First Ascent Podcast

Ice climbing extraordinaire JC Dubeau joins me in the studio today for a fantastic conversation about his incredible career in ice climbing. He’ll share his thoughts on the mindset and training necessary for ice climbing, how he navigates danger when soloing, how ice climbing differs by region, his gear opinions, and the ways in which ice climbing has affected his rock climbing.  JC is a guest gui...

We’ll be taking a break from the podcast for the holidays, but in the meantime, enjoy this special compilation episode celebrating all of the amazing guests who have joined us on First Ascent since the reboot.  Thank you so much for supporting the show, especially as I’ve navigated a reboot after we all lost Lee. Have a wonderful holiday season, and enjoy this best of episode!  If you’re in need o...

Devil’s Lake crushers Kenz Hack and Garrett Hopkins join the show today to shine a light on the fantastic climbing community that has popped up at the Lake in recent years.  You’ll hear about the new zine Dirtbag the Lake , Kenz’s approach to climbing photography, how the current Devil’s Lake climbing community has grown and changed since Jay’s time, plus some awesome climbing tales from Devil’s L...

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 pick sharpening tips...

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 about an epic ice...

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 round, and our thought...

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 for state senat...

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 support to keep t...

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 industry and how h...

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 impressive perfo...

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.  Plus, Brian will tell us...

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 went about projec...

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 the process of...

New England climbers Ryan Loiselle and Dan Knisell join Jay on the show today to talk about their very cool new business - Real Stone Holds.  The guys share the benefits of using stone holds when doing indoor climbing, the unique process they use to craft each stone hold, the experience they’ve had building a business in the climbing industry, and how they’re balancing their personal climbing goal...

Ladd Raine, President of the Rumney Climber’s Association , is on the pod today to talk all about Rumney and the upcoming AAC Craggin’ Classic on Sept 6-8.  Ladd and I talk about what a local climbing organization (LCO) does, the history of the Rumney Climber’s Association and The Craggin’ Classic, what to expect at The Craggin’ Classic, how to report if a bolt needs to be replaced at Rumney, and...

Nate Liles is back on the pod! If you watch climbing media, you’ve most likely seen Nate’s work as a videographer and photographer. Today he’ll take us behind the scenes to give us a glimpse of what it takes to create awesome climbing media.  We’ll talk about the challenging process of rigging equipment to capture the ascent, the considerations Nate keeps in mind when using drones for footage, the...

Certified Performance Climbing Coach Leif Gasch of Substr8 Climbing is on the show today for a deep dive conversation about the fundamentals of training.  We’ll talk about how to know when you’re ready for training, the importance of setting a strong foundation for your body, cultivating an open mindset toward climbing, and how to schedule training so that you don’t have to give up days at the cra...

We’re officially entering into a new phase of the First Ascent Podcast, and I could think of no one better to join me than my longtime climbing buddy, James Schroeder.  With over 27 years of climbing under his belt, James has a lot of insight to offer. So, we’ll tackle some recently submitted listener questions. You’ll hear our thoughts about the responsibilities of a guide, how to successfully pr...

On May 21st, First Ascent co-host Lee Hansche passed away while setting routes at the climbing gym while he worked. Today, Jay is releasing the final episode that they recorded together, as it reflects what a great man Lee was and what a joy it was to speak with him about climbing.  If you would like to donate in Lee’s name, please visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/lee-hansche . The proceeds will b...

One of the coolest things about climbing is the rich historical lineage behind each route. From cans on spires, to guide books and magazines, and now Mountain Project, documentation that traces the history of a climb is an inspiring thing that connects us to the past.  Not every route has a pristine historical record, however. This has caused a rift in the community. A rift that has brought some o...

Nadya Vorotnikova is on the pod today for an awesome talk about loving the process and breaking self limiting beliefs. Nadya grew up in Russia, moved to New Hampshire when she was 10, and now lives in Colorado - and she’s been climbing all along. This journey has exposed her to so many different mental approaches to training and climbing and has made her the absolute crusher that she is.  Today, N...

North Conway native and long time climber Chris Graham, or ‘Grammy’ as he’s affectionately known, is a familiar face on both sides of the mountains, both as a climber and as a guide. His climbing career goes so far back that he can boast that he climbed at Rumney before there were bolts!  Today, Chris shares his experiences as a guide, gives his opinion on the longstanding bolt debate between Nort...

Few people have done more for the development of climbing bolt technology than Dave Quinn.  Dave is one of the original developers of Rumney, a core member of Team Tough, and an all around bolting expert. Today’s he’s returning to the podcast to share updates about The Team Tough Crossover Bolt, which just passed U.I.A.A. certification.  In this episode, Dave walks us through the process of creati...

Tom Bowker is the undeniable godfather of the climbing scene in Waterville Valley. Tom’s prolific number of first ascents over his 40 year climbing career make him one of the most well known names in the region. His first ascents include Peer Pressure, Journey to Lost World, and dozens more.  Today, Tom shares awesome tales about how his routes came to be, why he still hand drills all of his bolts...

It’s finally happening! Today’s conversation is all about bouldering. Boulderer extraordinaire Jake Perry is with us to answer all of your bouldering questions. We cover a wide range of bouldering topics, including grades, highballs, skin care, and the most important question: Why?  Would you like to hear a bonus episode with Nate? Join us over on the First Ascent Patreon! For $5, $7 or $10 a mont...