Outdoor Gear Chat

Get in touch! Our special guest on this episode is artist and climber Phil Gibson who celebrated 50 years since his first ascent of this iconic climb by creating a unique 90 degree artwork. Phil has added over 250 crag drawings to over 20 guidebooks since the early 70's, wrote a thesis on the evolution of climbing gear and chats about the gear he used on his first ascent vs his later ascent i...

Get in touch! Cathy and Wayne are joined by another stellar guest just bursting with stories, energy and a job lot of grit! You may have come across Stephanie Case when global headlines showed an image of her breast feeding her 6 month old daughter during an ultra-marathon. We chat about race tech, training data, documentaries, THAT photo and why placing third at the 2021 Tor des Glaciers was such...

Get in touch! To celebrate the 60th Anniversaries of both Berghaus and the Joe Brown shops, Cathy chats with Head of Product Innovation Rosie O'Sullivan. Rosie gives a first hand insight into the passion and creativity that goes into every product way before production and a very long time before it arrives in the shops. From engineers to problem solving to sitting down with their test team a...

Get in touch! Joined by an audience of one snoozing Springer Spaniel, Cathy & Wayne chat about adventure kit for dogs with Fell Dog founder Carolyn Harker. From stink proof collars to personal lead preference, waterproof jackets to silent harness clips we delve into a vast array of topics so you can make the best choices for your adventure dog to enjoy the hills. Listen ,learn and if you are a...

Get in touch! Ever wondered if walking poles are worth the investment? Why trekking poles are handy for more than just physical support? Or if running poles can make much of a difference to your race time? Join Cathy and Wayne as they dive into the construction, adjustability, grip type and length of poles including top tips of how to fit and use them for the best performance. This podcast covers...

Get in touch! Get all the knowledge you need for a great nights sleep out under the stars as Cathy & Wayne chat about the ins and outs of sleeping mats. Learn about different types of mat, insulation ratings, why shape is important, why thicker isn't always warmer and discover why a "schnozzel" is a very important piece of kit. Packed full of fun facts and plenty of fun and laug...

Get in touch! Cathy chats about the Joe Brown 60th Anniversary Big Tick Summer Climbing Challenge with one of the UK's hardest climbers - Emma Twyford. The first woman in the UK to climb E10 and Sport 9a, she boulders 7c+ and loves getting out on the crags of her adopted home of North Wales. Emma shares her favourite routes on the list, talks kit, long term climbing partnerships and shares he...

Get in touch! After an incredible Kendal Mountain Festival 2025 Cathy and Wayne chat through the incredible range of guests on another fantastic Kendal podcast season. Kendal Mountain Festival delivered yet again on a packed programme spread over four days - with more than 200 live ticketed sessions including 300+ speakers on stage, 150+ films, 10+ parties, and 60+ activities attracting more than...

Get in touch! Recorded as part of our Kendal Mountain Festival season of "Hope", Wayne and Cathy chat with "Adversity Adventurer" Alex Staniforth. Record-breaking adventurer, inspirational speaker, author and coach, Alex has already overcome more than many will in a lifetime. Before the age of 19, he survived the two most significant disasters in Mount Everest history in two co...

Get in touch! Recorded as part of our Kendal Mountain Festival season of "Hope", Cathy and Wayne chat with endurance runner and adventure athlete Sally Orange MBE. Listen to learn why Sally holds the Guinness World Record for the first (and possibly only) person to run a marathon on every continent dressed as a piece of fruit, how she had to re-think her clothing while running the Everes...

Get in touch! Recorded as part of our Kendal Mountain Festival season of "Hope", Cathy and Wayne chat with Professor Rachel Carr and Sonam Rinzin about their vital fieldwork helping protect people in the Bhutan Himalaya. Rachel and Sonam specialize in the threat of Glacial Lake Collapse, an increasing issue due to climate change and spend weeks in remote, glacial regions on fieldwork. Li...

Get in touch! Recorded live at Kendal Mountain Festival 2025, Cathy and Wayne catch up with global mountaineer and adventurer Nigel Vardy aka "Mr Frostbite" to chat about life after his fateful ascent of Mt McKinley/Denali in 1999. While surviving -60 degree temperatures, Nigel lost his nose, toes and fingers aged just 30. His film "Frostbitten" tells the story of what was the...

Get in touch! Ever wondered how one of the hardest climbers in the UK chooses his rock boots? Recorded live at Kendal Mountain Festival, Cathy & Wayne catch up with Scarpa Athlete, professional climber, coach, You Tuber and Speaker Robbie Phillips delving into key rock boot fitting tips for all types of climbing. Through his career, Robbie has moved from comp climbing for Team GB through all d...

Get in touch! Recorded live at Kendal Mountain Festival, Cathy and Wayne chat with Scottish Climber, Mountaineer and Dry Tooler Caitlin Connor. Sponsored by Rab, Caitlin describes the gear and training she uses in this niche sport to compete on the World stage. Starting out as an indoor competition climber Caitlin transitioned into the outdoor arena enjoying both summer trad climbing and winter mo...

Get in touch! Recorded as part of our Kendal Mountain Festival season of "Hope", Cathy and Wayne chat with Climber Jesse Dufton who offers a fascinating insight into rock climbing without sight. The first blind person to climb the Old Man of Hoy, Montane sponsored athlete Jesse describes how his wife describes the rock in front of him which he then interprets with his fingers to place ge...

Get in touch! Going through a rough time? Find a mate and take yourselves off to climb a 4000m peak in Tajikistan! That's exactly what Hannah Mitchell and Sam Jagger did earlier this year and they tell Cathy & Wayne all about it in this laughter packed episode. Recorded live at Kendal Mountain Festival as part of this years theme of "Hope", Hannah and Sam chat about their un-sup...

Get in touch! Recorded live at Kendal Mountain Festival 2025, Cathy and Wayne chat with Climber and Mountaineer Dave Evans about gearing up for Scottish winter mountaineering adventures. Head of Climbing and Mountaineering at Plas Y Brenin, the National Outdoor Centre; Dave knows a thing or two about how to prepare for vertical fun in some of the worlds foulest weather and talks through how the Na...

Get in touch! Recorded as part of our Kendal Mountain Festival season of "Hope", Cathy and Wayne chat with new Women's World Record holder Sarah Perry about her incredible run at the Backyard Ultra in Tenessee. Listen to the worlds toughest Maths teacher describe how she kept running every hour, on the hour for 4 days non-stop and how she uses her Suunto Vertical 2 to help her compe...

Get in touch! Cathy and Wayne catch up with Berghaus Athlete Ed Jackson to chat about his success as the first disabled person to complete a first ascent of a Himalayan mountain. Ed is joined by Alice Sainsbury to share their experience of the Berghaus Adapts program creating bespoke clothing to help everyone of all abilities access the outdoors and how the charity Millimeters 2 Mountains, which E...

Get in touch! It's Kendal Mountain Festival time! Cathy and Wayne have been invited back for a second year and have pulled together an incredible guest list to chat about outdoor kit, clothing and the festival theme of "Hope". This intro gives a hint of the climbers, mountaineers, adventurers and runners they will be catching up with at Basecamp, The Brewery and Kendal Climbing Wall...

Get in touch! Recorded as part of our Kendal Mountain Festival season of hope, Cathy catches up with the legend that is Sir Chris Bonington to chat about his incredible year celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Everest The Hard Way, what it has meant to him and the team members and how the legacy of that 1975 expedition is positively impacting the people of Nepal. Listen ,learn and if you are able,...

Get in touch! The fifth of an extra special 5 part series celebrating 50 years since Doug Scott and Dougal Haston became the first Britons to stand on the summit of Everest, Cathy & Wayne are joined by Scarpa sponsored athlete Di Gilbert. The first British woman to lead an expedition to the top of Mount Everest from the North side, Di has climbed all 7 Summits and worked 4 Antarctic seasons, g...

Get in touch! The fourth of an extra special 5 part series celebrating 50 years since Doug Scott and Dougal Haston became the first Britons to stand on the summit of Everest, Cathy & Wayne are joined by Mountain Equipment sponsored athlete Tom Livingstone. Tom is known for his  trad, winter and alpine climbing - the bigger and badder, the better! His Fast & Light approach sets him apart wi...

Get in touch! The third of an extra special 5 part series celebrating 50 years since Doug Scott and Dougal Haston became the first Britons to stand on the summit of Everest, Cathy & Wayne are joined by special guest Mick Fowler. Voted the Mountaineer’s Mountaineer by a poll of his peers in 1989, Mick is a three times Piolet D’or winner who is the master of small, extreme expeditions.  From tal...

Get in touch! The second of an extra special 5 part series celebrating 50 years since Doug Scott and Dougal Haston became the first Britons to stand on the summit of Everest, Cathy & Wayne are joined by Mike Parsons, the original owner of Karrimor and OMM. Running the family business Karrimor, Mike was one of the key equipment sponsors for the groundbreaking Everest 1975 expedition and describ...