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PODCAST

Written in Stone: Climbing History

Plug Tone Audio

Written in Stone tells the (mostly) true stories of the most groundbreaking ascents in rock climbing history, one climb at a time. Hosted by Kris Hampton, you’ll hear the narrated, sound designed stories about what led to new levels in climbing, alternated with conversations with top climbers about what inspired them about what went down way back then.Season One: The 1990s and the explosion of sport climbing. Season Two: The 1980’s and the birth of sport climbing as we know it. Season Three: The

sports wilderness

All Episodes

01:22:12

Jordan Cannon on Cowboy Direct, Climbing History and...

Written in Stone: Climbing History ·

2024/03/04

In 2023, Yosemite big wall free climbing ace Jordan Cannon joined Matt Segal and Jesse Huey on a trip to Pakistan to test their mettle against Trango Tower. Specifically, they were looking at the unrepeated Cowboy Direct, established in 1995 by Todd Skinner, Mike Lilygren, Bobby Model and Jeff Bechtel. In this episode, Kris and Jordan discuss the allure of big walls and taking his skills from Yosemite to the Karakoram, making repeats on an expedition, the importance of climbing history and

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51:13

Todd Skinner and Team Cowboy Up

Written in Stone: Climbing History ·

2024/02/26

In 1995, Todd Skinner began assembling a team for an audacious ascent in the Himalayan Karakoram. He’d been shown photos of a golden, rocket-ship-shaped tower that looked like it could be sitting in Yosemite, except it sat at 19,000 feet and was surrounded by some of the greatest mountains on earth. But he didn’t gather a team of experienced alpinists. Instead he put together a team of young Wyoming cowboys, including one who knew almost nothing about climbing. And they trained for the trip on sport

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01:13:26

Jonathan Siegrist on the Difficulty of Grading and...

Written in Stone: Climbing History ·

2024/02/21

Jonathan Siegrist isn’t just one of America’s best and most prolific sport climbers, having climbed over 25 5.15’s. He’s also someone who thinks deeply about what climbing offers us, and works to make sure we stay on track.In this episode, Kris and Jonathan discuss one of the most controversial topics in climbing, grades. How grades come about, what that means for outliers, how hard it is to quantify the experience of climbing, and how we can have a better relationship with these numbers that we

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43:29

Seb Bouin on Akira, Grading DNA and French Climbing...

Written in Stone: Climbing History ·

2024/02/19

Seb Bouin is one of only three climbers who have climbed 5.15d (9c). Following in the footsteps of leading French climbers, he established his testpiece, DNA, in 2023 in the Verdon Gorge. It may not be a coincidence that this came shortly after his Vintage Rock Tour, in which he climbed all of the firsts in France from 7c+ to 9a+, including the first three 9as from Fred Rouhling, Hugh, L’autre Côté du Ciel, and the most famous and most controversial of the trio, Akira. In this episode, Seb and

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49:04

Fred Rouhling, Akira and the Biggest Climbing...

Written in Stone: Climbing History ·

2024/02/12

Fred Rouhling was a good climber, but 5.15b? At a time when 14d was the hardest grade, Fred suggested that his half boulder/half route hybrid, Akira, was much harder than any other climb on the planet. Not many people believed the quiet, usually reserved French climber. Many of the top pros at the time; Ben Moon, Jibe Tribout and Alex Huber, would speak out about the suggestion. Rumors about the ascent were rampant. Some said he never climbed it. Some said he filled in the holds after he did it

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09:08

BONUS: Nina Caprez on Attempting to Climb The Nose...

Written in Stone: Climbing History ·

2024/02/07

Nina Caprez is a weapon. Known as the ‘Swiss Machine’, and easily one of the most accomplished big wall free climbers on the planet, she had her eyes on freeing The Nose, and she had partnered up with none other than Lynn Hill. What could possibly stand in her way? The same thing that nearly stopped Lynn. Changing Corners. In this episode, Kris and Nina discuss her history with The Nose, the big lesson learned from it and the friendship that came out of the experience. To get the FULL episode,

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59:11

Lauren Delaunay Miller on Lynn Hill and The History...

Written in Stone: Climbing History ·

2024/02/05

Lauren Delaunay Miller is a climber, former YOSAR member, and award winning author of Valley of Giants: Stories from Women at the Heart of Yosemite Climbing. From her first moments in Yosemite Valley, hearing the stories of the inspiring women who not only climbed hard things but built the community, she knew that a book was necessary. She just didn’t know at the time that she would be the one to write it. In this episode Lauren and Kris discuss how the book came about, the challenges of the

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33:03

Chelsea Griffie on Leading the Way and Being the...

Written in Stone: Climbing History ·

2024/01/31

In 2001, Chelsea Griffie topped out on Lurking Fear on the far left side of El Capitan and became the first black woman to climb the world famous formation. But she didn’t realize that until years later. She was just looking for things to challenge her. In this episode, Kris and Chelsea discuss the path of her climbing that led to El Cap, what being the first feels like, and the importance of representation in the outdoors. Check out more here! Join the Secret Stoners Club for

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36:51

Bobbi Bensman on Lynn Hill and 1990s Competition...

Written in Stone: Climbing History ·

2024/01/29

Bobbi Bensman was one of the most dominant competition climbers of the 1990s, winning the Phoenix Bouldering Contest 13 years in a row and 20 National Championships. She’s still going strong, adding every year to a 5.13 ticklist that’s now over 250 routes long. In this episode, Kris and Bobbi discuss her years as a competition climber, her greatest rivalry, when she realized that Lynn Hill, who she’s known since 16, was on another level, and how their friendship has grown over the years. Check out

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39:58

Lynn Hill Proves It Goes

Written in Stone: Climbing History ·

2024/01/22

Lynn Hill was looking for a different kind of progression. By the mid-1990’s climbing grades had skyrocketed, and Lynn was climbing harder and harder. But the difficulty wasn’t what drove her. She wanted adventure. Partnership. To push into the unknown. Something BIG. And there was one prize that had been talked about for decades with the air of a fairy tale: Freeing The Nose of El Capitan. Many people had tried, and most of the easier climbing had been done. Variations had been figured out. But

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30:13

BONUS: The French vs. The British | A Battle of Route...

Written in Stone: Climbing History ·

2024/01/15

Starting in the 80s, and extending well into the 90s, it seemed to be the French vs. The British for sport climbing supremacy. At the middle of this war of words and routes were Ben Moon and Jibe Tribout, and the greatest battles would play out at Buoux and Raven Tor, two of the most legendary crags of the era. Check out more here! Join the Secret Stoners Club for FREE! ---------------------------------- Thank you to our partner, Tension Climbing. Tension creates tools to help you elevate your

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51:00

Alan Watts on Jibe Tribout, Just Do It and Climbing...

Written in Stone: Climbing History ·

2024/01/10

Alan Watts might have bolted the best routes of the 1980’s and 90s. Chain Reaction, To Bolt or Not To Be, Just Do It. He didn’t have a front row seat to the action - he was on the stage alongside Tribout and every other superstar who came to Smith Rock to try his routes. In this episode, Alan and Kris discuss Jibe Tribout and whether he was the villain he seemed to be, as well as the true story of America’s first 14c, Just Do It. Check out more here! Join the Secret Stoners Club for

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42:27

Adam Ondra on Just Do It and the Importance of...

Written in Stone: Climbing History ·

2024/01/08

In November of 2018, at Smith Rock, Oregon, Adam Ondra made one of the most impressive onsights in the history of climbing. The first 14c in the US, Just Do It. 1990’s era technical testpieces don’t make for easy redpoints, more or less onsights, but Adam has made a point of trying to do just that as often as possible. And there’s no climber in the world who is better at it. In this episode, Kris and Adam discuss the importance of history, how Just Do It checks all of the boxes for a classic, the

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30:13

Jibe Tribout Just Does It

Written in Stone: Climbing History ·

2024/01/01

Brash and bold, Jibe Tribout had a futuristic vision, and he was willing to Just Do It. Even if that meant flying around the world to try a route he’d been asked to stay off of. He wasn’t the most talented of the French superstar climbers. That title belonged to Patrick Edlinger or one of the Le Menestrel brothers. But he worked the hardest. He put in the hours and the effort, and he got the results. He didn’t take no for an answer, even if he maybe should have. That attitude made him sometimes a

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01:28:51

Bonus: Mike Call on Filming and Shaping 90’s Era...

Written in Stone: Climbing History ·

2023/12/25

Merry Christmas! As a gift for listening and sharing the show, we’ve not only put together a massive list of climbing films from the 1990’s that you can watch right now for free, but we also decided to chat with Mike Call - one of the key figures in 1990’s hold shaping, innovation, and filmmaking. We hear about the shaping of The Boss and the early days of Pusher, what it was like filming and editing back then, and MANY of the best stories about filming with Boone Speed, Chris Sharma and more

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37:12

Dorothea Karalus on Fred Nicole and Climbing La Danse...

Written in Stone: Climbing History ·

2023/12/22

Dorothea Karalus drove over 400 miles, repeatedly, over several years to repeat Fred Nicole’s classic V13 La Danse des Balrogs in Branson, Switzerland. Through the process, she discovered that happiness wasn’t sending - it was a separate thing - and maybe, just maybe, this is what allowed her passage on the boulder. In this episode, Kris asks Doro to set the scene in Branson and describe the boulder field, the view, the atmosphere, and the boulder itself. They discuss passion reignited and the

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41:03

Bjorn Pohl on Fred Nicole and What Makes a Climbing...

Written in Stone: Climbing History ·

2023/12/20

Bjorn Pohl is a climbing journalist and podcaster who has covered climbing since the late 90’s, and has seen the impact of Fred Nicole on bouldering for the past 20 plus years. In this episode, Kris and Bjorn discuss Fred’s contributions, how he was also a top sport climber, the importance of hard repeats and Fred’s continued legacy. We also hear Fred’s response when his resume was questioned by one of the top climbers of the 1990’s! Check out more here! ---------------------------------- Thank you

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58:22

Will Anglin on Fred Nicole and New Ways of Seeing...

Written in Stone: Climbing History ·

2023/12/18

Will Anglin spends a lot of time thinking hard about hard bouldering. And good bouldering. And of course, doing as much of both as possible. As founder of Tension Climbing, Will has made sure his company - and his climbing - follows the philosophy “mastery over success”. Much like Fred Nicole, he measures his words and movements carefully, and has a reason for everything - often unspoken. In this episode, Kris and Will discuss the singular style of Fred Nicole, his true and most lasting

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30:43

Fred Nicole Dances with the Demons

Written in Stone: Climbing History ·

2023/12/11

Fred Nicole was never simply an athlete. He was an artist. Coming into bouldering via a different direction than you might think, Fred Nicole did indeed create art. Really, really difficult art. First, La Danse des Balrogs, the worlds first V13. But that merely opened a door to new possibilities. Moving in his singular style, he sought out new challenges, new boulders on which to be tested. Or was it the other way around? Was he the one doing the testing? After all, what is art if it isn’t

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56:56

BONUS: Hubble vs. Action Directe | The World’s First...

Written in Stone: Climbing History ·

2023/12/04

Two of the legendary routes from the 90s are now at odds with each other. One of them was likely the first 9a in the world, but which was it? Hubble or Action Directe? In this bonus episode, we’re going to examine the circumstances, discuss where the debate began, and hear from the only two people in the world who have climbed both routes - Alex Megos and Buster Martin - to try and decide once and for all which route was really the world’s first 9a. Check out more here!

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