The Broad Beta Podcast

Kate Kelleghan: Triple Crown Queens - An Interview

Season 4 Episode 33

Kate Kelleghan is on the cutting edge of big wall speed climbing, and this spring she and Laura Pineau became the first female team to complete the Triple Crown in Yosemite. The Triple Crown consists of climbing El Capitan, Mt. Watkins, and Half Dome, all in under 24 hours. Prior to June of this year, only 10 parties of men (and Alex Honnold alone) had completed the Triple Crown which was established 24 years ago by Dean Potter and Timmy O'Neill.

Kate has progressed incredibly fast from climbing the Flatirons as a newbie to pushing the limits of trad climbing. In this interview, she shares about how she found climbing after being an artsy teen who didn't love the outdoors and how she survived an epic rescue during one of her first early big wall attempts. She talks about her partnership with Pineau, the evolution of her own risk tolerance, and her tactics for dealing with pain and fear. Her sense of humor and determination are infectious and will leave you inspired and thinking about your own personal limits and what goals to set next. 

Cover photo courtesy of Jacek Wejster

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Episode hosted by Broad Beta co-founder Jeannie Wall and Cat Coe

Episode produced and edited by Cat Coe

Music by Holizna Radio (intro and first segue), Kirk Osomayo, and Ketsa (conclusion), respectively. Music sourced from www.freemusicarchive.org.

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