First Ascent Podcast

Nov 20 2024 111 ep. 48 mins 23

First Ascent Podcast artwork

Jay and Lee have been friends for 20 years, and they've been chatting about climbing pretty much the whole time, be it in person, via text, or on social media. Now they take their witty conversation to the next frontier: a podcast. Join them as they discuss current events and trends in climbing, their recent climbing adventures, and whatever else that comes up. It's basically like crag spray, but recorded!

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Innovations of Ice Climbing Gear with Charlie Faust of Beartooth Alpine Equipment

Nov 20 2024 56 mins

If you’re an ice climbing gearhead, then you’ve probably heard about the new picks by Beartooth Alpine Equipment. Cofounder Charlie Faust joins the pod today to tell us all about them. He’ll share how Beartooth Alpine came to be, how their picks differ from other brands on the market, the role gear advancement has played in changing the sport of ice climbing, and his personal

Finding Your Footing After a Health Challenge with James Schroeder

Nov 13 2024 35 mins

James Schroeder (aka Fudd) is back on the pod today to talk about his recent health journey with a severe heart arrhythmia. He’ll share how the health issue came to light, the surgical processes he went through to correct the issue, what the recovery process has been like for him, and how it has changed his perspective on life, fitness, and climbing. Plus, Fudd and Jay reminisce

Listener Questions - The Ice & Mixed Climbing Edition with Brian O’Leary

Nov 06 2024 49 mins

Ice climbing season is just around the corner! Today, avid ice and mixed climber Brian O’Leary is on the pod to answer your ice, mixed and dry tooling questions. We’ll talk about the best ways to train for ice and mixed climbing, how the design of the tools you use will affect your performance, Brian’s thoughts on the need for more dry tooling routes, where to dry tool year r

A Climber Running for Office—State Senate Candidate Rusty Talbot

Oct 30 2024 53 mins

Rusty Talbot, candidate for NH Senate District 1, joins me on the pod today for a discussion about public service - both in the state house and at the crag. Rusty is an avid climber, the owner of the North Country Climbing Center in Lisbon, NH, a firefighter, and a search and rescue leader. Today, Rusty shares how climbing informs his approach to politics, what inspired him to run

An Update on Merriam Woods/Russell Crag with Chris Vaughan and Mike Gagnon of CNHCA

Oct 23 2024 53 mins

Today Chris Vaughan and Mike Gagnon join me on the pod to discuss the latest developments at Merriam Woods and Russell Crag! We’ll talk about the history and future of Merriam Woods, how the development of a parking lot will majorly improve access, some of the best routes at the crag (for all skill levels!), the land management challenges in the area, the importance of community

Climbing Mainiac with Dylan Connole

Oct 16 2024 51 mins

Dylan Connole, a longtime climber and tech rep for Trango Climbing, joins me on the pod today to talk about climbing Mainiac, a mythical 5.13d in the far reaches of northern Maine. Dylan shares some history about the climb before detailing his own experience climbing it in September (complete with some invaluable beta). Plus, he’ll share what it’s like to work in the climbing i

24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell with Nadya Vorotnikova and Sean Vallefuoco

Oct 09 2024 49 mins

Nadya Vorotnikova and Sean Vallefuoco are on the pod today to discuss their incredible performance at Horseshoe Hell, a grueling 24-hour climbing competition in Arkansas! They’ll share how the event works, the challenges that can arise when climbing for 24 hours straight, the importance of community support during the event, and the strategies they employed to achieve some really

Bolt Talk with Brian O’Leary

Oct 02 2024 51 mins

Brian O’Leary of Forecast Climbing Equipment reached out with some questions about glue in bolts, so we’re gonna chat about it on the pod! We’ll talk about the benefits and challenges of glue in bolts vs. mechanical bolts, how the trend in bolting has moved towards glue ins in recent years, our thoughts on red tags, and the projects we’re excited about tackling this fall. P

Ticking Every Route + The Process of Projecting with Franky Lapatino

Sep 25 2024 44 mins

New Hampshire silent crusher Franky Lapatino is on the show today to talk about the completion of his impressive project: ticking every route on the lower parking lot area at Rumney. We’ll talk about what inspired him to take on the project and Franky will share opinions of the underrated and overrated routes he ticked during the project. Then, Franky will talk us through how he

The Guide to Writing a Guidebook with Jim Lawyer

Sep 18 2024 51 mins

New York climbing legend Jim Lawyer is on the pod today to talk about the art of writing a guidebook. Jim is the co-author of Adirondack Rock: A Rock Climber’s Guide, an extremely comprehensive guidebook that covers 3,100 routes on more than 320 cliffs within the Adirondacks. Today, Jim and I cover what prompted him to tackle his huge project, the unique experiences that occur in