Written in Stone: Climbing History
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About This Podcast
Written in Stone tells the (mostly) true stories of the most groundbreaking ascents in rock climbing history, one climb at a time. Hosted by Kris Hampton, you’ll hear the narrated, sound designed stories about what led to new levels, shifted the culture, and changed the game. You'll also get conversations with the climbers who were there and those who were inspired by what went down way back then.
Season One: The 1990s and the explosion of sport climbing.
Season Two: The 1980’s and the birth of sport climbing as we know it.
Season Three: The History of Modern Bouldering.
Like Todd Skinner always said, ”never let the truth get in the way of a good story.”
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Recent Episodes
Pierre Allain: The First Superstar of Modern Bouldering
After World War 1, bouldering began to shapeshift into something that very closely resembles the modern day game. At the forefront of that movement was Pierre Allain, a climber who was openly…
Fontainebleau and the Birth of Bouldering as We Know It
EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNTS ➡️ https://link.powercompanyclimbing.com/stone-yt FREE BONUS EPISODES ➡️ https://link.powercompanyclimbing.com/secretstoners-yt By 1908, people had been practicing on boulders…
Was Oscar Eckenstein Really the First Boulderer? Featuring Efix Roy
Was Oscar Eckenstein the first boulderer? What does that even mean? This season, we are asking and trying to answer some big questions. In this episode, I talk with our research assistant, Efix Roy,…
The First Boulderer and His Occultist Protégé: Oscar Eckenstein and Aleister Crowley
WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE People have likely climbed on boulders for all of human history, but in the late 1800's, one man began advocating for climbing on boulders as a way to become a better…
Season 3 | The History of Modern Bouldering
What is bouldering, really? What defines a "boulderer"? And how has that changed since the beginnings of the game? Are there rules, and if so, where did those "rules" start? Coming Soon: Season 3 of…
Michael Kennedy on Access to Climbing Culture and the Photo of Edlinger That Defined the 80s
Michael Kennedy is a legend of climbing media. As the editor of Climbing Magazine from 1974 to 1998, he helped to bring climbing culture to tens of thousands of climbers who otherwise didn't have…
BONUS: When Lynn Hill Proved That Women Can Beat Men In Competition
WATCH THIS ON YOUTUBE GET THE BOOK ➡️ https://link.powercompanyclimbing.com/wis-YT In a recent Magnus Midtbo video, Janja Garnbret mentioned that she could do well against the men in a sport…
The Thumbs Up: Sharing Lanes And Circling Back in 1980s Climbing.
After a few weeks of thinking about it, I've put my finger on what I learned about climbing by looking back at the 1980s, and I'm ready to reveal where we go next season. Check out our new book,…
Jordan Cannon on The Free Salathe, How to Climb Pitch 19, and Why Style Matters
Check out our new book, Written In Stone: The 1990s! Today, in the final interview of the season, we are talking to young legend in the making, Jordan Cannon, who is fresh off of an incredible season…
Mark Hudon on Free As Can Be on the Salathé Wall, Skinner and Piana's Ascent, and Experience Vs. Trophies
Check out our new book, Written In Stone: The 1990s! Mark Hudon is a bonafide climbing legend. One of the best free climbers of the 70s and early 80s, he and partner Max Jones looked past convention…
Steve Bechtel on Skinner, Piana, Friendship, and Community
Check out our new book, Written In Stone: The 1990s! Steve Bechtel is a Wyoming climbing legend who moved to Lander when the limestone at Wild Iris was discovered and helped to develop it alongside…
Paul Piana and Todd Skinner Free the Finest Rock Climb On Earth (Part 2)
Check out our new book, Written In Stone: The 1990s! After causing a ruckus in Yosemite Valley and Index, Todd Skinner didn’t slink away. He looked up. Way up. At El Capitan. He and Paul Piana had…
Paul Piana and Todd Skinner Partner Up and Push the Boundaries (Part 1)
Check out our new book, Written In Stone: The 1990s! By the middle of the 1980s, the shift to sport climbing was in full swing. Two Wyoming cowboys, Paul Piana and Todd Skinner, recognized that the…
Rob LeBreton on Snowbird and Australian Sport Climbing in the 1980s
Check out our new book, Written In Stone: The 1990s! Rob LeBreton wears a lot of hats. First, he’s a long time friend of the show, but he’s also a dad, husband, gym owner, former president of Sport…
Alan Watts on Setting for Snowbird, the Drama that Unfolded, and the Comp's Importance to American Indoor Climbing
Check out our new book, Written In Stone: The 1990s! Alan Watts is widely recognized as the father of American sport climbing and a leading developer at Smith Rock. However, most don’t know about his…
Showdown(s) At Snowbird | Edlinger vs. Tribout and Destivelle vs. Hill
Check out our new book, Written In Stone: The 1990s! In 1985, 19 of the top French climbers signed a manifesto against competition climbing. But competitions came anyway. Quickly, most of those same…
Ted Kingsnorth on the Influence of Jerry Moffatt and Chasing History
Check out our new book, Written In Stone: The 1990s! A big part of my research for any UK climber ends up being first, climbing-history.org run by Remus Knowles, but then immediately after I start…
Jerry Moffatt Climbs Everything, Everywhere
Check out our new book, Written In Stone: The 1990s! In 1984, Jerry Moffatt was quite possibly the best climber in the world. A year later, he was out of climbing entirely, with severe elbow…
Mark Anderson on Wolfgang Güllich, The Campus Board, and Climbing on Your Heroes' Routes
Check out our new book, Written In Stone: The 1990s! Beyond being a top athlete, Wolfgang Güllich was also a training nerd and developed the campus board. Because of this, I knew I needed to talk to…
Wolfgang Güllich is a Wolf on Wallstreet
Check out our new book, Written In Stone: The 1990s! After establishing Punks in the Gym, the first 14a (8b+), Wolfgang Güllich was looking for a change. First he accepted an invitation to a…
Frequently Asked Questions
Written in Stone: Climbing History has published 93 episodes since October 2023, covering topics in Documentary, History.
Written in Stone: Climbing History is currently highly active with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 47m.
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