Written in Stone tells the (mostly) true stories of the most groundbreaking ascents in rock climbing history, one decade at a time. Hosted by Kris Hampton, you’ll hear the narrated, sound designed stories about what led to new levels in climbing, alternated with conversations with today’s top climbers about what inspired them about what went down way back then. Season Two is focused on the 1980’s. The birth of sport climbing as we know it, the struggles with changing rules and ethics, the wo ...
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Explore true stories from rock climbing and bouldering's modern history with host James Howell as he introduces you to the people, events, and incredible places that shaped our sport.
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Louise Shepherd on Her Female Climbing Role Models and Connecting With Other Women in the 80's
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Louise Shepherd was and is a juggernaut for women’s climbing, particularly in Australia, where she did for climbing what Lynn Hill did in the US - make it impossible to ignore that women are excellent at this. And this was before everybody got the news from everywhere immediately - so, yes, there needed to be a palpable example in all of the climbi…
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Alison Osius on The Women of Climbing and Media in the 80s
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1:30:09Alison Osius is easily one of the most impactful people in climbing media. She helped to shape how so many climbers learned more about and engaged with the sport from the 80s into the 20s. She’s a former editor at Climbing, Rock and Ice and Outside, the first woman president of the American Alpine Club, wrote Second Ascent: The Story of Hugh Herr a…
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Lynn Hill on the Women of the 80s, Who Inspired Her and Who Is Inspiring Her Now
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1:16:44Lynn Hill is THE legend, and quite possibly the most impactful climber of all time. I could make a case that Lynn's free ascent in a day of The Nose is the greatest climbing achievement of all time. But Lynn and I aren't talking about Lynn. We're talking about the other women of the 80s: the women she climbed with, competed against and was inspired…
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Amy Skinner on Las Vegas Climbing in the 80s and the Importance of Great Female Partners
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1:33:54Today I sit down with my good friend Amy Skinner - who, in the early 80s in Las Vegas, sort of stumbled into the scene that would eventually be called sport climbing. We discuss that movement, where she first encountered other female climbers, who her favorite female climbing partners have been, and more. Like many of the women who have been mentio…
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In Part 3 of our series on female climbers of the 1980s, we wrap up the decade with difficulty reaching new heights. We see a smart pattern start to emerge at the top of the pack as women realize how to leverage their unique strengths, and in doing so, they prove themselves with resounding success at the most futuristic crag in the world - Buoux. I…
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In Part 2 of our series on women climbers of the 1980s, we focus on the middle of the decade, when difficulty soared. We take a closer look at the 1984 International Ladies Meet hosted by The Pinnacle Club in North Wales, how it connects to the women who were at the forefront of sport climbing a year later, and how standards began to skyrocket. We …
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The history of women in climbing, in it’s written form, is woefully incomplete. In this, the first of a multi-part series, we attempt to correct some of these oversights by taking a look at not only the early 80s, but the years and accomplishments that laid the foundation for the women of the 80s. In this episode, we discuss Bev Johnson, Sibylle He…
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Our main sponsor this season, Rab, is giving away three of their Ascendor Light Hoodies, mens or womens, any color in stock. To enter, go to https://www.patreon.com/secretstonersclub Learn more about Rab at https://rab.equipment/us/Plug Tone Audio
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We're taking a short break because we want to make sure that we don't miss the important contributions from the women climbers of the 80's who were pushing things forward. We'll be back soon! In the meantime, there are a bunch of free bonus episodes in our Patreon, The Secret Stoners Club!Plug Tone Audio
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Because this season is focused on the 1980’s, and we are talking about the two best free soloists of their generations, Peter Croft and John Bachar, there is a Venn Diagram that puts today’s guest squarely in the center: Jeff Smoot. In Jeff’s book Hangdog Days: Conflict, Change and the Race for 5.14, he tells the tale of the beginnings of sport cli…
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Does Alex Honnold need an introduction? No, of course he doesn’t. But he was particularly suited for this conversation about Bachar and Croft for several reasons: #1, Alex is a student of history. He cares about this stuff. If you haven’t listened to his Climbing Gold podcast, you should. I highly recommend the Dope Lake series - it’s a 5 part seri…
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It was 1986, over halfway through a decade that had brought turbulent change to climbing, and it was clear to John Bachar that even in Yosemite - hallowed ground as far as he was concerned - ethics were shifting. Sure, people still traveled here to do the big walls and to climb some of the classics, but the world knew that Yosemite and the once mig…
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Shortly after my own trip to the Grampians and Araps, where I played briefly on Punks in the Gym, just to give it, as Ben Cossey would say, a tummy rub, I went back to the Blue Mountains where I met a bunch of Australian mega-crushers. One of those crushers was Andrea Hah. And because she was the first Australian woman to climb Punks in the Gym, an…
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Jesse Guthrie on Wolfgang Gullich, Kurt Albert and Climbing in the 80s.
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1:01:58As I was researching Wolfgang, I would regularly come across candid photos taken inside the house he shared with Kurt Albert, and of course I read every story about Wolfgang I could find. In those photos and those stories, I often came across an American name - Jesse Guthrie. I had to try to find him and get him on the show. He was one of the peopl…
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Hannes Huch on Community in the Frankenjura, Wolfgang Gullich and Kurt Albert
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1:03:18Because the history of the Frankenjura can’t be told without Kurt Albert and Wolfgang Gullich, both of whom we lost too soon, I wanted to talk to someone rooted in that community to try and get an understanding of how their legacy looks. For me, the obvious choice was Hannes Huch. He’s a photographer and artist who balances a modern aesthetic with …
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Ben Cossey on Wolfgang Gullich, Punks in the Gym and Lightweight Baby
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1:08:23There’s really no debate. In the pantheon of Wolfgang Gullich frothers, there is no person who is as much a frother as Australian superstar Ben Cossey. In May of 2024, Ben made the first ascent of a long-standing project at Mt. Arapiles in Australia, Lightweight Baby, finally finishing what became the hardest pitch in the area - and within sight of…
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From the early to mid 1980's, Wolfgang Gullich was steadily discovering his own power. Spurred on by American and British climbers coming to the Frankenjura and establishing the hardest routes, he tapped into a part of himself that he rarely showed. With that competetive side on display, he went to America to do the hardest routes there, returned h…
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While we're working hard on the next episode, an update on some changes to the remainder of the season. Check out our website for related episodes, resources and more! Join the Secret Stoners Club for FREE and get bonus episodes. ---------------------------------- Season Two is generously supported by Rab. This episode is supported by Tension Climb…
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Andy Salo and Whitney Boland on Lynn Hill and a Love of Gunks Climbing
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1:30:43Andy Salo and Whitney Boland are modern day Gunks legends. Andy has FA’d some of the hardest routes in the area and co-written the brilliant guidebooks to the area. Whitney moved to the area and gained near instant local status, eventually writing the Flashback series about Gunks legends, which you can find both in Andy’s guidebooks and on the Rock…
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Russ Clune is a Legend. I once introduced him as climbing's Forrest Gump, because since the 1980's he's been there for many of climbing's most impactful moments. A Gunks local who has traveled widely to climb on every type of rock, in every style imaginable, he's a living thread from before sport climbing to now, and if you're ever lucky enough to …
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In 1983, after years of climbing on Yosemite's granite cracks with John Long and the Stonemasters, Lynn Hill went on a roadtrip. First to Arizona, then to Colorado and finally Red Rock, outside of Las Vegas. While on the road, she and Long established some of the most classic routes in the country. After a brief foray into Hollywood stunts, Lynn tr…
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Niall Grimes on Moffatt, Revelations and What Jerry Means to Climbing
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1:20:16Many climbers put Jerry Moffatt’s book, Revelations, on the top of their list. This is in no small part due to the work of Niall Grimes, who co-wrote the Banff Mountain Book Festival Grand Prize Winner. Niall is an Irish climbing legend who lives in Sheffield, and the host of the hilarious, story filled Jam Crack Climbing Podcast. In this episode w…
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In 1983, one climber was more dominant than any other: Jerry Moffatt. Filled with confidence, he traveled the world not only to quickly repeat the hardest routes, but to put up his own routes - often the hardest in the country. A trip to the US let the world know that he had arrived, but it was a trip to Germany with one of the brightest German sta…
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There’s nobody better than Bill Ramsey to discuss the impact that Alan Watts had on climbing. Not only is he a philosophy professor, but he was born in the same hospital as Alan, just a few hours later. Their fathers climbed together at Smith Rock, their mothers shared a recovery room, and together they found a love of climbing that helped bring Sm…
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In early 1983, in a small backwater area in Oregon with less than stellar rock, Smith Rock, sport climbing history was quietly being made. Alan Watts had all but climbed out the cracks in the area and had turned his attention to the blank faces and lasercut aretes. He would have to bend the rules to get it done, but with nobody around to tell him o…
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David Chambre on Edlinger, Tribout and French Sport Climbing History
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1:02:17Kris chats with French legend David Chambre, the author of one of the best and most beautiful reference books out there for 90’s climbing history, The 9th Grade. David’s previous book, co-written with Jibe Tribout, The 8th Grade, is a treasure trove of French climbing history of the late 1970’s and early to mid 1980’s. They discuss the influence of…
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Jibé Tribout and Arnould T'Kint on Patrick Edlinger and Climbing in the 80's
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1:07:45Kris sits down in Wyoming with two absolute legends from the 80’s, Jibé Tribout and Arnould T’Kint, to talk about Patrick Edlinger and the birth of sport climbing as we know it. Belgian climbing legend Arnould T’Kint did the third 8a in the world, and the first outside of the US, as well as reportedly being the first to onsight 8a. Jibé Tribout is …
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There is no icon of 1980's climbing with the starpower of Patrick Edlinger. Known as Le Blonde, it's estimated that by the mid 1990's, Edlinger was responsible for inspiring 80% of France's climbers to join the sport. Not only was he one of the first to embrace sport climbing, he defined the style and movement of the era. But the life of the rock s…
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As the end of the 1970’s neared, climbers, more and more, the world over, were wondering the same thing. “How hard can we climb? In this setup episode we look at the factors that coalesced right there at the end of the 70's and beginning of the 80's to help pave the way for what we now call sport climbing. New equipment, new tactics, and most impor…
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Climbing, in the 1990’s, as you’ve already heard, was all punk rock and new wave, rising standards and superstar climbers pushing each other forward through friendly – and not so friendly – rivalries. And it was huge. But all of that bravado started somewhere. It wasn’t some Big Bang event. Instead, January 1st, 1990 was a product of the previous d…
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Remus Knowles runs https://climbing-history.org/ , and since he's a fan of the show, I asked him to come on and tell me which climbers and ascents we missed in Season 1. He showed up with a great list of climbers including Leo Houlding, Klem Loskot and more. I do my best to defend my choices, but Remus makes some great points. Become a Patron and g…
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Matt Samet is a legend of the climbing magazine world, having worked for Climbing, Rock & Ice and Alpinist as an editor, writer and general voice of credibility. Not everyone in the industry is core to the climbing lifestyle, but Matt definitely is. He loves this. In this episode we discuss the role of the magazines then and now, the demise of prin…
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Sometimes you need time away to realize what you were in the midst of. In this episode Kris reflects on the season, where the true cultural shifts in climbing came, and the lessons that climbers can take away from examining climbing history this way. Join the Secret Stoners Club for FREE. ---------------------------------- Thank you to our partner,…
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Eva Lopez is one of the top Spanish climbers in history. While she is largely known as one of the world’s foremost researchers on training for climbing, she’s also a crusher. She was the 5th woman to to climb 8c and in 2013, at 42 years old, climbed her first 8c+, a route she bolted called Potemkin. In this episode, Eva and Kris discuss the state o…
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Basque superstar Josune Bereziartu first tied in as the 80’s were changing into the 90’s, after seeing a documentary showing two women climbing in the Verdon. Within those first few months of Josune learning to climb, Lynn Hill did the first 14a ever climbed by a woman. By the middle of the 90’s Josune became the 5th woman to equal the feat, which …
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Chris Schulte on the Magic of Fontainebleau, Climbing Lifelist Boulders and Catherine Miquel
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1:15:37Chris Schulte is a boulderer who is obsessed with the lines and shapes of climbing. He fell in love with Fontainebleau many years ago based on a photo of Fred Nicole climbing Karma and has cultivated a relationship with the forest and climbed many life-list boulders there. In this episode, Kris asks Chris to describe the forest in his poetic way, a…
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Throughout the 90s, Catherine Miquel was the undisputed queen of bouldering. Surprised you haven’t heard her name? I was too, but we aren’t alone. Not many of the people I’ve talked to know of her or her incredible resume. Climbing in Fontainebleau, she entered the decade as the only woman to climb V8, and then it was off to the races. Again and ag…
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Josie McKee on Curiosity and the Mindset of Climbing Freerider
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2:09:45Josie McKee is a climbing guide, former YOSAR member, all-around big wall super badass and a climbing coach through her company Mind Athlete. She’s climbed El Cap over 20 times, set several speed records, has free climbed damn near every Valley classic, and her Yosemite resume rivals just about anyone’s. In this episode, Josie walks Kris through ea…
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Chris Kalous on Freerider, Big Wall Climbing Rules, and How the Hubers Shifted History
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1:12:24If you were following Chris Kalous and The Enormocast in the early days, then you are well aware that he’s climbed Freerider. And if you follow his new show, The Runout, you know how interested he is in the history of one specific pitch of The Free Salathe - Pitch 19 - the pitch that Alex Huber subverted by climbing the Monster Offwidth, thus layin…
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In 1998, Alex and Thomas Huber climbed the first ascent of Freerider on El Capitan in just over 15 hours. Their climb ushered in a new era of big wall free climbing, and there’s no question it was a hugely important moment in climbing history. But the way we credit it, most often simply to Alex Huber, ignores the rich history of the route. The Hube…
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How to Climb Cowboy Direct: Jordan Cannon on The Struggle Climbing Show
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1:44:31Today, we're featuring a great conversation between our friend Ryan Devlin, host and creator of the Struggle Climbing Show and member of the Plug Tone Collective, and Jordan Cannon. In this bonus episode, Jordan takes us on the unbelievable adventure of tackling one of the toughest high-altitude big wall ascents in the world, the Cowboy Direct rout…
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Mike Lilygren on Todd Skinner, Leadership, and Climbing Trango Tower
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1:01:14In his book, Beyond the Summit, Todd Skinner wrote, “Mike Lilygren had a schoolboy face and Dennis the Menace hair, an irritatingly endless sense of humor, and a tinkerer’s mind for detail. He would turn into “the closer” on the expedition, the one who kept getting stronger as the burden increased, the keystone that bridged the way to the summit.” …
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Jordan Cannon on Cowboy Direct, Climbing History and the Importance of Storytelling
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1:22:12In 2023, Yosemite big wall free climbing ace Jordan Cannon joined Matt Segal and Jesse Huey on a trip to Pakistan to test their mettle against Trango Tower. Specifically, they were looking at the unrepeated Cowboy Direct, established in 1995 by Todd Skinner, Mike Lilygren, Bobby Model and Jeff Bechtel. In this episode, Kris and Jordan discuss the a…
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Calling something "unclimable," will lead any self respecting climber to wonder whether that statement is accurate. In the 1800's, half dome was deemed unclimbable...and these days more than 50,000 people make it to the summit every year. Words are powerful. Put in front of the right audience, they get people to find ways to achieve the impossible.…
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In 1995, Todd Skinner began assembling a team for an audacious ascent in the Himalayan Karakoram. He’d been shown photos of a golden, rocket-ship-shaped tower that looked like it could be sitting in Yosemite, except it sat at 19,000 feet and was surrounded by some of the greatest mountains on earth. But he didn’t gather a team of experienced alpini…
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Jonathan Siegrist on the Difficulty of Grading and Climbing for the Challenge
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1:13:26Jonathan Siegrist isn’t just one of America’s best and most prolific sport climbers, having climbed over 25 5.15’s. He’s also someone who thinks deeply about what climbing offers us, and works to make sure we stay on track. In this episode, Kris and Jonathan discuss one of the most controversial topics in climbing, grades. How grades come about, wh…
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Seb Bouin is one of only three climbers who have climbed 5.15d (9c). Following in the footsteps of leading French climbers, he established his testpiece, DNA, in 2023 in the Verdon Gorge. It may not be a coincidence that this came shortly after his Vintage Rock Tour, in which he climbed all of the firsts in France from 7c+ to 9a+, including the fir…
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Fred Rouhling was a good climber, but 5.15b? At a time when 14d was the hardest grade, Fred suggested that his half boulder/half route hybrid, Akira, was much harder than any other climb on the planet. Not many people believed the quiet, usually reserved French climber. Many of the top pros at the time; Ben Moon, Jibe Tribout and Alex Huber, would …
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Nina Caprez is a weapon. Known as the ‘Swiss Machine’, and easily one of the most accomplished big wall free climbers on the planet, she had her eyes on freeing The Nose, and she had partnered up with none other than Lynn Hill. What could possibly stand in her way? The same thing that nearly stopped Lynn. Changing Corners. In this episode, Kris and…
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Lauren Delaunay Miller is a climber, former YOSAR member, and award winning author of Valley of Giants: Stories from Women at the Heart of Yosemite Climbing. From her first moments in Yosemite Valley, hearing the stories of the inspiring women who not only climbed hard things but built the community, she knew that a book was necessary. She just did…
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