Written in Stone: Climbing History

Hannes Huch on Community in the Frankenjura, Wolfgang Güllich, and Kurt Albert

Check out our new book, Written In Stone: The 1990s!
Because the history of the Frankenjura can’t be told without Kurt Albert and Wolfgang Güllich, both of whom we lost too soon, I wanted to talk to someone rooted in that community to try and get an understanding of how their legacy looks. For me, the obvious choice was Hannes Huch. He’s a photographer and artist who balances a modern aesthetic with a love for history, and that’s evident in his work with Cafe Kraft and the Gimme Kraft! books as well as Jerry Moffat’s Mastermind book, and many other projects. 
In this episode we talk Kurt, Wolfgang, and Jerry, legacy, the importance of connecting with community, and how climbing is the perfect sport if you should ever need to escape from prison.
 
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Season Two is generously supported by Rab. 
This episode is supported by Tension Climbing. Use code WRITTEN15 at checkout.
Written in Stone is co-created with Power Company Climbing.

Ben Cossey on Wolfgang Güllich, Punks in the Gym, and Lightweight Baby

Check out our new book, Written In Stone: The 1990s!
There’s really no debate. In the pantheon of Wolfgang Güllich frothers, there is no person who is as much a frother as Australian superstar Ben Cossey. In May of 2024, Ben made the first ascent of a long-standing project at Mt. Arapiles in Australia, Lightweight Baby, finally finishing what became the hardest pitch in the area - and within sight of Wolfgang’s route, Punks in the Gym. 
In this episode we get into what makes Arapiles special, the history of Punks and the Birdbath, a wiggle sneak to Wallstreet, and then we come back to Araps to discuss Lightweight Baby. 
Save Arapiles Climbing Petition: https://www.change.org/p/save-natimuk-stop-the-rock-climbing-ban-at-the-famous-mt-arapiles
Save Arapiles Climbing Video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_bYfeWq_Nw
Check out our website for related episodes, resources and more!
Join the Secret Stoners Club for FREE and get bonus episodes.
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Season Two is generously supported by Rab. 
This episode is supported by Tension Climbing. Use code WRITTEN15 at checkout.
Written in Stone is co-created with Power Company Climbing.

Wolfgang Güllich is a Punk in the Gym

Check out our new book, Written In Stone: The 1990s!
From the early to mid-1980s, Wolfgang Güllich was steadily discovering his own power. Spurred on by American and British climbers coming to the Frankenjura and establishing the hardest routes, he tapped into a part of himself that he rarely showed. With that competitive side on display, he went to America to do the hardest routes there, returned home to establish himself the best, and to Australia to establish the world's first 8b+, or 14a, Punks in the Gym. 
Save Arapiles Climbing Petition: https://www.change.org/p/save-natimuk-stop-the-rock-climbing-ban-at-the-famous-mt-arapiles
Save Arapiles Climbing Video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_bYfeWq_Nw
Check out our website for related episodes, resources and more!
Join the Secret Stoners Club for FREE and get bonus episodes.
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Season Two is generously supported by Rab. 
This episode is supported by Tension Climbing. Use code WRITTEN15 at checkout.
Written in Stone is co-created with Power Company Climbing.

History Takes Time

Check out our new book, Written In Stone: The 1990s!
While we're working hard on the next episode, an update on some changes to the remainder of the season. 
Check out our website for related episodes, resources and more!
Join the Secret Stoners Club for FREE and get bonus episodes.
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Season Two is generously supported by Rab. 
This episode is supported by Tension Climbing. Use code WRITTEN15 at checkout.
Written in Stone is co-created with Power Company Climbing.

Andy Salo and Whitney Boland on Lynn Hill and a Love of Gunks Climbing

Check out our new book, Written In Stone: The 1990s!
Andy Salo and Whitney Boland are modern day Gunks legends. Andy has FA’d some of the hardest routes in the area and co-written the brilliant guidebooks to the area. Whitney moved to the area and gained near instant local status, eventually writing the Flashback series about Gunks legends, which you can find both in Andy’s guidebooks and on the Rock and Snow website.  
In this episode, we discuss the scene and history at The Gunks, what factors contributed to the Gunks being such a powerhouse in the 80’s, and what it’s like to be a short woman in climbing.
Check out our website for related episodes, resources and more!
Join the Secret Stoners Club for FREE and get bonus episodes.
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Season Two is generously supported by Rab. 
This episode is supported by Tension Climbing. Use code WRITTEN15 at checkout.
Written in Stone is co-created with Power Company Climbing.

Russ Clune on Lynn Hill, Gunks Climbing, and Vandals

Check out our new book, Written In Stone: The 1990s!
Russ Clune is a Legend. I once introduced him as climbing's Forrest Gump, because since the 1980s he's been there for many of climbing's most impactful moments. A Gunks local who has traveled widely to climb on every type of rock, in every style imaginable, he's a living thread from before sport climbing to now, and if you're ever lucky enough to meet him, will eagerly regale you with those stories. 
In this episode, we discuss:
Lynn Hill’s arrival on the Gunks climbing scene.
Working on Vandals with Lynn.
When Lynn became THE Lynn Hill.
The pros and cons of the yoyo tactic.
Clune's new book, The Lifer: Rock Climbing Adventures in the Gunks and Beyond
This week our patrons, The Secret Stoners Club, get's a bonus conversation with Russ discussing Jerry Moffatt, Wolfgang Gullich, Patrick Edlinger and more. Join for free and be entered to win a free copy of The Lifer!
Check out our website for related episodes, resources and more!
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Season Two is generously supported by Rab. 
This episode is supported by Tension Climbing. Use code WRITTEN15 at checkout.
Written in Stone is co-created with Power Company Climbing.

Lynn Hill Vandalizes Perception

Check out our new book, Written In Stone: The 1990s!
In 1983, after years of climbing on Yosemite's granite cracks with John Long and the Stonemasters, Lynn Hill went on a roadtrip. First to Arizona, then to Colorado and finally Red Rock, outside of Las Vegas. While on the road, she and Long established some of the most classic routes in the country. After a brief foray into Hollywood stunts, Lynn traveled to the Gunks to climb for a magazine article and photoshoot.
What happened next is history.
 
Join the Secret Stoners Club for FREE and get bonus episodes and giveaways!
Check out Climbing Free by Lynn Hill
Check out The Lifer by Russ Clune
Check out our website for related episodes, resources and more!
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Season Two is generously supported by Rab. 
This episode is supported by Tension Climbing. Use code WRITTEN15 at checkout.
Written in Stone is co-created with Power Company Climbing.

Niall Grimes on Moffatt, Revelations, and What Jerry Means to Climbing

Check out our new book, Written In Stone: The 1990s!
Many climbers put Jerry Moffatt’s book, Revelations, on the top of their list. This is in no small part due to the work of Niall Grimes, who co-wrote the Banff Mountain Book Festival Grand Prize Winner. Niall is an Irish climbing legend who lives in Sheffield, and the host of the hilarious, story filled Jam Crack Climbing Podcast. 
In this episode we discuss what Jerry Moffatt’s name meant in the early days, why Niall’s first meeting with Jerry resulted in Jerry naked and tied to a pipe, and the influence that Jerry has and continues to have over Sheffield climbing. 
 
Revelations by Jerry Moffatt and Niall Grimes
Jam Crack Climbing Podcast
Niall’s article My Map of the World
Niall’s article King of the Crag
Check out our website for related episodes, resources and more!
Join the Secret Stoners Club for FREE and get bonus episodes.
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Season Two is generously supported by Rab. 
This episode is supported by Tension Climbing. Use code WRITTEN15 at checkout.
This episode is supported by our research partner, NOLS: The National Outdoor Leadership School.
Written in Stone is co-created with Power Company Climbing.

Jerry Moffatt is the Best Climber in the World

Check out our new book, Written In Stone: The 1990s!
In 1983, one climber was more dominant than any other: Jerry Moffatt. Filled with confidence, he traveled the world not only to quickly repeat the hardest routes, but to put up his own routes - often the hardest in the country. A trip to the US let the world know that he had arrived, but it was a trip to Germany with one of the brightest German stars that really cemented his place as the best. And this wouldn't be the last we hear of Jerry Moffatt.
Check out Revelations by Jerry Moffatt and Niall Grimes
Check out our website for related episodes, resources and more!
Join the Secret Stoners Club for FREE and get bonus episodes.
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Season Two is generously supported by Rab. 
This episode is supported by Tension Climbing and The Tension Board 2. 
This episode is supported by our research partner, NOLS: The National Outdoor Leadership School.
Written in Stone is co-created with Power Company Climbing.

Bill Ramsey on Alan Watts and Climbing at Smith Rock in the '80s

Check out our new book, Written In Stone: The 1990s!
There’s nobody better than Bill Ramsey to discuss the impact that Alan Watts had on climbing. Not only is he a philosophy professor, but he was born in the same hospital as Alan, just a few hours later. Their fathers climbed together at Smith Rock, their mothers shared a recovery room, and together they found a love of climbing that helped bring Smith Rock into the future. 
We discuss:
Bill and Alan’s early climbing.
What contributed to changing ethics at Smith Rock. 
What Alan saw in Smith Rock that Bill didn’t. 
Alan’s forward thinking and selflessness. 
What Alan Watts means to climbing history.
Check out our website for related episodes, resources and more!
Join the Secret Stoners Club for FREE and get bonus episodes.
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Season Two is generously supported by Rab. 
This episode is supported by Tension Climbing. Use code WRITTEN15 at checkout.
This episode is supported by our research partner, NOLS: The National Outdoor Leadership School.
Written in Stone is co-created with Power Company Climbing.