Podcast
Climbing Gold
When climbing was a fringe sport, the epic tales of achievement were told around the campfire. As the sport continues to grow, Alex Honnold and co-host Fitz Cahall grab the mic to share stories from the people who define climbing by pushing the boundaries and challenging the status quo of the previous generation.
Watch full length episodes at https://dub.sh/CGYouTube
- Wilderness chart
- #13
- Episodes
- 140
- Releases
- Every two weeks
- Typical length
- 55 min
- On air since
- 2021
- Latest episode
- 4 days ago
Episodes
140 episodes, newest first
-
55 min
Jim Morrison: Live from Outside Days
Season 9, Episode 22
Show notes
Last year, Jim Morrison became the first person to climb and ski off the north side of Everest. The multi-year odyssey brought him through valleys of grief and peaks of joy. The new film Everest: The Other Side from Academy Award winning directors Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi captures the harrowing expedition. Jim joined us onstage at Outside Days.
Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube
Thanks to our sponsors
The North Face Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com
Lattice Training Try Lattice free for a month. Go to latticetraining.com/climbinggold to get started.
Travel Nevada: Get A Little Out There and plan your Nevada adventure.
Kodiak Cakes Find Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com
LMNT Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold.
David Buy 4 cartons and get the 5th one for free at davidprotein.com/climbinggold
Want Climbing Gold ad free? Check outUnroped
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1 hr 8 min
Christina Koch: The Astronaut Climber
Season 9, Episode 21
Show notes
Christina Koch made history when she became the first woman to travel around the moon as part of NASA’s Artemis II mission. Her path to space began with climbing. We find out how the lessons learned in the vertical carried through to her journey as an astronaut.
Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube
Thanks to our sponsors
The North Face Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com
Travel Nevada: Get A Little Out There and plan your Nevada adventure.
LMNT Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold.
Kodiak Cakes Find Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com
Turtlebox Take your music anywhere turtleboxaudio.com
Factor Eat smart at FactorMeals.com/ClimbingGold50OFF and use code CLIMBINGGOLD50OFF to get 50% off plus1 free breakfast item per box for a year.
Want Climbing Gold ad free? Check outUnroped
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1 hr 11 min
Adrian Ballinger: The Future of Everest
Season 9, Episode 20
Show notes
Guide, climber and ski mountaineer Adrian Ballinger’s life centered around the world’s biggest mountains. His company pioneered new tactics and Adrian helped bring the mountain to a new generation via social apps. Climbing big mountains may seem like a well trodden path these days, but when Adrian looks off the top of an 8,000 meter peak he sees generations of possibility.
Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube
Thanks to our sponsors
The North Face Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com
LMNT Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold.
Kodiak Cakes Find Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com
AG1 Go to DrinkAG1.com/climbinggold to to get a free Immune Support bundle
David Buy 4 cartons and get the 5th one for free at davidprotein.com/climbinggold
Lattice Training Try Lattice free for a month. Go to latticetraining.com/climbinggold to get started.
Want Climbing Gold ad free? Check outUnroped
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54 min
The Last Dirtbag
Season 9, Episode 19
Show notes
Passion before comfort. It’s arguably the defining ethos of dirtbag culture. While there is handwringing and consternation in the online world about whether climbing has lost its way from its origins in Camp Four, we sit down with James Lucas and Josh McCoy to put an end to the speculation that the dirtbag is dead.
Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube
Thanks to our sponsors
The North Face Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com
Kodiak Cakes Find Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com
LMNT Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold.
Factor Eat smart at FactorMeals.com/ClimbingGold50OFF and use code CLIMBINGGOLD50OFF to get 50% off plus 1 free breakfast item per box for 1 year while supplies last until 10/31/2026.
Want Climbing Gold ad free? Check outUnroped
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1 hr 7 min
Do Grades Matter?
Season 9, Episode 18
Show notes
Grades. Love them or hate them, they’re part of our sport. Today, we sit down with Summit Journal’s Owen Clarke, coach Juliet Hammer and professional climber Jonathan Siegrist to talk Darth Grader, what holds us back and how to break through.
Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube
Thanks to our sponsors
The North Face Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com
David Buy 4 cartons and get the 5th one for free at davidprotein.com/climbinggold
AG1 Go to DrinkAG1.com/climbinggold to get a free AG1 Pro Yeti Shaker in your AG1 Pro welcome kit.
LMNT Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold.
Lattice Training Try Lattice free for a month. Go to latticetraining.com/climbinggold to get started.
Kodiak Cakes Find Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com
Want Climbing Gold ad free? Check outUnroped
-
48 min
Jan Conn: Catching Pinecones
Season 9, Episode 17
Show notes
Who was the first dirtbag? In collaboration with filmmakers Chad Heddleston and Parker Michels-Boyce, we go back in time to meet Jan Conn. Jan and Herb Conn took what might have been the first climbing road trip, created one of the first climbing magazines and films and pioneered first ascents across the country. Their greatest contribution to our sport though might be their commitment to utilizing their time to follow their passions. In 1945, that was about as radical as it gets.
Catching Pinecones Trailer
Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube
Thanks to our sponsors
The North Face Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com
Kodiak Cakes Find Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com
Turtlebox Take your music anywhere turtleboxaudio.com
Factor Eat smart at FactorMeals.com/ClimbingGold50OFF and use code CLIMBINGGOLD50OFF to get 50% off and free daily greens per box
LMNT Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold
Want Climbing Gold ad free? Check outUnroped
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52 min
Palestinian Climbers
Season 9, Episode 16
Show notes
Climbing feels like freedom. It’s a sentiment that most of us can relate to. In the midst of war and violence in the Middle East, we return to the climbers of Resistance Climbing and learn how they’ve kept finding joy and hope even as the walls close in. We talk with Asia Zughaiar, Faris Abu Gosh and Tim Bruns.
Got gear? Asia is looking for climbing gear donations to help get local climbers out to the crags. Reach out via Instagram @asia.zughaiar
Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube
Thanks to our sponsors
The North Face Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com
Lattice Try Lattice free for a month. Go to latticetraining.com/climbinggold to get started.
LMNT Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold.
David Buy 4 cartons and get the 5th one for free at davidprotein.com/climbinggold
AG1 Go to DrinkAG1.com/climbinggold to get a free AG1 Pro Yeti Shaker in your AG1 Pro welcome kit.
Kodiak Cakes Find Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com
Want Climbing Gold ad free? Check outUnroped
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54 min
Jordan Cannon: A Place In History
Season 9, Episode 15
Show notes
What’s the Venn diagram on Indiana Jones, El Cap and climbing history? Jordan Cannon. Jordan walks us down the path from hyper-stoked teenager to professional climber and El Cap ace. Arguably, it’s what Jordan’s done away from the wall that’s been his most recognizable contribution to our sport.
Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube
Thanks to our sponsors
The North Face Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com
LMNT Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold. Try the new LMNT Lemonade Ice Tea.
Kodiak Cakes Find Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com
Factor Eat smart at FactorMeals.com/ClimbingGold50OFF and use code CLIMBINGGOLD50OFF to get 50% off plus a free box of green with each box (new subscriptions only through 9/27/2026)
Want Climbing Gold ad free? Check outUnroped
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1 hr 14 min
Cheat Code: Tanner Wanish and Michael Vaill
Season 9, Episode 14
Show notes
Michael Vaill and Tanner Wanish found the cheat code to adventure climbing – each other. Since they linked up on Mountain Project, it’s looked like they’ve been playing the climbing game on easy mode. We dive into one of the most incredible partnerships we’ve ever encountered.
Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube
Thanks to our sponsors
The North Face Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com
Kodiak Cakes Find Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com
LMNT Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold.
Lattice Try Lattice free for a month. Go to latticetraining.com/climbinggold to get started.
AG1 Get a free AG1 Travel Case with 7 free AG1 Travel Packs in your Welcome Kit with your first AG1 subscription order, while supplies last, at DrinkAG1.com/climbinggold
David Buy 4 cartons and get the 5th one for free at davidprotein.com/climbinggold
Want Climbing Gold ad free? Check outUnroped
-
45 min
Pete Whittaker: Beyond Wide
Season 9, Episode 13
Show notes
Pete Whittaker may have captured climbing’s hearts through his and fellow Wide Boy Tom Randall’s quest to complete the hardest offwidth on the planet, but he’s also quietly become one of the best traditional climbers of his generation. After the offwidth roundtable, we knew we had more to talk about with Pete.
Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube
Thanks to our sponsors
The North Face Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com
Turtlebox Take your music anywhere turtleboxaudio.com
Factor Eat smart at FactorMeals.com/ClimbingGold50OFF and use code CLIMBINGGOLD50OFF to get 50% off plus a free daily greens per box with new subscriptions
LMNT Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold. Try the new Lemonade + Ice Tea flavor
Kodiak Cakes Find Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com
Want Climbing Gold ad free? Check outUnroped
-
55 min
Wide Ponies and Offwidths
Season 9, Episode 12
Show notes
Offwidths – for most climbers they are a necessary evil, but for a fringe fraction, hard, often inverted offwidth climbing is the main attraction. We talk with offwidth climbers Sam MacIlwaine, associate editor for Climbing Magazine, and Pete Whittaker of Wide Boyz fame to discuss the dark art of fists stacks and wide ponies.
Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube
Thanks to our sponsors
The North Face Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com
Kodiak Cakes Find Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com
Lattice Training Try Lattice free for 30 days. Get started at latticetraining.com/climbinggold
David Buy 4 cartons and get the 5th one for free at davidprotein.com/climbinggold
AG1 Get an AG1 flavor sampler and a bottle of Vitamin D3 + K2 Free with your first AG1 subscription at DrinkAG1.com/climbinggold
LMNT Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold. Try the new Lemonade + Ice Tea flavor
Want Climbing Gold ad free? Check outUnroped
-
56 min
Will Moss: Happy Little Accident
Season 9, Episode 11
Show notes
Last year, Will Moss became the first person to onsight El Cap in a day. It might not have happened though if the food and coconut water in his haul bag hadn’t gone bad, forcing him to make a game time decision to go for it. Will possesses a preternatural talent for the big stone and his tactical skills are catching up.
Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube
Thanks to our sponsors
The North Face Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com
Beastmaker Use code GOLD to get 20% off your 1st order at beastmaker.co.uk
Kodiak Cakes Find Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com
LMNT Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold. Try the new LMNT Sparkling — a bold, 16-ounce can of sparkling electrolyte water.
Factor Eat smart at FactorMeals.com/ClimbingGold50OFF and use code CLIMBINGGOLD50OFF to get 50% off plus a free daily greens per box with new subscriptions
Want Climbing Gold ad free? Check outUnroped
-
57 min
Jon Krakauer: The Mountain's Shadow
Season 9, Episode 10
Show notes
Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air chronicled the 1996 Everest disaster and launched a generation of interest in climbing and the natural world, but for Jon the tragedy that unfolded around him left him struggling with PTSD and searching for peace. Now 30 years later, Jon reflects on his career, the expedition that changed his life and why writing has always been harder than climbing.
Read the 30th Anniversary edition of Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube
Thanks to our sponsors
The North Face Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com
Maui Nui Get exclusive access to the new spicy venison stick at mauinui.com/climbinggold
David Buy 4 cartons and get the 5th one for free at davidprotein.com/climbinggold
Turtlebox Take your music anywhere turtleboxaudio.com
LMNT Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold. Try the new LMNT Lemonade Ice Tea.
Kodiak Cakes Find Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com
Want Climbing Gold ad free? Check outUnroped
-
45 min
Getting It Right: Charlize Theron and Beth Rodden
Season 9, Episode 9
Show notes
Will Hollywood ever get climbing right? Or at least passable? When Academy Award winner Charlize Theron went to work making her latest film Apex, the crew brought in climbing legend Beth Rodden to make it feel realistic. Sometimes you don’t have to climb 5.12 to look like you climb 5.12.
Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube
Thanks to our sponsors
The North Face Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com
Kodiak Cakes Find Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com
Waking Up Try Waking Up for 30 days free by going to wakingup.com/honnold
AG1 Go to DrinkAG1.com/climbinggold to get an AG1 Flavor Sampler and a bottle of Vitamin D3+K2 FREE in your Welcome Kit with your first AG1 subscription (a $72 value!)
Beastmaker Use code GOLD to get 20% off your 1st order at beastmaker.co.uk
LMNT Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold. Try the new LMNT Sparkling — a bold, 16-ounce can of sparkling electrolyte water.
Want Climbing Gold ad free? Check outUnroped
-
57 min
Connor Herson: Just Getting Started
Season 9, Episode 8
Show notes
Connor Herson couldn’t legally drive when he freed the Nose in 2018, competently navigating up his way up a route only Lynn Hill and Tommy Caldwell had freed. The climbing world wondered where this prodigy would take traditional climbing. In the years that followed, Connor was busy with regular teenage life – finishing up high school and heading for college. In 2025, the climbing world stopped wondering and watched as the 22-year-old put together the single greatest year of trad climbing.
Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube
Thanks to our sponsors
The North Face Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com
Kodiak Cakes Find Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com
Factor Eat smart at FactorMeals.com/ClimbingGold50OFF and use code CLIMBINGGOLD50OFF to get 50% off plus a free daily greens per box with new subscriptions
David Buy 4 cartons and get the 5th one for free at davidprotein.com/climbinggold
LMNT Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold. Try Pink Lemonade today.
Maui Nui Get a free pack of jerky sticks on your first order of $79 or more.
Want Climbing Gold ad free? Check outUnroped
-
59 min
Going Pro: Lincoln Knowles and Zander Waller
Season 9, Episode 7
Show notes
The path to professionalism is murky at best. Even for established world-class athletes, it’s a struggle to make it work. Two friends chart very different paths in the hopes of getting paid to do what they love.
Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube
Thanks to our sponsors
The North FaceCheck out Summit Series at thenorthface.com
Waking UpTry Waking Up for 30 days free by going to wakingup.com/honnold
AG1Go to DrinkAG1.com/climbinggold to get an AG1 Flavor Sampler and a bottle of Vitamin D3+K2 FREE in your Welcome Kit with your first AG1 subscription (a $72 value).
LMNT Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold. Try the new LMNT Sparkling — a bold, 16-ounce can of sparkling electrolyte water.
TurtleboxTake your music anywhere turtleboxaudio.com
Kodiak CakesFind Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com
Want Climbing Gold ad free? Check outUnroped
-
55 min
Sean Bailey: Duality Of Man
Season 9, Episode 6
Show notes
Sean Bailey flies beneath the radar and he wants you to know he’s cool with that. Most of the time. After retiring from a decorated comp career, Sean has sent multiple v17 boulder problems and North America’s first 5.15d, but America’s best climber seems far more interested in the hunt for the next great climb than partaking in the social media hype machine.
Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube
Thanks to our sponsors
Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com
Get a free starter pack of jerky sticks with your first order.
Eat smart at FactorMeals.com/ClimbingGold50OFF and use code CLIMBINGGOLD50OFF to get 50% off plus FREE breakfast for a year.
Find Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com
Buy 4 cartons and get the 5th one for free at davidprotein.com/climbinggold
Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold. Try the new LMNT Sparkling — a bold, 16-ounce can of sparkling electrolyte water.
Want Climbing Gold ad free? Check out Unroped
-
49 min
Nasim Eshqi: The Fighter
Season 9, Episode 5
Show notes
When protests erupted in Iran in fall of 2022, human rights activist and professional climber Nasim Eshqi was climbing in France. As she watched the uprising back home unfold, Nasim knew that returning home at that moment would mean arrest and imprisonment at the hands of the government. She doubled down on her criticism of Iran’s repressive regime and used her climbing to bring the struggle to the international climbing community.
The episode originally in November 2023
Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube
Thanks to our sponsors
Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com
Try Waking Up for 30 days free by going to wakingup.com/honnold
Go to DrinkAG1.com/climbinggold to get an AG1 Flavor Sampler and a bottle of Vitamin D3+K2 FREE in your Welcome Kit with your first AG1 subscription ($72 value)
Find Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com
Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold. Try the new LMNT Sparkling — a bold, 16-ounce can of sparkling electrolyte water.
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1 hr 4 min
Jimmy Chin: Always Difficult
Season 9, Episode 4
Show notes
Jimmy Chin refuses to play the game on easy mode. Whether it’s climbing, photography or filmmaking, Jimmy has spent a career figuring out the most bad ass goal in whatever medium and then making it happen. He’s had some mentors along the way, a little luck and an unparalleled work ethic, but his ability to step into uncomfortable situations is his super power.
Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube
Thanks to our sponsors
Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com
Visit DrinkAG1.com/climbinggold to get 3 FREE AG1 Travel Packs and 3 FREE AGZ Travel Packs, plus FREE Vitamin D3+K2 and an AG1 Welcome Kit with your first AG1 subscription order.
Find Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com
Eat smart at FactorMeals.com/ClimbingGold50OFF and use code CLIMBINGGOLD50OFF to get 50% off plus free breakfast for a year for new subscribers with active subscription.
Take your music anywhere turtleboxaudio.com
Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold. Try the new LMNT Sparkling — a bold, 16-ounce can of sparkling electrolyte water.
Want Climbing Gold ad free? Check outUnroped -
29 min
Enter the Dragon: Taipei 101 Recap
Season 9, Episode 3
Show notes
In the days after Alex’s successful climb of Taipei 101, Fitz and Alex debrief on the whirlwind week, including ending up in an SNL skit and the joy that comes from doing what you love.
Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube
Thanks to our sponsors
Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com
Find Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com
Buy 4 cartons and get the 5th one for free at davidprotein.com/climbinggold
Try Waking Up for 30 days free by going to wakingup.com/honnold
Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold. Try the new LMNT Sparkling — a bold, 16-ounce can of sparkling electrolyte water.
Want Climbing Gold ad free? Check outUnroped
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