Action In Solitude

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. Before leaving for Europe to compete in the Tor des Géants, a 200-mile endurance race in the Aosta Valley, Italy, Joe stopped by the house in Boulder, Colorado and we chatted about what it was like growing up in France, his love for rollerblading, working on child education while living in Kenya, how he got into ultra running and endurance sports, how he ended up in Colorado, what he thinks about self-support adventures vs. supported adventures, what it's like to be an ambassador for Scarpa and Black Diamond, why he decid

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 Land Film Festival where she's combining her loves for rock climbing and beatboxing to help promote diversity and creativity in the community. I was intrigued and wanted to know more. She stopped by my place in Boulder and we talked about her upbringing in Pittsburg, not to be confused with Philadelphia, how she was on the Mr. Rogers show as a kid, the time she spent in Israel and how it impacted her, going to Warren Wilson College, what it was like to be a contestant on The Amazing Race, how she came up with the Fun-O-Meter

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 if he'd like to play a few songs on the podcast. Turns out he's playing bluegrass and folk music with a band out of Longmont called The High Road Home and records occasionally with Hoss and The Drum. In addition to playing some songs, Patrick and I talked about  existentialism, Walden Pond, climbing at Shelf Road, and how he learned to play guitar. Music starts at 23:00. In this set Patrick plays Take Me Back (original), Gonna Travel (original), Working on a Building (traditional),  and Any Mountain (original). This epi

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 takes to be a freelance photographer and videographer, what's going on with California Climber, which he started with Dean Fleming, and vanlife. Enjoy!

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, heart-breaking moments and stories for others to experience. Over a number of years Sunny lived out of an Astrovan, visiting America's great parks. This is when she learned advanced rock climbing skills, practiced her photography, and trained for harder objectives, occasionally leaving for international adventure. About a year ago Sunny gave up permanent vanlife for a place in Boulder, where she lives with her husband Paul. But you won't find Sunny in Boulder much. She tends to spend most of her time in the nearby mountains or travel

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 (supported), and won the Rocky Mountain Slam (Bighorn 100, Hardrock 100, Wasatch Front 100 Endurance Race, Leadville Trail 100 Race, and The Bear 100). Darcy and I met at the East Boulder Community Center to talk about managing time as a mother and ultrarunner, growing up on Pine Lake in a suburb outside Detroit, Michigan, her favorite trails around Boulder, Colorado, how she got introduced to running during her College years, her ultrarunning achievements, and what's on her ultrarunning tick list. This episode is brought

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 Instagram (@robkepley_photography) I've thought to myself, I want to talk to this guy. Well, I got my chance. Rob stopped by my month-to-month apartment in Boulder, CO to talk about his upbringing in North Carolina, why he moved out to Colorado, how he got introduced to climbing, and about his passion for climbing photography. This episode is brought to you by: Misty Mountain (mistymountain.com) - Misty Mountain is a combination of climbers and local craftspeople working together to design and manufacture the finest clim

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 Jonathan has continued to put up and repeat many of the hardest lines in the country, if not the world. I met up with Jonathan at his place in Las Vegas and we talked about growing up in Madison, WI and Boulder, CO, why Las Vegas is such a great climbing city, and what being a professional climber means to him. Enjoy the podcast.

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 Vegas and we talked about his upbringing outside of Seattle, his experience  as a school bus driver in Boulder, and about the majesty of Dream Canyon. Enjoy!

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 becomes clear that his high-energy and competitive personality allows him to accomplish many things that the average person only dreams of, like his recent first ascent of Manphibian (5.14d). Enjoy!

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 guest room. She was working crazy hours at her Cirque du Soleil job. I barely saw her. The few times I did see her she was always editing photos in her office. I was impressed with her dedication to the craft and personal grit. Irene and I sat down in the van to chat about what she's been up to since I last saw her, why she started photographing climbing, and what it was like growing up in New Paltz, NY. Enjoy! (Header image by Irene Yee from our adventure on Group Therapy (5.7) last winter.)

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  bouldering road trip across the West Coast. Enjoy!

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 outfits he has in mind. Ian won the 24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell Trad (Male) division in 2016 and had a strong finish this year. If he's not swinging a hammer or resoling climbing shoes to pay the bills it's a good bet he's plugging trad gear at a classic crag in the Southeast or a big wall in Utah. Ian and I sat down in my Sprinter Van in the Boulder County Courthouse parking lot and talked over beers before we getting Tacos in town. Enjoy!

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 Justin I have found him to be creative, thoughtful, even-keeled, and he possesses a tremendous amount of grit. We recorded the interview at Justin's place in Ventura, which was nice because I got to visit with his wife, Kristin, and his baby girl, Olivia. After dinner and cupcakes Justin offered me a glass of whiskey to enjoy during our talk. We sat down at the microphones setup in his climbing gym (garage with woody) and covered a number of topics, including his suburban upbringing in Ohio, going to college at NYU, and the r

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 Ultimate Direction offices in Gunbarrel, Colorado and we had a nice chat about running, adventure projects, FKTs, gear innovations, the Signature Series, featuring running celebrities Anton Krupicka, Scott Jurek, and Peter Bakwin, and some of the challenges of growing older.  

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 spring I was in Fayetteville for a Misty Mountain retreat and caught up with Maura at the AAC Campground where she and her husband, Gene, had organized their annual trail work event. We drank coffee. Joked about our shortcomings. Reminisced about mutual friends. It was wonderful.

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 talk, and afterwards we enjoyed some Massaman curry that my uncle cooked up for us. Enjoy. Small Houses website - http://www.smallhousessing.com Small Houses Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Smallhousessing/?fref=ts Small Houses Bandcamp - https://smallhouses.bandcamp.com/    

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 their vision for the future. Enjoy!  

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, positive, and focused on improving the magazine. She has a strong vision of what Climbing Magazine should be and a strategy to get there. I drove up to Boulder to chat with Julie at her office in Boulder, Colorado. We discussed Julie's new promotion, the status of climbing media, and the pros and cons of her and her boyfriend, Alton Richardson, moving out of their apartment and living out of their van. Enjoy the conversation. Connect with Julie: Website Instagram Twitter