The Ground Up Podcast

44 - Cataloging the Classics with Steph Abegg

Steph Abegg has spent the better part of two decades exploring, climbing, and meticulously documenting some of the biggest and most adventurous routes across western Nort

43 Preview - Gear Giveaway + Cirque of the Towers Traverse

In this episode, the Ground Up crew flips the script by announcing it's first ever GEAR GIVEAWAY before Robert interviews Ari about his recent exploits in the Winds tackl

42 - A Noob's Guide to Horseshoe Hell (Rebroadcast from The Struggle Climbing Show)

What happens when two Horseshoe Hell veterans sit down with the podcast legends Ryan Devlin & Chris Kalous and try to explain what they've gotten themselves into? For th

41 - Heart Stopping Highballs with Eric Zschiesche

Eric Zschiesche is one of the true pioneers of American bouldering. From establishing some of the Piedmont's most iconic boulder problems and traditional routes to develo

40 - The Great Snake Dike Debate

Snake Dike has become one of the most talked-about routes in climbing after a controversial retro-bolting effort—and the equally controversial decision to chop those bolt

39 - The Diamond FKT with John Alcorn

John Alcorn has quietly become one of Colorado's strongest and speediest alpine climbers. Best known for his record-setting ascent of the Casual Route on Longs Peak's Dia

38: Optimizing Training with Vasya Vorotnikov

Vasya Vorotnikov is a seasoned veteran of the climbing world, with over 30 years of climbing experience and a deep background as a movement coach and route setter. Known

37: The Good, The Bad, & David Sharratt

David Sharratt is one of the East Coast's great underground crushers. From bold headpoints at Moon Rocks, pushing the boundaries of free climbing at Looking Glass, to the

36: Mademoiselle Fissure - Laura Pineau

Fresh off the world premiere of Queen Swing, return guest Laura Pineau is back on the podcast—this time stepping away from the Yosemite speed climbing stories to dive dee

35: You Asked, We Rambled

We're switching things up a bit this week with our first ever listener questions driven episode! Instead of our usual format interviewing guests, it’s just us this time—

34: Arno Ilgner - The Rock Warrior

Today’s guest is none other than mental‑training expert and longtime first‑ascensionist Arno Ilgner. While most climbers know Arno for The Rock Warrior’s Way—his influent

33: Big Wall Chronicles with Wilson Cutbirth

Wilson Cutbirth is an expedition climber at heart—driven by ground-up style, remote objectives, and first ascents on some of the wildest big walls out there. With a deep

32: Andrew Leich - Rattlesnake Redemption

In this episode, we sit down with West Virginia climber and prolific developer Andrew Leich to trace a climbing journey shaped by obsession, grit, and an almost unthinkab

31: Resurrecting Ghost Town with Mike Reardon & the CCC

For decades, Ghost Town stood as one of North Carolina’s most legendary—and inaccessible—cliffs. First climbed in the 1970s and closed for nearly 20 years, its towering c

30: Kathy Karlo - No Man's Land

In this episode, we sit down with Kathy Karlo to trace an unconventional climbing trajectory—one that started on ice in Ouray and the steep quartzite horizontals of the G

29: Welcome to Wonderland - New Age Development with Tal Wanish

In this episode, we sit down with Tal Wanish to talk about what it really means to build a climbing area from the ground up. Tal walks us through his evolution from a co

The Ground Up Podcast State of the Union

We’re back! After a short hiatus, we're kicking things off with a State of the Union for The Ground Up Podcast. In this episode, we catch up on what’s been happening beh

Ground Up 28: Record-Setting Do's and Don'ts of Horseshoe Hell with Nadya Vorotnikova & Sean Vallefuoco

Fresh off a record-breaking run at 24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell, Nadya and Sean sit down with Ari and Rob to share how they approached the legendary 24-hour climbing marath

Ground Up 27: 24HHH Veterans Leather & Lace

Most would call climbing for 24 hours straight crazy — doing it 20 years in a row is downright ludicrous. In the nearly two-decade history of 24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell,

Ground Up 26: Dream Destinations with the Climbing Backpackers

What happens when an arborist and a dog walker swipe right and end up traveling the world on a shoestring budget? In this episode, Nettie and Dave, better known as the Cl