7 Climbing Podcasts Worth Listening
Summer means traveling season. Getting on the road and driving to wherever you want to go for your trip. I know I’m down for one. As you move through, sometimes the radio doesn’t cut it. That’s when podcasts come to the rescue! Need new stuff? I have some recommendations below that you might want to check out whenever you need something to listen to in the car or at home.
For the Love of Climbing by Kathy Karlo
Listen on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and other music/podcast streaming sites.
Kathy is the creator of the awesome and inspiring climbing blog “For the Love of Climbing” and podcast with the same name. Her description of the podcast goes like this: “This is not a climbing podcast. Well, sorta. This is a podcast about choosing vulnerability and talking about our pain—and how we are all really just shining examples of this messy human existence.”
The episodes are interviews of people talking about real issues in the climbing community. There’s only one season so far but season two is in the works. I’ve listened to all of them and would recommend to anyone even if they’re not a climber.
Episode to listen: All of them but some might require a tissue box.
The Power Company Podcast by Kris Hampton and Nathan Drolet
www.powercompanyclimbing.com/podcast/
Hosts and climbing coaches Kris and Nathan sit down with other coaches, trainers, and athletes, to find out what it is that makes them so good at what they do best. These are in-depth discussions on the guest’s area of expertise. Kris and Nate try to deconstruct the tools, tactics, and training techniques that we can all use to climb harder, smarter, and better.
Episodes to listen: Ep. 75 “Self-worth and China Doll with Heather Weidner” and Ep. 72 “Does Size Matter? With Marina Inoue”
Training Beta by Neely Quinn
www.trainingbeta.com/trainingbeta-podcast/
In TrainingBeta, Quinn, a climber and nutritionist talks to climbers, trainers, and other insightful members of the climbing community about how we can get a little better at our favorite sport. Every week or so she publishes a new interview where she talks to guests about their climbing training, philosophies, what they’re up to these days, and their thoughts on diet. There are also discussions on injury prevention that I find insightful.
Episodes to listen: Ep.76 “Esther Smith on How to Heal Your Finger Injury and Ep. 112 “Mina Leslie-Wujastyk On Overcoming Fear and Setting Big Goals”
The Enormocast by Chris Kalous
Climber Chris Kalous dives into the climbing life with discussion, interviews, tributes, and more on The Enormocast. This podcast is about rock climbing, alpine climbing, and more climbing.
Episodes to listen: Ep. 136 Shelma Jun – A Better Way and Ep. 58 Chris Schulte - Bouldering Sensei
She Explores Podcast by Gale Straub
A podcast for and about women who are inspired by time spent outside. The podcast covers various outdoor-related topics with some climbing related episodes in it. I enjoy listening to this one because it’s one of a few outdoor-related podcasts that’s created by women, for women. If you’re more outdoorsy, I think you’ll like this one.
Episode to listen: Ep 118. “A Few Big Leaps” and Ep. 110 “Episode 110: Grit, Guts, and the Right Amount of Gall – Founder Jen Gurecki”
Out There Podcast by Willow Belden
Out There tells stories of how we connect with nature and asks more in-depth questions about our relationships with the outdoors. Most episodes are outdoor-related, but some do include climbing.
Episodes to listen: “My Own Way” and “How Do I Put Myself in the Driver’s Seat of My Own Life?”
The Dirtbag Diaries by Fitz Cahall
www.dirtbagdiaries.com/category/episodes/
Outdoor writer Cahall covers all kinds of adventure activities, not just climbing. He and his team do a great job of helping stories come to life. If you need a break from climbing but still want to hear more about the outdoors, this is worth a listen.
Episodes to listen: Ep. 55 Paul’s Boots and Ep. 60 The Shorts – Commit Fully
I hope you enjoy the podcasts I’ve listed here. If you have any recommendations for podcasts, let me know in the Facebook comments for this article. Until next time, happy bouldering!