The Cutting Edge

Enjoy this new trailer for the current season of the Cutting Edge, with highlights from recent episodes.

In March 2025, the Bay Area–based climber Katie Lamb snagged the fourth ascent of Yosemite's most difficult boulder problem, The Dark Side, an unrelenting V16 on small crimps and dire slopers on the Thriller Boulder in Camp 4. In so doing, she became the first woman to climb the grade, but there's a catch: Back in summer 2023, Lamb had already done a V16, a problem called Box Therapy in Colorado—it's just that it was later downgraded to V15. In a complex and nuanced discussion on the state of the art in bouldering—and the evolution of the grading scales we use to classify these ascents—host Jim Aikman talks with Lamb about the passion, hard work, and tactics that went into her ticks. And he interviews The Dark Side's first ascensionist Carlo Traversi, a driving force behind modern Yosemite bouldering, as well as American Climbing Journal Editor Matt Samet, who worked with Lamb on her feature in the upcoming journal, "A Walk on the Dark Side."

The enormous granite peaks of Mozambique are among Africa's most impressive rock formations, yet fewer than a dozen climbing teams have ever explored them. In 2025, a Spanish and American trio put up a 17-pitch route in Mozambique, and for this episode we spoke with American Dakota Walz about what they encountered, including a seemingly inscrutable bureaucracy and a night in detention before they could even start the climb. Following the successful ascent, they suffered debilitating illness, thanks to ill-advised celebratory ice cream. In between were some glorious days on a unique African mountain, creating a route worth repeating. Host Jim Aikman also chats with Majka Burhardt, a veteran of two expeditions to Mozambique, about navigating the cultural and logistical challenges in a country struggling with a legacy of conflict. And AAJ editor Dougald MacDonald shares insights on southern Africa's extraordinary granite climbing.

In November, Sasha DiGiulian free climbed The Direct Line (a.k.a. Platinum Wall), a 39-pitch 5.13d route on El Cap, in a 23-day push, including nine days trapped by a storm high on the route. For this episode, Jim Aikman explores the history and highlights of this relatively new route (first free ascent: 2017), which is becoming known as one of El Cap's best and most sustained free climbs. You'll hear DiGiulian describe the route and her climb, the long and varied trajectory of her climbing career, and the value of first female ascents. You'll also hear from Elliot Faber, co-developer of The Direct Line and Sasha's partner for most of the climb (and his cool explanation of The Direct Line name); Alex Honnold, who also free climbed the route in November, with Tommy Caldwell; and Dougald MacDonald, editor of the AAJ. In the photo: Sasha DiGiulian leading the Platinum pitch (5.13a) on The Direct Line. Photo by Christian Pondella, courtesy of Red Bull.

In June 2025, Ethan Berman, Sebastian Pelletti and Maarten van Haeren spent ten days climbing and descending the enormous Southeast Pillar of 7,388-meter Ultar Sar in Pakistan—a route that had defied attempts for more than 30 years. Armed with knowledge gained from their expedition to the same peak in 2024—and blessed with a lengthy weather window that arrived just as they completed acclimatization—the trio quickly reached a point higher than any prior team, climbing mostly at night. They then tackled the crux pillar at the top of the route over the next two and a half days and summited on day six out of base camp. The descent of the pillar required more than 70 rappels. To learn all about this landmark climb and the history of this difficult and dangerous mountain, Cutting Edge host Jim Aikman spoke with Ethan Berman and Maarten van Haeren, as well as Karakoram expert Steve Swenson and American Alpine Journal Editor Dougald MacDonald.

Three climbers from the U.S. spent nearly two months last summer in Baffin Island's Auyuittuq National Park, and they came away with three long new routes climbed in remarkable style. The trio went ultra-light (by Baffin standards) and packed only a double set of cams, one large cam, a fistful of hooks, 30 beak pitons, and a few bolts to climb more than 10,000 vertical feet of granite. In this episode, Jim Aikman talks with ace wall climbers Brandon Adams, Miles Fullman, and Sam Stuckey to learn all about their wilderness adventures, the meaning of modern aid, and what it's like to achieve a flow state while beaking and hooking.

Babsi Zangerl’s flash ascent of Free Rider on El Capitan in November—the first flash of any El Cap big-wall free route—was a highlight of the year in climbing. In this interview, the 36-year-old Austrian climber describes her preparation, fears, and the intense effort of her no-falls ascent on the 5.13a wall route. Plus, Alex Honnold and Josh Wharton share their personal perspectives on Free Rider. AAJ editor Dougald MacDonald adds context on Babsi’s historic ascent. And you'll hear Jamie Logan describe free climbing on this line way back in 1972. Photo of Babsi Zangerl high on El Cap by Miya Tsudome for Highpoint Productions.

Alaska’s Great Gorge of the Ruth Glacier has captured the attention of alpinists from around the world for generations. Mt. Dickey and the other giant peaks lining the gorge have also been fertile venues for the evolution of the sport. So it was for Tom Livingstone and Gašper Pintar in the spring of 2024, when they set out for a new line up Dickey’s 5,000-foot south face. To navigate the challenges of this iconic area, they combined rock, snow, and ice techniques along with intricate route-finding and their signature British and Slovenian resilience. In this episode, Tom tells the story of their new route, and we also hear about the Ruth Glacier's place in climbing history from AAJ Editor Dougald MacDonald and veteran alpinist Freddie Wilkinson. Plus, climber and author David Roberts talks about Dickey's first wall route (climbed 50 years ago!) in audio from the AAC archive.

On October 12, climbers Matt Cornell, Jackson Marvell and Alan Rousseau summited 7,710-meter Jannu, or Khumbakarna, by a new route up the north face, climbed in alpine style. Jannu’s main north face had only been climbed once, in 2004, by a 12-man team that spent nearly two months on the face and fixed over 10,000 feet of rope. The American trio carried a single lead rope and took only a modest rack and no bolt kit. Their route, Round Trip Ticket, was climbed and descended in one week. Years of preparation and innovation went into this remarkable ascent, and in this episode of the Cutting Edge, we're fortunate to hear all three climbers telling the story. The Cutting Edge is presented by Hilleberg the Tentmaker, with additional support from Bivouac Coffee and Blue Ice. This podcast is produced by the American Alpine Club.

This episode is all about Tirich Mir in Pakistan’s High Hindu Kush. This past summer, two Japanese climbers completed an ascent of the secretive north face of this 7,708-meter mountain—an isolated wall that probably had never been attempted before. For the last decade, Kazuya Hiraide and Kenro Nakajima have formed one of the most successful partnerships in the world for lightweight, alpine-style new routes on high 7,000-meter peaks. Kazuya had dreamed of climbing Tirich Mir for more than 20 years, and the route they pieced together was a creative and committing solution to a very complex mountaineering problem. We'll also hear about their next goal: an audacious attempt on an alpine-style ascent of K2's west face. To introduce Tirich Mir and its long history, we spoke with AAJ senior editor Lindsay Griffin, an expert in the climbing history of the Greater Ranges. Among other things, we learn why a member of the first ascent party carried a huge rock to the summit! The Cutting Edge is presented by Hilleberg the Tentmaker, with additional support from Bivouac Coffee and Blue Ice. This podcast is hosted and produced by AAJ editor Dougald MacDonald and is published by the American Alpine Club.

This summer, Matt Segal recruited his old friend Jesse Huey and an alpine newbie, Jordan Cannon, for an attempt on Trango Tower in Pakistan. And not just by any route: Segal dreamed of free climbing the unrepeated Cowboy Direct, first climbed way back in 1995. The El Cap–size wall route goes at 5.13a and summits at over 20,000 feet. The trio made a powerful combo: Matt, a solid 5.14 climber; Jesse, an all-around master; and Jordan, a big-wall free climbing ace. In this interview, led by Chris Kalman, the three climbers describe their 15-day final push on the route, the superb partnership they formed, and how they overcame obstacles of poor weather, lack of food, and surprisingly difficult alpine climbing near the summit to succeed with the second ascent of this legendary climb. The Cutting Edge podcast is presented by Hilleberg the Tentmaker (hilleberg.com), with additional support from Bivouac Coffee and Blue Ice. This podcast is produced by the American Alpine Club.

Often described as one of the most beautiful mountains in North America, Mt. Huntington has been drawing top alpinists to the Alaska Range ever since the peak's first ascent in 1964, led by the great French climber Lionel Terray. In April 2023, Dane Steadman (USA), Zac Colbran and Grant Stewart (both from Canada) flew to the Tokositna Glacier for their own adventures. The three of them climbed a cool new route up the west face of Huntington, and two of them then made a second foray onto the west face, repeating a rarely climbed variation to the Harvard Route and freeing the classic Nose pitch. AAJ assistant editor Michael Levy interviewed all three climbers to get their story. The Cutting Edge podcast is produced by Hilleberg the Tentmaker, with additional support from Bivouac Coffee. This podcast is produced by the American Alpine Club.

Tiphaine Duperier and Boris Langenstein from France have made first ski descents in many parts of Asia. But until 2022, Tiphaine had never been to North America. In May, she flew to Alaska with Boris to pursue a crazy dream: a ski descent of the Cassin Ridge on Denali. The two quickly realized this wouldn’t be possible (at least this year), but an alternate vision soon appeared: a ski line down the upper southwest face of Denali. On May 31, the two climbed to the summit and started down just to skier’s right of the upper Cassin. After descending about 1,000 meters, they made a long, terrifying traverse to join the West Rib route and continued down all the way to the Northeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier. The total descent was more than 3,800 meters. For this episode of the Cutting Edge, Tiphaine spoke with guest interviewer Brody Leven, a professional ski mountaineer himself, about the planning and execution of this bold descent.