First Ascent Podcast
Jay and Lee have been friends for 20 years, and they've been chatting about climbing pretty much the whole time, be it in person, via text, or on social media. Now they take their witty conversation to the next frontier: a podcast. Join them as they discuss current events and trends in climbing, their recent climbing adventures, and whatever else that comes up. It's basically like crag spray, but recorded!
Episodes
129 episodes
Heroes and Tragedies of White Mountain Rescues with Ty Gagne
New Hampshire native and author Ty Gagne joins the pod today to discuss the harrowing and heroic history of rescues in the White Mountains. Ty shares his in depth knowledge on some of the most well known rescues in The Whites, and what we can l...
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Episode 129
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1:03:48
Balancing Grades on Your Climbing Menu with Miguel Lopez
Rumney climber Miguel Lopez has been racking up some major sends lately (check out his recents sends of Butt Bongo and
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Episode 128
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55:52
Historic FAs and Dirtbag Days: A Legendary Journey from Devil’s Lake to the World with Dave Groth
Dave Groth is one of the undisputed forefathers of Devil’s Lake climbing. With over 40 years of climbing under his belt, he joins me full of tales about the evolution of Devil’s Lake and his legendary climbing exploits across the US and the glo...
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Episode 127
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1:13:05
The Evolution of Climbing Culture, Climbing as a Parent + Downgrading with Andy Salo
Andy Salo is a longtime climber with roots in Niagara Glen, The Gunks, Rumney and most recently, Rifle. We’ll reminisce about bouldering at The Glen, and then dive into a wide ranging conversation about climbing with small children, how mentors...
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Episode 126
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1:24:47
Jim Lawyer Answers Your Questions
Jim Lawyer joins me today to answer your listener questions! Jim will tell us about his recovery journey from major back surgery, his experiences at S...
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Episode 125
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1:24:55
The Golden Days of Developing the Red River Gorge with Chris Snyder
I just got back from the incredible Red River Gorge and walked away with a new appreciation for the world class climbing there. When I was paging through the guidebook, one name kept popping up: Chris Snyder. Chris was deeply involved in the go...
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Episode 124
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50:31
The First Ascent of Middle Child + The Ethics of Developing Choss with Brian O’Leary
Brian O’Leary just did the first ascent of the hardest mixed climb in New England: Middle Child, an M-13 at the mica mine. We’ll talk about his process for sending the route and what M-13 means in the mixed climbing world. Then, we’ll discuss t...
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Episode 123
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57:19
Grades and Followers Don’t Define You with April Davidson
If you’re a climber on Instagram then you’re probably familiar with April Davidson of @yeahapril. With almost 100k followers and multiple brand partnerships, the word ‘influencer’ might i...
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Episode 122
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1:07:09
Climbing Hard Into Your Sixties and Beyond with Chuck Odette
For those of us who think of climbing as a way of life, it can be daunting to address the truth of aging. Chuck Odette, a 5.14 climber who is still cranking hard at 69 years old, is here today to help us get psyched on making climbing a lifelon...
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Episode 121
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49:08
Chasing the Ice on Scotland’s Ben Nevis with Chris Andrews
Jay just got back from a fantastic trip to climb Ben Nevis in Scotland! Of the many incredible climbers that Jay met while staying at the CiC Hut, Chris Andrews was a standout for his knowledge and wisdom ...
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Episode 120
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58:06
Balancing Your Physical and Mental Game with Joel Unema
Joel Unema is on the pod today for an insightful talk about training, mindset, and even finger skin care. Joel is a 5.14 trad and sport climber, v14 boulderer, a route developer, a coach for ClimbStrong
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Episode 119
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57:17
The Ins and Outs of Brand Sponsorship with Jenny Fischer
Jenny Fischer, CEO of Ocun North America, is here today for a great chat about running a business in the climbing industry, how sponsorship relationships work between climbers and brands, and her own climbing...
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Episode 118
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1:02:56
The Second Ascent of Reality Bath with Balin Miller
Balin Miller joins the pod today to talk about his incredible solo ascent of Reality Bath in the Canadian Rockies, a Wi5+/6- ice climb that hasn’t seen a repeat ascent the very first ascent by Mark Twight and Randy Rackliff in 1988.
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Episode 117
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47:55
The Blind Crusher: Justin Salas
Professional climber Justin Salas has many accolades under his belt, including six national championships and a 2018 world championship. He is a V11 climber outside, and he is also legally blind. Today, Justin shares how ...
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Episode 116
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1:01:15
Critique Jay’s Climbing with his Climbing Coach, Galina Parfenov
This is one you won’t want to miss - Jay’s climbing coach, Galina Parfenov, is on the show today to publicly critique Jay’s climbing! Galina Parfenov is a full time remote climbing coach that specializes in building indiv...
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Episode 115
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57:58
Mastering Ice Climbing with JC Dubeau
Ice climbing extraordinaire JC Dubeau joins me in the studio today for a fantastic conversation about his incredible career in ice climbing. He’ll share his thoughts on the mindset and training ...
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Episode 114
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59:52
The Best of First Ascent - Reboot Edition
We’ll be taking a break from the podcast for the holidays, but in the meantime, enjoy this special compilation episode celebrating all of the amazing guests who have joined us on First Ascent since the reboot. Thank you s...
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Episode 113
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37:09
The Crimpers of Devil’s Lake with Kenz Hack and Garrett Hopkins
Devil’s Lake crushers Kenz Hack and Garrett Hopkins join the show today to shine a light on the fantastic climbing community that has popped up at the Lake in recent years. You’ll hear about the new zine
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Episode 112
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49:06
Innovations of Ice Climbing Gear with Charlie Faust of Beartooth Alpine Equipment
If you’re an ice climbing gearhead, then you’ve probably heard about the new picks by Beartooth Alpine Equipment. Cofounder Charlie Faust joins the pod today to tell us all about th...
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Episode 111
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56:13
Finding Your Footing After a Health Challenge with James Schroeder
James Schroeder (aka Fudd) is back on the pod today to talk about his recent health journey with a severe heart arrhythmia. He’ll share how the health issue came to light, the surgical processes he went through to correct the issue, what the re...
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Episode 110
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35:48
Listener Questions - The Ice & Mixed Climbing Edition with Brian O’Leary
Ice climbing season is just around the corner! Today, avid ice and mixed climber Brian O’Leary is on the pod to answer your ice, mixed and dry tooling questions. We’ll talk about the best ways to train for ice and mixed c...
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Episode 109
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49:10
A Climber Running for Office—State Senate Candidate Rusty Talbot
Rusty Talbot, candidate for NH Senate District 1, joins me on the pod today for a discussion about public service - both in the state house and at the crag. Rusty is an avid climber, the owner of the ...
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Episode 108
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53:14
An Update on Merriam Woods/Russell Crag with Chris Vaughan and Mike Gagnon of CNHCA
Today Chris Vaughan and Mike Gagnon join me on the pod to discuss the latest developments at Merriam Woods and Russell Crag! We’ll talk about the history and future of Merriam Woods, how the development of a parking lot w...
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Episode 107
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53:17
Climbing Mainiac with Dylan Connole
Dylan Connole, a longtime climber and tech rep for Trango Climbing, joins me on the pod today to talk about climbing Mainiac, a mythical 5.13...
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Episode 106
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51:15
24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell with Nadya Vorotnikova and Sean Vallefuoco
Nadya Vorotnikova and Sean Vallefuoco are on the pod today to discuss their incredible performance at Horseshoe Hell, a grueling 24-hour climbing competition in Arkansas! They’ll share how the event works, the challenges ...
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Episode 105
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49:20