Kai Lightner is no stranger to the spotlight—or to this magazine. He’s been climbing since he was six, when he joined the climbing team at a gym in North Carolina. Four years later Lightner won his first national title, and the wins just kept coming. In 2016, while still in high school, Lightner wrote an essay for Alpinist 55 about learning how to trad climb from Doug Robinson. A few years later, as a sophomore in college, he appeared on this podcast, in conversation with Paula LaRochelle. He had recently taken a step back from climbing and would soon found the nonprofit organization Climbing For Change. A lot has happened in Lightner’s life since that last conversation. He spoke up about his struggles with eating and bodyweight as a competition climber, opening up a bigger conversation. Through Climbing for Change, he’s been at the forefront of initiatives aimed at making climbing more diverse and inclusive. He traveled to Jamaica and helped build the country’s first climbing wall. Lightner even tried trad climbing again, though he says it’s still not really his thing. And, last year, Lightner climbed his first 5.15. In this episode, Lighter and I catch up about the last six years, discuss the importance of community and connection, and consider the value of forgiveness. This episode is brought to you with support from the American Alpine Club. Host: Abbey Collins Producer + Engineer: Mike Horn Guest: Kai Lightner Nonprofit: Climbing for Change Subscribe to Alpinist Magazine
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47:07
Babsi Zangerl on Learning, Growing and Flashing El Cap
Last year, Babsi Zangerl did something no one has ever done before—she flashed a route on El Capitan. Thousands of feet of hard climbing with no falls. Her partner, Jacopo Larcher, came really close, taking just one fall during their ascent of Freerider. Zangerl has been a climber for over two decades, since she was a teenager at a climbing gym in Austria. But what, and how, she climbs has evolved over that time—she spent her early years as a professional boulderer. Zangerl first visited Yosemite fifteen years ago with her friend Hansjörg Auer. She was getting more serious about ropes after sustaining a serious back injury while bouldering. Since that first trip in 2010, Zangerl has returned with Larcher to free climb many of the valley’s classic routes, including Zodiac, Magic Mushroom and the Nose. In 2018 the pair climbed the North Face of the Eiger. In 2022 they freed Eternal Flame on Pakistan’s Nameless Tower, a trip Larcher wrote about in Alpinist 82. And their list of accomplishments just keeps growing. In this episode, Zangerl talks about the beginnings of her climbing career in Austria, her partnership with Larcher, learning the ropes from Hansjörg Auer and much more. This episode is brought to you with support from the American Alpine Club. Host: Abbey Collins Producer + Engineer: Mike Horn Photos of Basi Zangerl by Jacopo Larcher and Jonathan Faeth Subscribe to Alpinist Magazine
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43:15
Rick Accomazzo: Tobin, The Stonemasters, and Me
Rick Accomazzo came of age in the climbing world as part of the Stonemasters—a name adopted by a group of friends largely climbing in Yosemite, Tahquitz and Suicide Rocks in the 1970s. To become a Stonemaster, you had to send a 5.11 called Valhalla. Tobin Sorenson was a Stonemaster too. He was also, Accomazzo believes, the best all-around climber in the world at the time. Throughout the 70s, the Stonemasters branched out from rock to ice, and from California to the Canadian Rockies and Europe. Sorenson, Accomazzo recalled, took to alpine climbing just as well as he had to rock. It was an age of joy, fun and great physical challenges. But in 1980 Sorenson died in an accident on Mt. Alberta when he was twenty-five years old. The Stonemasters were deeply affected by the loss. They climbed on, but it was never the same. Accomazzo shares the story of his friend in his new book, Tobin, The Stonemasters, And Me: Remembering Tobin Sorenson, The Best Climber In The World. Accomazzo shares his personal experiences climbing with Sorenson and reflects on the ability, character and accomplishments that made him so singular in the climbing universe. Support for this episode of the Alpinist Podcast comes from Patagonia. Following our conversation with Rick Accomazzo, you can listen to Patagonia Ambassador Colin Haley chat with host Abbey Collins about his passion for innovation and product development, and in particular his role in developing the new M10 Storm pants. Host: Abbey Collins Producer + Engineer: Mike Horn Photo of Rick Accomazzo by Chris Van Leuven Subscribe to Alpinist Magazine at alpinist.com Buy the Book at stonemasterbooks.com
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1:01:43
Other Everests: Hidden Histories & Contemporary Challenges
The events of one the most famous Everest stories took place a century ago, when George Mallory and Sandy Irvine disappeared during the 1924 British Mount Everest expedition. A hundred years later, a group of writers is shedding light on the many different people and worlds that have, throughout history, had an important connection to the mountain. In sixteen different essays: Other Everests: One Mountain, Many Worlds tells stories from new perspectives—of people and things that have long been overlooked. Editors Jonathan Westaway and Peter Hansen joined the Alpinist Podcast to discuss why they embarked on this project. And Sarah Pickman, who wrote one of the pieces in the Other Everests collection, discussed what we can learn from what gear and equipment was brought along on expeditions. Support for this episode of the Alpinist Podcast comes from Patagonia. Following our conversation with the Other Everests contributors, you can listen to Patagonia Ambassador Colin Haley chat with host Abbey Collins about his passion for innovation and product development, and in particular his role in developing the new M10 Storm pants. Alpinist Magazine: Website | Instagram | Facebook Book: Other Everests: One Mountain, Many Worlds Host: Abbey Collins Producer + Engineer: Mike Horn
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1:05:20
Climbing Isn't Everything: Beth Rodden
Beth Rodden established herself as one of the best rock climbers in the world at the height of her career. Through much of that time, Rodden was quietly struggling with her mental health as she tried to move forward after she and her climbing partners were kidnapped at gunpoint during a trip to Kyrgyzstan in 2000. Now Rodden’s bravery appears in new ways—she’s still a professional climber, but she’s also using her platform to open up conversations about body image, motherhood and finding joy in climbing in a gentler way. Support for this episode of the Alpinist Podcast comes from Patagonia. Following our conversation with Beth Rodden, you can listen to Patagonia Ambassador Colin Haley chat with host Abbey Collins about his passion for innovation and product development, and in particular his role in developing the new M10 Storm pants. Alpinist Magazine: Website | Instagram | Facebook Host: Abbey Collins Guest: Beth Rodden Producer + Engineer: Mike Horn Photo by Ryan Moon
Since 2002 Alpinist has striven to push creative boundaries with everything we do, from award-winning climbing journalism and creative writing to photography and art. Now, with the Alpinist podcast, we aim to extend our conversations with climbers and community members into interviews and oral histories that will entertain and educate our listeners with everything from dramatic and humorous adventure tales to in-depth discussions of the most significant issues in the climbing world today. More at alpinist.com/podcast
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