Written in Stone: Climbing History
Written in Stone tells the (mostly) true stories of the most groundbreaking ascents in rock climbing history, one decade at a time. Hosted by Kris Hampton, you’ll hear the narrated, sound designed stories about what led to new levels in climbing, alternated with conversations with today’s top climbers about what inspired them about what went down way back then. Season Two is focused on the 1980’s. The birth of sport climbing as we know it, the struggles with changing rules and ethics, the women who paved the way for the superstars of the 90s and 00s. Patrick Edlinger, Jerry Moffatt, Wolfgang Gullich, Catherine Destivelle, Lynn Hill, and more. Like Todd Skinner always said, ”never let the truth get in the way of a good story.”
Listen on:
Episodes
Monday Nov 13, 2023
Monday Nov 13, 2023
Buster Martin burst onto the UK climbing scene as a 16-year-old by climbing Bat Route, a famous 14b at Malham. And even though he took a break from climbing, he didn’t fizzle out entirely like many prodigies tend to do. Instead, he came back with a vengeance by climbing BOTH Hubble and Action Directe, becoming only the 2nd person to clip chains on both of these test pieces.
Buster joins Kris to discuss Raven Tor and Hubble, trading texts with Ben while working both routes, the debates around Hubble, why history matters, and of course, what Ben Moon means to the British climbing scene.
Check out more info on our website.
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Thank you to our partner, Tension Climbing. Tension creates tools to help you elevate your climbing experience. Check out the goods here and use code STONE for 10% off anything but the full Tension Board set-ups, hardware, and gift cards. When you support Tension, you're supporting the team at Plug Tone creating this show.
Written in Stone is co-created with Power Company Climbing. Use code STONE for 20% off at checkout. Details at www.powercompanyclimbing.com/stone
Monday Nov 06, 2023
Monday Nov 06, 2023
It’s hard to argue that any climber from the 90’s had a bigger impact than Ben Moon, and he did it from the launch of the decade.
While he wasn’t looking for controversy, he also wasn’t afraid to make a statement. All punk rock and dreadlocks, he established the first two 14b’s in France, with names like missiles aimed directly at the French. He defied British ethics to move the sport forward into the next century. And yes, he even broke Wolfgang Gullich’s streak of firsts by establishing Hubble, the first 14c (maybe even 14d) in the world.
Learn more at our website.
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Thank you to our partner, Tension Climbing. Tension creates tools to help you elevate your climbing experience. Check out the goods here and use code STONE for 10% off anything but the full Tension Board set-ups, hardware, and gift cards. When you support Tension, you're supporting the team at Plug Tone creating this show.
Written in Stone is co-created with Power Company Climbing. Use code STONE for 20% off at checkout. Details at www.powercompanyclimbing.com/stone
Monday Oct 30, 2023
Monday Oct 30, 2023
If Lynn Hill kicked in the door at the start of the 90s, then Katie Brown ripped it from it’s hinges as the decade came to a close.
On April 11, 1999, Katie onsighted Omaha Beach in the Red River Gorge, becoming the first woman to onsight 13d. (The route was later upgraded to 14a after hold breakage).
But even before this feat, Lynn Hill called Katie the best sport climber in the history of the sport.
On this episode, Katie Brown joins Kris to discuss Lynn Hill's impact on her and the climbing community at large.
Katie shares her early memories of Lynn, what it was like climbing and learning from her, and how it all differs from their friendship as adults.
You can learn more at our website here!
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Thank you to our partner, Tension Climbing. Tension creates tools to help you elevate your climbing experience. Check out the goods here and use code STONE for 10% off anything but the full Tension Board set-ups, hardware, and gift cards. When you support Tension, you're supporting the team at Plug Tone creating this show.
Written in Stone is co-created with Power Company Climbing. Use code STONE at checkout for 20% off. Details at www.powercompanyclimbing.com/stone
Monday Oct 30, 2023
Monday Oct 30, 2023
If the 1990’s had a door, then Lynn Hill, one of the first American climbers to embrace the new European climbing ethics, definitely kicked it in.
At the start of the decade, no woman had climbed 5.14, and one particular French superstar had said that no woman WOULD EVER climb the grade.
And so Lynn, channeling the energy from the men who had always told her she couldn’t, rose up from an accident that nearly killed her to prove him wrong, and to change the course of women’s climbing forever.
Learn more at our website.
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Thank you to our partner, Tension Climbing. Tension creates tools to help you elevate your climbing experience. Check out the goods here and use code STONE for 10% off anything but the full Tension Board set-ups, hardware, and gift cards. When you support Tension, you're supporting the team at Plug Tone creating this show.
Written in Stone is co-created with Power Company Climbing. Use code STONE for 20% off at checkout. Details at www.powercompanyclimbing.com/stone
Friday Oct 06, 2023
Friday Oct 06, 2023
The French vs. the British. Ethics wars. The hardest moves ever done on rock. A ghost in the forest and women showing the boys how it should be done. Host Kris Hampton tells the stories of rock climbing's most important ascents and characters from a decade that would prove pivotal in the development of the sport: the 1990s.
The legends are all here. Moon, Hill, Skinner, Tribout, Nicole, Gullich and MORE!
Produced by Kris Hampton with help from Ryley Rush and Emily Holland for Plug Tone Audio.
www.plugtoneaudio.com