Kai Lightner is on a tear. When we last spoke with Kai, his path in professional climbing was unclear. He’d struggled with disordered eating, injuries, and growing into his adult body after a decade of success in competition and his path back to the upper limits of climbing seemed uncertain. Last year, Kai turned his attention to climbing outside a…

Two people step outside their comfort zones to take action on the things that matter to them in the hopes of making their communities, and the world, a better place. For Caroline Gleich, that means running for a Senate seat in Utah. For Alex Haraus, that means advocating and mobilizing support for environmental protections using social media. Suppo…

We're sharing an episode from our friends at Outside/In. Their team of reporters combine solid reporting and long-form narrative storytelling that sits at the crossroads of the outdoors, science and the environment and how those themes interact with the rest of our world. Til the landslide brings it down explores what happens when a growing threat …

A decade ago, climbing’s most controversial figure wasn’t someone who’d lied, chopped routes, or chipped holds. It was a young woman who’d savvily harnessed the internet and social media to power her competitive career. Unintentionally, Sierra Blair became a lightning rod. Today, Sierra’s approach might simply be considered best practice for an ath…

Sometimes we all need healthy competition. Last summer Alex, Tommy Caldwell, and Sonnie Trotter hatched a plan – each would attempt to climb 9a in the coming year. Climbing at your limit demands attention and accountability, something each was struggling with on their own. Together, the goal seemed a little more probable. Watch Climbing Gold on You…

Beth Rodden first started climbing in 1995, and it wasn’t long before she radically changed the sport. Within three years, she’d become the first woman to climb 5.14; within five, she’d established a still unrepeated free route on Yosemite’s El Capitan. Today, Beth is making waves in a different way: by leading the climbing community in difficult, …

When Kris Hampton launched the Power Company, training for climbing was in an awkward adolescence. Research and tactics were woefully behind adjacent sports like gymnastics. Gym sessions were a stop gap for time outside and training programs were the realm of competitive youth teams and a few hardened professionals. We dive into the evolution of tr…

We made a book! For the last year, Fitz and Becca have been working on adapting 30 episodes into essays and pairing them with incredible imagery. And we are really excited to be able to (nearly) share it with you. You can pre-order States of Adventure: 30 Outdoor Adventure Stories About Finding Yourself By Getting Lost now through July 22nd. The bo…

News flash: having kids changes things. Paige Claassen and Emily Harrington join Alex to discuss the new normal, reaching limits while sleep deprived and the calculus of risk as they move into parenthood. 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 …

Thirteen years ago Fitz got talked into doing our first live Dirtbag Diaries at 5Point Film Festival. So, we were thrilled to to return again for the 2024 festival and talk with Dr. John Francis, Taylor Rees and Renan Ozturk. In 1971, John gave up motorized transportation after seeing the effects of an oil spill on wildlife. Months later he took a …

For the last decade, no climber has moved our sport closer to the future than Adam Ondra. While he’s known for his visionary sport routes, he’s excelled in every aspect of rock climbing from competition to big walls. Adam sat down for a wide ranging interview to talk about the limits of what’s humanly possible, the Olympics and shiver bivying on El…

“With no roads to this wave, we had hiked in a dozen or so miles along the beach from the nearest town as a huge swell raged next to us,” writes Tyler Homen. A weekend of surfing with buddies turns epic when everyone’s favorite pup, Lyle, goes missing. In partnership with 1% For The Planet Want more episodes? Join Dirtbag Diaries+ today…

Creciendo en Michigan, Vanessa Chavarriaga Posada no creía que el esquí era cosa de ella, y no fue hasta que se mudo a Wyoming que descubrió la alegría que le podía traer. El año pasado, decidió esquiar el pico más alto de México, el Pico de Orizaba, con una meta significativa: incluir a sus papás, que nunca habían entendido completamente las activ…

Growing up undocumented in Michigan, Vanessa Chavarriaga Posada didn't think skiing was for her, and it wasn't until she moved to Wyoming that she found how much joy it brought her. Last year, she set her sights on skiing Mexico's tallest peak, Pico de Orizaba, with a meaningful twist: her parents, who have never quite understood why skiing was so …

Natalie Brechtel joined the U.S. Antarctic Program at the South Pole for a supposed dream gig, but instead it was the start of a year marked by harassment, a toxic work environment and loss. Despite losing the ability to trust both her colleagues and herself, she kept going back, redefining what it means to feel safe. A decade later, she faced one …

We will be back later this spring with all new episodes of Climbing Gold, but in the meantime we wanted to rerun an episode from our first season: “This Place Will Change Climbing”. We dive into what makes Memphis Rox a unique climbing gym. And right now, Memphis Rox needs the climbing community to step up and help them through a tough financial mo…

At different points in their lives, both Brice Ruiz and Ashley Lose found themselves at a crossroads. Brice wanted to run his first ultramarathon, but wouldn’t call himself a “runner.” Ashley and her partner had just hit the road when she found out she was pregnant, pushing them to reconsider their definition of home. In each of their essays, Brice…

Chances are at some point you’ve signed up for an organized race or event. Maybe you’ve participated in a local turkey trot or maybe you’ve run Western States. You register, pay the entry fee, train, show up and try hard. Race day can almost feel like magic. This is a story about the people behind the scenes making all that magic happen. Support co…