One of the coolest things about climbing is the rich historical lineage behind each route. From cans on spires, to guide books and magazines, and now Mountain Project, documentation that traces the history of a climb is an inspiring thing that connects us to the past.

Not every route has a pristine historical record, however. This has caused a rift in the community. A rift that has brought some older climbers to make the claim that there are no first accents left at all - which we think is patently untrue.

Today, we lay out our defense for why first ascents are still possible, the historical reasons why it’s important to publicly acknowledge your first ascents, the importance of being open to learning about first ascents that were not originally recorded, and how we can work together to deepen the historical record for future climbers.

Plus, we’ll tell you about our most recent first ascent - Sudden Valley!

Join us over on the First Ascent Patreon! For $5, $7 or $10 a month, you’ll get access to wide ranging bonus content from greats like Mark Hudon, Scott Stevenson and many more. Plus you’ll get a Discord chat, exclusive beta, route info, and more. Check it out here: https://www.patreon.com/FirstAscentPodcast

Do you have a listener question or a topic idea? Let us know at @firstascentpod on Instagram! Jay and Lee can be found at @jayknower and @xxleeweexx

Disclaimer:

The information expressed in this episode is for entertainment purposes only, and is not intended as, nor should it be interpreted as, informational or instructional.

Nadya Vorotnikova is on the pod today for an awesome talk about loving the process and breaking self limiting beliefs. Nadya grew up in Russia, moved to New Hampshire when she was 10, and now lives in Colorado - and she’s been climbing all along. This journey has exposed her to so many different mental approaches to training and climbing and has made her the absolute crusher that she is.

Today, Nadya tells us what it was like to grow up a family of dedicated climbers (including her brother Vasya, also a well known climber), how a childhood in Russia gave her a unique understanding of training, the importance of falling in love with the process instead of the outcome, her recent experience climbing her first 5.14 - Primeval, and how Nadya learned to move past her limiting beliefs to achieve new challenges.

Join us over on the First Ascent Patreon! For $5, $7 or $10 a month, you’ll get access to wide ranging bonus content from greats like Mark Hudon, Scott Stevenson and many more. Plus you’ll get a Discord chat, exclusive beta, route info, and more. Check it out here: https://www.patreon.com/FirstAscentPodcast

Do you have a listener question or a topic idea? Let us know at @firstascentpod on Instagram! Jay and Lee can be found at @jayknower and @xxleeweexx

Disclaimer:

The information expressed in this episode is for entertainment purposes only, and is not intended as, nor should it be interpreted as, informational or instructional.

North Conway native and long time climber Chris Graham, or ‘Grammy’ as he’s affectionately known, is a familiar face on both sides of the mountains, both as a climber and as a guide. His climbing career goes so far back that he can boast that he climbed at Rumney before there were bolts!

Today, Chris shares his experiences as a guide, gives his opinion on the longstanding bolt debate between North Conway and Rumney, tells us his philosophy on when to use bolts (and when to not), and shines a light on a bit of the history of the divide between the North Conway and Rumney climbing styles.

Plus, Grammy answers your listener question!

Would you like to hear a bonus episode with Nate? Join us over on the First Ascent Patreon! For $5, $7 or $10 a month, you’ll get access to wide ranging bonus content from greats like Mark Hudon, Scott Stevenson and many more. Plus you’ll get a Discord chat, exclusive beta, route info, and more. Check it out here: https://www.patreon.com/FirstAscentPodcast

Do you have a listener question or a topic idea? Let us know at @firstascentpod on Instagram! Jay and Lee can be found at @jayknower and @xxleeweexx

Disclaimer:

The information expressed in this episode is for entertainment purposes only, and is not intended as, nor should it be interpreted as, informational or instructional.

Few people have done more for the development of climbing bolt technology than Dave Quinn.

Dave is one of the original developers of Rumney, a core member of Team Tough, and an all around bolting expert. Today’s he’s returning to the podcast to share updates about The Team Tough Crossover Bolt, which just passed U.I.A.A. certification.

In this episode, Dave walks us through the process of creating a new bolt product; from supply chains to certification requirements, and all the steps he’s had to traverse to bring this revolutionary glue-in bolt to the market.

Check out the crossover bolt and all of Dave’s products at Team Tough Bolt Products: https://www.team-tough.com/

For more about Dave and his bolting expertise, check out our first episode on the podcast!

Join us over on the First Ascent Patreon! For $5, $7 or $10 a month, you’ll get access to wide ranging bonus content from greats like Mark Hudon, Scott Stevenson and many more. Plus you’ll get a Discord chat, exclusive beta, route info, and more. Check it out here: https://www.patreon.com/FirstAscentPodcast

Do you have a listener question or a topic idea? Let us know at @firstascentpod on Instagram! Jay and Lee can be found at @jayknower and @xxleeweexx

Disclaimer:

The information expressed in this episode is for entertainment purposes only, and is not intended as, nor should it be interpreted as, informational or instructional.

Tom Bowker is the undeniable godfather of the climbing scene in Waterville Valley. Tom’s prolific number of first ascents over his 40 year climbing career make him one of the most well known names in the region. His first ascents include Peer Pressure, Journey to Lost World, and dozens more.

Today, Tom shares awesome tales about how his routes came to be, why he still hand drills all of his bolts, why he thinks climbers are the most privileged users of public lands, and which first ascent he is more proud of than all of the others combined.

Do you want more of this conversation? We continue our chat with Tom over on the First Ascent Patreon! For $5, $7 or $10 a month, you’ll get access to wide ranging bonus content from greats like Mark Hudon, Scott Stevenson and many more. Plus you’ll get a Discord chat, exclusive beta, route info, and more. Check it out here: https://www.patreon.com/FirstAscentPodcast

Do you have a listener question or a topic idea? Let us know at @firstascentpod on Instagram! Jay and Lee can be found at @jayknower and @xxleeweexx

Disclaimer:

The information expressed in this episode is for entertainment purposes only, and is not intended as, nor should it be interpreted as, informational or instructional.

It’s finally happening! Today’s conversation is all about bouldering. Boulderer extraordinaire Jake Perry is with us to answer all of your bouldering questions. We cover a wide range of bouldering topics, including grades, highballs, skin care, and the most important question: Why?

Would you like to hear a bonus episode with Nate? Join us over on the First Ascent Patreon! For $5, $7 or $10 a month, you’ll get access to wide ranging bonus content from greats like Mark Hudon, Scott Stevenson and many more. Plus you’ll get a Discord chat, exclusive beta, route info, and more. Check it out here: https://www.patreon.com/FirstAscentPodcast

Do you have a listener question or a topic idea? Let us know at @firstascentpod on Instagram! Jay and Lee can be found at @jayknower and @xxleeweexx

Disclaimer:

The information expressed in this episode is for entertainment purposes only, and is not intended as, nor should it be interpreted as, informational or instructional.

Last week we opened the floor to our Instagram followers - they hit us with all of the questions, comments, criticisms and praise that they wanted to throw our way. Today we’re digging through the comments and sharing our replies. Hear our thoughts on everything from cracked ribs, to peregrine falcons, to bouldering, to square roots and everything in between.

Do you have a burning question or a topic idea? Let us know at @firstascentpod on Instagram!

Jay and Lee can be found at @jayknower and @xxleeweexx

Would you like hours of bonus content to binge? Join us over on the First Ascent Patreon! For $5, $7 or $10 a month, you’ll get access to wide ranging bonus content from greats like Mark Hudon, Scott Stevenson and many more. Plus you’ll get a Discord chat, exclusive beta, route info, and more. Check it out here: https://www.patreon.com/FirstAscentPodcast

Disclaimer:

The information expressed in this episode is for entertainment purposes only, and is not intended as, nor should it be interpreted as, informational or instructional.

The guys are getting worked up in today’s episode as they each share their five biggest crag annoyances. Life is all about balance, though! So you’ll also learn about their five favorite things at the crag.

What is your biggest crag annoyance? Or your favorite thing? Let us know on Instagram at @firstascentpod!

Join us over on the First Ascent Patreon! For only $5 a month, you’ll get access to wide ranging bonus content from greats like Mark Hudon, Scott Stevenson and many more. Plus you’ll get a Discord chat, exclusive beta, route info, and more. Check it out here: https://www.patreon.com/FirstAscentPodcast

Jay and Lee can be found at on Instagram at @jayknower and @xxleeweexx

Disclaimer:

The information expressed in this episode is for entertainment purposes only, and is not intended as, nor should it be interpreted as, informational or instructional.