The Ground Up Podcast

Bill Ramsey has been part of some of the most important chapters in American climbing history. Growing up in central Oregon, he cut his teeth at Smith Rock in the late 1970s alongside childhood friend Alan Watts, back when the crag was still a quiet collection of cracks and sport climbing was barely a concept. As the two pushed their climbing forward, Bill was right there for the early days of a movement that would fundamentally change the sport. From climbing some of Smith's hardest routes at the time to witnessing the first wave of sport climbing development, he had a front-row seat and a hand in the action. After stepping away from climbing to pursue a career in academia, Bill found his way back to the sport through a trip to the New River Gorge and a chance introduction to the emerging scene at the Red River Gorge. What started as an occasional visit soon turned into nearly every weekend for the next 15 years. He became deeply involved in the community, put up routes of his own, and climbed alongside many of the people who helped establish the Red as one of the world's premier sport climbing destinations. We talk about the characters and community that made the Red so special in the 1990s, the area's evolution, and the routes and partnerships that defined those years. Along the way, Bill shares stories from five decades of climbing, including some remarkable ascents, friendships, and experiences with many of the sport's most influential figures. - A huge thank you to our sponsor, Misty Mountain, for supporting The Ground Up Podcast. Since 1985, Misty Mountain has been handcrafting climbing harnesses and equipment in North Carolina, building gear that's trusted by climbers no matter the challenge. As a listener of The Ground Up Podcast, you can save 15% on harnesses, gear, and apparel with the code GROUNDUP at checkout. - Read about Bill's recent 5.14 ascents at 65! - Get access to exclusive and ad-free content by becoming a Patreon  Follow along on Instagram: @listentogroundup  Check out our new website: https://www.thegrounduppodcast.com/ Sign up for the Mailing List!

BJ Gruber didn’t grow up climbing—he stumbled into the sport by accident while working as an actor in New York. But in just a few years, he’s become a Gunks completionist, a multi‑pitch sufferfest enthusiast, and an endurance athlete with a taste for long days, big mileage, and type‑two fun. In this episode, BJ walks us through how that unlikely background set him up for one of the wildest objectives ever attempted at Horseshoe Hell: climbing every single 5.8 at the ranch during the 24‑hour event. We dive into the months of preparation that made it possible—cleaning mud‑filled cracks, memorizing obscure lines, building a logistical plan worthy of an expedition, and stacking a 12‑hour competition on top of it all. BJ shares the chaos of the day itself: route traffic, bonking, pigeon battles, late‑night surges, and the partnership that carried him through the final miles. It’s a look at Horseshoe Hell through the lens of someone who took on a challenge no one else has ever completed—and maybe never will again. - A huge thank you to our sponsor, Misty Mountain, for supporting The Ground Up Podcast. Since 1985, Misty Mountain has been handcrafting climbing harnesses and equipment in North Carolina, building gear that's trusted by climbers no matter the challenge. As a listener of The Ground Up Podcast, you can save 15% on harnesses, gear, and apparel with the code GROUNDUP at checkout. - Follow the BJ on Instagram: @BJGruber - Get access to exclusive and ad-free content by becoming a Patreon  Follow along on Instagram: @listentogroundup  Check out our new website: https://www.thegrounduppodcast.com/ Sign up for the Mailing List!

Joe Goodacre grew up in North Boulder and started climbing at just 4 years old through Robyn Erbesfield-Raboutou’s Team ABC—one of the strongest youth programs in the country. In this episode, Joe shares what it was like to come up through competitive climbing, from early top‑rope comps to winning youth nationals and becoming a National and Pan-American champion. We get into the hyper‑technical world of speed climbing—micro‑beta, head‑to‑head racing, and this niche sport's evolution. As well as Joe’s time spent climbing over the water both outdoors and in the exhilarating Psicobloc competitions all over the world. Lastly, we dive into Joe's transition into outdoor climbing, skipping v10, climbing high above the water and what it's been like to work a climb for more than the comp-allotted 5 minutes. It’s a fun look at what happens when someone raised in the gym discovers the full spectrum of climbing. - A huge thank you to our sponsor, Misty Mountain, for supporting The Ground Up Podcast. Since 1985, Misty Mountain has been handcrafting climbing harnesses and equipment in North Carolina, building gear that's trusted by climbers no matter the challenge. As a listener of The Ground Up Podcast, you can save 15% on harnesses, gear, and apparel with the code GROUNDUP at checkout. - Follow the Joe on Instagram: @joewgoodacre - Get access to exclusive and ad-free content by becoming a Patreon  Follow along on Instagram: @listentogroundup  Check out our new website: https://www.thegrounduppodcast.com/ Sign up for the Mailing List!

Here it is folks, the moment you've been waiting for! We're here live announcing the winners of the Misty Mountain Harness giveaway event that's been ongoing for the last couple of weeks. Big shoutout to Misty Mountain for providing the harnesses and supporting the show. We've got two winners from the Instagram contest as well as one winner from Patreon. We'll be in touch with the winners with all the details on how to claim your harness. Thanks to everyone that participated! - A huge thank you to our sponsor, Misty Mountain, for supporting The Ground Up Podcast. Since 1985, Misty Mountain has been handcrafting climbing harnesses and equipment in North Carolina, building gear that's trusted by climbers no matter the challenge. As a listener of The Ground Up Podcast, you can save 15% on harnesses, gear, and apparel with the code GROUNDUP at checkout. - Get access to exclusive and ad-free content by becoming a Patreon  Follow along on Instagram: @listentogroundup  Check out our new website: https://www.thegrounduppodcast.com/ Sign up for the Mailing List!  

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 North America. From her early days scrambling and mountaineering in the North Cascades to long days on remote multi-pitch routes, Steph has built a reputation not only for her ability to move quickly through big terrain, but for the incredibly detailed trip reports, route overlays, photos, and beta she creates along the way. In this episode, we trace Steph’s climbing journey from growing up in a family of mountaineers to discovering rock climbing in college, and the mentorship that helped launch her into the world of long alpine routes. She shares the story of a devastating accident on the North Face of Vesper that nearly cost her her foot—and ultimately pushed her toward steeper, more solid rock climbing in the High Sierra and beyond. We also dive into the big-day mentality that has defined her climbing ever since, including her recent 19-hour ascent of All Along the Watchtower in the Bugaboos, a 35-hour car-to-car push on Bear Mountain, and her 10-hour ascent of the Matterhorn that put her more than an hour under the previous women’s FKT. Along the way, we get deep into Steph’s unique approach to climbing documentation—how she researches an objective, builds route overlays before ever setting foot on the climb, records pitch-by-pitch beta, and turns each adventure into a polished visual story. She explains why the process of documenting a climb has become almost as important as the climb itself, and how that passion has evolved into her current project: 70 Select, a book highlighting her favorite multi-pitch rock climbs across western North America. It's clear from this conversation, that after nearly 20 years of climbing and documenting adventures, Steph still has no plans to slow down. - A huge thank you to our sponsor, Misty Mountain, for supporting The Ground Up Podcast. Since 1985, Misty Mountain has been handcrafting climbing harnesses and equipment in North Carolina, building gear that's trusted by climbers no matter the challenge. As a listener of The Ground Up Podcast, you can save 15% on harnesses, gear, and apparel with the code GROUNDUP at checkout. - Visit Steph's website to see all of her latest adventures, topos and trip reports Pre-order Steph's Seventy Select multi-pitch classics book. Follow the Steph on Instagram: @stephabegg_com Check out Steph's YouTube Channel @stephabegg Read about Steph's recent ascent of All Along the Watchtower in the Bugaboos Get a first hand look at Steph's recent FKT on the Matterhorn Dive deep into Steph's 35-hour car-to-car push on Bear Mountain - Get access to exclusive and ad-free content by becoming a Patreon  Follow along on Instagram: @listentogroundup  Check out our new website: https://www.thegrounduppodcast.com/ Sign up for the Mailing List!

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 tackling the Cirque of the Towers Traverse with Mike Palmer, who you may remember from Episode 1 of the podcast. Located in Wyoming, the Wind River Range is roughly 100 miles long, boasts some of the highest Rocky Mountain peaks outside of Colorado and provides a spectacular arena for several monster linkups, including the iconic Cirque of the Towers Traverse, a roughly 20 mile alpine traverse across the Cirque's 11 major peaks including a lap up the Wolf's Head on one of North America's 50 Classic Climbs. During the interview we cover everything from Ari and Mike's tactics and logistics, the pros and cons of climbing highly exposed routes by headlamp and all of the inevitable type 2 challenges that come with a sufferfest of this magnitude, including a last minute weather audible before they even got to the trailhead at Big Sandy. - A huge thank you to our sponsor, Misty Mountain, for supporting The Ground Up Podcast. Since 1985, Misty Mountain has been handcrafting climbing harnesses and equipment in North Carolina, building gear that's trusted by climbers no matter the challenge. As a listener of The Ground Up Podcast, you can save 15% on harnesses, gear, and apparel with the code GROUNDUP at checkout. - Get the beta for the Cirque of the Towers Traverse Follow the Ari on Instagram: @arigold145 Learn more about the Gear Giveaway Listen to Ep 1 with Mike Palmer - Get access to exclusive and ad-free content by becoming a Patron  Follow along on Instagram: @listentogroundup  Check out our new website: https://www.thegrounduppodcast.com/ Sign up for the Mailing List!

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 this special rebroadcast, we joined Ryan on the Struggle Climbing Show and his Hell partner Chris (host of The Enormocast) for a crash course in all things 24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell—the legendary Arkansas climbing event where teams spend 12, 24, or even 36 hours climbing as many routes as they can. We break down the basics of Hell, from how the event works and how to qualify, to the biggest mistakes first-timers make and the tactics that can save your skin, energy, and sanity when the clock keeps ticking. We also get into the questions everyone has before their first Hell: Why aren't there more injuries? What does it actually take to survive 24 hours? And, perhaps most importantly, how do you choose the right costume? Whether you're thinking about signing up for Horseshoe Hell, curious what makes the event so uniquely chaotic, or just want to hear four climbers convince themselves that climbing through the night is a good idea, this episode is your crash course in Hell. - A huge thank you to our sponsor, Misty Mountain, for supporting The Ground Up Podcast. Since 1985, Misty Mountain has been handcrafting climbing harnesses and equipment in North Carolina, building gear that's trusted by climbers no matter the challenge. As a listener of The Ground Up Podcast, you can save 15% on harnesses, gear, and apparel with the code GROUNDUP at checkout. - Follow Ryan & The Struggle on Instagram: @thestruggleclimbingshow Follow Chris & The Enormocast on Instagram: @enormocast Check out the Struggle Climbing Show Check out the Enormocast Get prepped for 24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell with our previous Hell guests The Goatbuster: Vasya Vorotnikov and Rob D'Anastasio Genevive Walker Leather & Lace: Dick & Natalie Dower Nadya Vorotnikova & Sean Vallefuoco - Get access to exclusive and ad-free content by becoming a Patreon  Follow along on Instagram: @listentogroundup  Check out our new website: https://www.thegrounduppodcast.com/ Sign up for the Mailing List!

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 developing classics at Devil's Lake, Eric's influence stretches far beyond the guidebooks. Long before crash pads and social media, he was climbing bold highballs, pushing into 5.13—often barefoot—and building a legacy that continues to inspire generations of climbers. In this episode, we trace Eric's journey from scrambling around the cliffs of North Carolina's Moore's Wall as a teenager to dirtbagging across the American West in pursuit of Yosemite's biggest walls. He shares stories of discovering technical climbing, finding inspiration beneath Midnight Lightning, surviving epics on El Capitan, and why bouldering has always remained at the heart of his climbing philosophy. Along the way, we dive into the evolution of climbing from the 1970s to today, the ethics and mindset behind bold ascents, the unique quartzite cliffs of North Carolina, and what it was like establishing difficult highballs without the safety net of modern crash pads. Eric also opens up about the "widow maker" heart attack that nearly ended his life—and how showing up to the climbing gym that day ultimately saved it. Now in his 60s and still climbing double-digit boulders, Eric reflects on the joy of lifelong movement, curiosity, and why the simplest act of climbing on rock has never stopped captivating him. - A huge thank you to our sponsor, Misty Mountain, for supporting The Ground Up Podcast. Since 1985, Misty Mountain has been handcrafting climbing harnesses and equipment in North Carolina, building gear that's trusted by climbers no matter the challenge. As a listener of The Ground Up Podcast, you can save 15% on harnesses, gear, and apparel with the code GROUNDUP at checkout. - Follow the Eric on Instagram: @ericzschiesche00 Check out Eri's YouTube Channel @ericzschiesche Head on over to Eric's website to see some his artrwork - Get access to exclusive and ad-free content by becoming a Patreon  Follow along on Instagram: @listentogroundup  Check out our new website: https://www.thegrounduppodcast.com/ Sign up for the Mailing List!

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 bolts. So we brought friend of the pod, Trevor Jones, on to debate one of the biggest questions in climbing today: should classic routes ever be changed? The three of us come at the topic from very different perspectives as we discuss retro-bolting ethics, preserving climbing history, adventure, risk, and who gets the final say when it comes to an iconic route. We also tackle another climbing ethics question: if you fall onto a ledge but never weight the rope, did you actually send the climb? Finally, we wrap things up by talking about Janja Garnbret's incredible ascent of Bibliographie and whether she's already the greatest all-around female rock climber of all time. - A huge thank you to our sponsor, Misty Mountain, for supporting The Ground Up Podcast. Since 1985, Misty Mountain has been handcrafting climbing harnesses and equipment in North Carolina, building gear that's trusted by climbers no matter the challenge. As a listener of The Ground Up Podcast, you can save 15% on harnesses, gear, and apparel with the code GROUNDUP at checkout. - Read about the recent retro-bolting of Snake Dike Check out the Climbing Magazine article about why the bolts were chopped Hear John Long's take on this classic debate Read about the infamous 2024 accident on Snake Dike Peruse the borderline obnoxious Mountain Project thread on the topic - Get access to exclusive and ad-free content by becoming a Patreon  Follow along on Instagram: @listentogroundup  Check out our new website: https://www.thegrounduppodcast.com/ Sign up for the Mailing List!

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 Diamond, John's journey wasn't built on chasing speed from the beginning—it started with a humbling 24-hour ascent that sparked an obsession with climbing more efficiently. In this episode, we follow that progression from growing up in rural Tennessee to discovering Colorado's alpine climbing scene, falling in love with Longs Peak, and spending nearly a decade refining every aspect of movement in the mountains. John shares how trail running, simul-climbing, and countless laps on Eldorado Canyon classics like the Naked Edge became the foundation for bigger objectives, eventually leading to the fastest ascents ever of the Diamond. Along the way, we dive into the history of speed climbing on Longs Peak, the philosophy behind efficiency in the alpine, balancing a career in aerospace with ambitious climbing goals, and why some of the most meaningful objectives are the ones waiting just outside your back door. - A huge thank you to our sponsor, Misty Mountain, for supporting The Ground Up Podcast. Since 1985, Misty Mountain has been handcrafting climbing harnesses and equipment in North Carolina, building gear that's trusted by climbers no matter the challenge. As a listener of The Ground Up Podcast, you can save 15% on harnesses, gear, and apparel with the code GROUNDUP at checkout. - Follow the John on Instagram: @jalcrn Stay up to date with John's latest activities on Strava Read about John's FKT of The Diamond of Long's Peak - Get access to exclusive and ad-free content by becoming a Patreon  Follow along on Instagram: @listentogroundup  Check out our new website: https://www.thegrounduppodcast.com/ Sign up for the Mailing List!