Episode 60: Building a Better Climber w/ Topher Donahue and Chris Van Leuven

On Episode 60, we record a live one on Climbing Lawyer Dan Markoff’s deck overlooking Boulder, Colorado. Climbers Topher Donahue and Chris Van Leuven join me for a discussion of what it takes to lose that new climber smell, and replace it with old trad-climber stink. The sometimes contentious discussion ranges from toothbrush shaving, to where to store your nuts, and, luckily, a few pearls of wisdom get dropped by my guests. I’m pretty sure we don’t mention the Black, Indian Creek, or Rifle: perhaps a first on the Enormocast. As a bonus, stick around to the end for a moment of slam poetry created at the event by Jena Kirkpatrick. Jena Kirkpatrick: Poet for Hire. Trad with Topher class from the Colorado Mountain School.      

Om Podcasten

With 35 years of climbing experience and going on 14 years behind the mic, Chris Kalous brings interviews, tributes, discussion, tears, and lots of laughs from the full breadth of the climbing zeitgeist. Rock climbing, bigwall (big wall?) climbing, alpinism, ice climbing, bouldering, and competition climbing. If it’s climbing related, it’s here. In the words of Alex Honnold, “If you are a climber, you pretty much have to do the Enormocast.”