Ode to Speed, with Alex Honnold and Buzz Burrell

Often described as one of the most beautiful mountains in North America, Mt. Huntington has been drawing top alpinists to the Alaska Range ever since the peak's first ascent in 1964, led by the great French climber Lionel Terray. In April 2023, Dane Steadman (USA), Zac Colbran and Grant Stewart (both from Canada) flew to the Tokositna Glacier for their own adventures. The three of them climbed a cool new route up the west face of Huntington, and two of them then made a second foray onto the west face, repeating a rarely climbed variation to the Harvard Route and freeing the classic Nose pitch. AAJ assistant editor Michael Levy interviewed all three climbers to get their story.

The Cutting Edge podcast is produced by Hilleberg the Tentmaker, with additional support from Bivouac Coffee. This podcast is produced by the American Alpine Club.

A Beautiful New Route on Mt. Huntington: Zac Colbran, Dane Steadman and Grant Stewart

Sarah McNair-Landry and Erik Boomer only started climbing a few years ago, and their technical level maxes out around 5.11. Yet their extended, multi-sport expeditions all over Baffin Island are without a doubt cutting edge. This year, they made three separate trips: one for climbing, skiing, and kiting on Baffin Island’s remote east coast; one to explore a new zone of beautiful walls near Baffin’s southern tip; and a third to fulfill the dream that got them into climbing in the first place: climbing the mighty peak of Mt. Asgard. (They climbed it twice.) Chris Kalman spoke with Sarah and Erik about this year’s adventures and about their unique and enviable role in the modern exploration of Baffin Island.

The Cutting Edge is presented by Hilleberg the Tentmaker, with additional support from Blue Ice and Bivouac Coffee. This podcast is hosted and produced by Dougald MacDonald, editor of the American Alpine Journal, and is published by the American Alpine Club.

Sarah McNair-Landry and Erik Boomer: Fun Hogs for the 21st Century

In early June, Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell not only smashed the speed record for climbing the Nose of El Capitan, they also broke the four-minute mile of climbing: the Nose in under two hours. In this episode, Alex and Tommy speak with Chris Kalman about the preparation and tactics for the climb, the risks of speed climbing, and what comes next. 

Thanks to Hilleberg the Tentmaker and Black Diamond Equipment for sponsoring this episode of the Cutting Edge. This show is produced by the American Alpine Club.

Photo courtesy of REEL ROCK Film Tour / Austin Siadak.

Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell on the Nose (Ep. 8)

Anne Gilbert Chase and Chantel Astorga made the first all-female ascent of one of Denali's hardest climbs, the Slovak Direct, in June. In this episode, Chris Kalman chats with Anne Gilbert about how she got hooked on Denali (she and Chantel attempted this climb two years in a row), the joys of climbing steep ice with a 30-pound pack, and how she feels about first female ascents.

The Cutting Edge is presented by Hilleberg the Tentmaker and produced by the American Alpine Club.

Anne Gilbert Chase on Denali's Slovak Direct

In early June, Colin Haley set a new speed record for the Cassin Ridge on North America's highest peak, soloing the 8,000-foot route in a little over eight hours. In this episode, Colin chats with Andy Anderson about the new record on Denali, his previous speed solos of Mt. Foraker and Mt. Hunter, and the future of climbing in the Central Alaska Range.

The Cutting Edge podcast is made possible by Hilleberg the Tentmaker and is produced by the American Alpine Club.

Colin Haley Speed Solos the Cassin Ridge (Ep. 10)

After Brette Harrington's partner, Marc-André Leclerc, disappeared during a climb on Mendenhall Tower in Alaska in March, along with Ryan Johnson, Brette felt compelled to return to the Juneau Icefield in southeast Alaska repeatedly last summer and climbed numerous new routes in the Mendenhall Towers and elsewhere. In September, she and Gabe Hayden completed a difficult first ascent on the rarely climbed Devil's Paw. In this episode, Brette talks with Chris Kalman about this new route and also how her climbs above the Juneau Icefield have helped her through such a difficult time.

The Cutting Edge is presented by Hilleberg the Tentmaker, with additional support for this episode from Julbo Eyewear. This podcast is produced by the American Alpine Club.

Brette Harrington and the Devil's Paw (Ep. 12)

At sunset on August 5, 2019, Steve Swenson, Graham Zimmerman, Chris Wright, and Mark Richey stood on top of Link Sar, a 7,041-meter peak in Pakistan that had resisted numerous attempts dating back to 1979. The successful climb of the southeast face was the culmination of two months of effort by a powerful team of American climbers: two veterans in their 60s, and two of the leading alpinists of today’s younger generation.

Our guests for this episode are Steve Swenson, author of the recent book “Karakoram,” about 40 years of climbing in Pakistan, and Graham Zimmerman, the youngest member of the expedition. The two describe this very complex mountain, where just identifying a reasonable line took multiple years of attempts, and their nine-day round trip from base camp, which drew on the deepest reservoirs of every member's strengths.

The Cutting Edge is presented by Hilleberg the Tentmaker. This podcast is produced by the American Alpine Club.

Link Sar with Steve Swenson and Graham Zimmerman

The Cutting Edge presents in-depth interviews with the world's best climbers, just back from great new climbs. Presented by Hilleberg the Tentmaker (http://hilleberg.com), with additional support from Bivouac Coffee and Blue Ice. This podcast is produced by the editors of the American Alpine Journal.

First Ascent of the Southeast Ridge of Annapurna III

The Cutting Edge

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