American Alpine Club Podcast

What can you do if you and your romantic partner constantly bicker at the crag? How do you speak up if your climbing partner has a totally different risk tolerance than you, and you keep getting in way over your head on climbs because of that mismatch? What if one of your climbing partners dropped you, and you can’t quite trust them again? How do you move forward if you’ve witnessed an accident, and nobody seems to be understanding how the trauma continues to live in your mind and body? We sit down with Dr. Jennifer Dragonette, a Licensed Psychologist, trauma specialist, and Certified Single Pitch Instructor who is a clinical provider for the AAC’s Climbing Grief Fund Directory, to explore these questions through case studies of belaytionships you might find familiar. Dr. Dragonette leverages her expertise in couples therapy and DBT to illustrate where communication and therapeutic tools can help build stronger climbing partnerships and solve friction. If you’ve ever found yourself in need of a little belaytionship therapy, this epsiode is the place to start!

In this episode of Undercover Crushers, we talk to AAC members Vasya Vorotnikov and Nadya Vorotnikova about how exactly they crush so hard. While Vas isn’t totally undercover, he isn’t as well-known as he deserves. He’s a quiet phenom, having sent Jaws II in 2007 after the original climb Jaws, going at 14b, broke. The new version, Jaws II, was the second 5.15a in the United States. Nadya is likewise crushing, sending 5.14a a couple times in the last few years, and diving into route development in the South Platte of Colorado—one new climb that she contributed to, with her friend, Tal Wanish, is even featured in this year’s ACJ! In this discussion, the siblings describe learning to climb in Russia when they were little, immigrating to the United States and starting to compete in junior level competitions in the early 2000s, and what has shaped them into the climbers they are now. We dive into sandbagging, breaththroughs, climbing as coping, coaching yourself, and being the kind of climbing partner that won’t bail—even when you end up climbing in a snow storm. Nadya shares about turning to trad climbing to push her mental limits, after being burnt out from competitions, and what motivates her to give back to the climbing community. Plus, Vasya describes his volume goal from last year, when he set the goal to climb 365 NEW routes 5.12s and harder, 100 new 5.13s and harder, and 10 new 5.14s and harder, all on outdoor rock. Turns out, he far surpassed his goal…

What does it take to level up? The right mentor. That’s why the AAC has started our Mentorship Program, beginning with the year-long Alpine Track. To kick things off, we had the cutting-edge alpinists coaching this year’s inaugural program, Sam Hennessey and Anne Gilbert Chase, on the podcast to dive into what the Alpine Track is, who it’s for, and why experienced climbers could benefit from such in-depth mentorship and technical field programs. This rigorous program makes the secrets of elite climbing accessible to climbers ready to push themselves. In this episode, Sam and Anne Gilbert dive into stories about their own epic adventures, what drives them to be a mentor, and what they wish they knew about the alpine environment when they were less experienced, as well as the details of the program and how you can apply. Are you ready to level up? Discover the world of AAC Mentorship when you listen in. *** You can apply to be a part of this small cohort of mentees from now until May 15, 2026. Learn more about the program schedule, requirements, and FAQs at americanalpineclub.org/mentorship The AAC Mentorship Program is presented by Arc'teryx.

In this episode, we sit down with THE dynamic duo Pete Takeda and Jason Antin. Pete and Jason recap and expand upon the climbing accidents featured in the January and February Prescription, the AAC’s monthly dose of accident analysis from our annual book, Accidents in North American Climbing. Then, they answer audience questions that stemmed from their original analysis. We explore questions like what are the pros and cons of stacked rappels—and sidebar into some misunderstandings about simulrapping. We also explore what happens when old stiff cams are put in wet and grimy cracks, and the alternative uses for old gear. If you’ve left a comment on our Prescription videos, or written into the accidents email inbox, we may just have answered your questions! Dive in to hear about these topics and more.

Part of the Climbing Grief Fund’s mission is to expand the conversation around grief, loss, and trauma in the climbing community, and interrogate narratives that can be unhelpful to healing. In this episode, we unpack some of the unique challenges faced by caregivers after a loved one gets into a climbing accident, and explore why it can be helpful for caregivers to get mental health support too, not just those directly impacted by an accident. In section one, we have the CGF Therapeutic Manager, Trevor Davis, on the podcast, to talk about the scope of the Climbing Grief Fund, as well as its ongoing expansion and impact. Trevor chats with Jay Louie, a therapist in the CGF Directory and a CGF committee member, about these topics, and together they frame the conversation about why CGF resources are for caregivers too. In section two, we dive deeper with Jay, as they share some case studies to illustrate the very human experiences of caregiving after climbing accidents. They share these case studies from their professional experience as a therapist and AMGA Guide, described anonymously, with permission from their clients. In section three, we sat down with Andrew Kirchner, an incredible supporter of the Climbing Grief Fund and a survivor of a climbing accident himself. Andrew describes his accident, and how it made him realize that the accident didn’t just happen to him, it had a dramatic impact on his loved ones as well. Andrew also elaborates on what motivated him to make the Edwards-Ginsburg fund, and thereby support the CGF’s work so generously. *** The magic of the Climbing Grief Fund is that its all about climbers supporting climbers in the darkest of times. If you find, as you listen, that you could utilize these resources for yourself, please learn more or apply at americanalpineclub.org/grieffund. If you are inspired to help your fellow climbers, you can donate to the CGF at americanalpineclub.org/donate. Now through March 10, 2026, your donation will be doubled through a matching program with the Edwards-Ginsburg Fund.

Joanne Urioste is a powerhouse in Red Rocks climbing history, and we had her on the podcast to share stories from her recently published memoir, “Collages of Rock & Desire.” Her book is a detailed catalogue of the climbing legacy she shares with her husband Jorge Urioste (she also calls him George sometimes, and does so throughout the episode), including the creation of iconic multi pitch climbs like Epinephrine, Levitation 29, A Dream of Wild Turkeys, and many others. The book is also a detailed account of gear innovations and changing climbing ethics through the ‘70s and 80’s—from swami belts and belay plates, to early adoption of nuts and frontpointing on ice, and adding a run-out bolt here and there to connect discontinuous cracks and make many climbs possible on Red Rocks soaring faces. In the interview, we dive into all of this, plus Joanne and Jorge’s wild love story, managing fear on lead, and climbing as a metaphor for life. You can find a copy of Joanne Urioste's book on Amazon.

Russ Clune is a climbing lifer. He came up climbing at the Gunks, traveled around the world to climb with friends and legends like Wolfgang Gullich, and would help establish the iconic Gunks 5.13 Vandals, alongside Jeff Gruenberg, Lynn Hill, and Hugh Herr. He also shares about sending Mantronix, his hardest climb ever, “back when 5.14 was hard.” These days, he’s a keeper of stories from the Gunks and across the world, and has a running record of Gunks climbing history in his head. On this episode, we meander through stories from Russ’s many climbing travels, explore Gunks toproping ethics and the often forgotten tactic of yo-yo climbing, and set the record straight on some of the most iconic cutting edge Gunks ascents from the 70s and 80s. **** If you believe conversations like this matter, a donation to the AAC helps us continue sharing stories, insights, and education for the entire climbing community. Donate today at americanalpineclub.org/donate

In this episode of the podcast, we have adventure writer Owen Clarke on the pod to talk about rage bait, and how it’s showing up in climbing media and culture. Owen Clarke is a prolific writer, who regularly contributes to Summit Journal and Climbing.com, as well as many other media outlets. Recently, he covered rage bait for an article on Climbing.com, where he dove into a case study of the free soloist Lincoln Knowles. Rage bait is content that is intentionally created to elicit strong reactions from people—it’s trolling with intention, in order to drive clicks, comments, and other forms of engagement. Dive in to this episode to hear from this expert about why rage creates engagement, how shock-factor in traditional action sports media lends itself to evolving into rage bait, the unique elements of climbing rage bait, and why its specific to short-from media.

In this episode of the podcast, we sit down with AAC Librarian Natalie Siciliano to chat about a fascinating part of the American Alpine Club’s history: the days when you used to have to apply to be a member of the Club. The application membership system lasted for nearly 90 years–which means we have extensive records in our archives that feature the climbing resumes and recommendation letters from thousands of climbing's most fascinating characters. In this episode, we dive into the how and why of this application system, why it got dismantled, and what membership at the Club looks like now. Plus, we take a look at some highlights from the applications of legends like Lynn Hill, Yvon Chouinard, Ichiro Yoshizawa, and more.

The AAC’s Climbing Grief Fund has a directory of therapists who are specialists in the unique risks, challenges, joys, and euphoria of outdoor recreation, and are informed practitioners who support climbers experiencing grief and trauma. And though the directory is an invaluable resource when people need support in the face of the most intense kinds of grief and tragedy, these counselors also have expertise in other areas, including sports performance psychology. Because it's all connected–just as grief and trauma impacts our relationship to climbing, so too, does working on resilience, self-compassion, and other mental health skills help us excel at our goals in climbing. In this episode, we have CGF therapist and sports psychologist Neal Palles on to chat about how to practice and stack various mental training techniques and concepts on top of each other to build towards peak performance. We periodize our physical training, and according to Palles, we can apply that same concept to mental skills as well. Dive in!

Every year, the AAC bestows awards to climbing changemakers and celebrates their accomplishments at the AAC Gala. We’ll be announcing those award winners soon! But first, we wanted to give our listeners a sneak peak into the stories awaiting you, through diving into the life and personality of one awardee. We invited the alpinist and climber Kelly Cordes (who will be receiving the Pinnacle Award this year) onto the pod to celebrate his outstanding mountaineering and climbing achievements, and simply to ramble a bit and tell good stories. Though too humble to brag, Cordes is known for his bold ascents, including the Azeem Ridge on Great Trango Tower, a link-up on Cerro Torre, many first ascents in Peru and Alaska, as well as his “disaster style” and “suffer well” philosophy. With a 20-year lens, we have Cordes reflect on the Azeem Ridge story and tell it anew with all that he’s learned since then. We also spend some time talking about his writing life, including supporting editing the AAJ for 12 years, and co-writing the bestseller, The Push, with his close friend Tommy Caldwell. Dive in to get just a taste of Cordes’ story, and why he’s committed to suffering well.

In this episode we have Allyson Gunsallus on the podcast to talk about an under-discussed part of the climbing community—the joys and struggles of parenting and climbing. Allyson recently produced "Hand Holds," an educational film series now free to watch on Youtube, which cover a range of topics, from shifting identities, logistical challenges, and new relationships to risk as a parent and climber. After all, a toddler waddling around at the crag isn’t just a cute climbing mascot—they can also be a seismic shift in a new parent’s relationship to climbing. The series features Becca and Tommy Caldwell, Beth Rodden, Chris Kalous and Steph Bergner, Kris Hampton, Jess and Jon Glassberg, Majka Burhardt, and Anna and Eddie Taylor. Hand Holds gets into the real (and messy) beta of negotiating life through climbing and parenting, and this episode gets a sneak peak of Allyson’s philosophies and personal experience behind the project.

In this episode of the AAC podcast, we have adventure writer Cassidy Randall on to talk about her new book, "Thirty Below." Thirty Below is the gripping story of the Denali Damsels–a group of female adventurers who achieved the first all-women’s ascent of Denali, also known as Mt. McKinley, the tallest peak in North America. Everyone told the “Denali Damsels,” that it couldn’t be done, that women were incapable of climbing mountains on their own. It was 1970. Men had walked on the moon; but women still had not stood on the highest points on Earth. But these six women were unwilling to be limited. They pushed past barriers in society at large, the climbing world, and their own bodies. Following vibrant mountaineers with a lot of personality, like the stubborn Grace Hoemann and the brilliant chemist Arlene Blum, this book tells a rich tale of a community's set of limiting beliefs, and the women who dared to prove them wrong, despite disaster and risk on the expedition. In the episode, Cassidy and the AAC dive into some of the experiences of these women that pushed them to achieve more and more in their mountaineering careers, the challenges of archival research, and capturing a climbing story that is too often forgotten.