The Ground Up Podcast

Vasya Vorotnikov is a seasoned veteran of the climbing world, with over 30 years of climbing experience and a deep background as a movement coach and route setter. Known for demolishing massive personal goals—like ticking off over ten 5.14s, over a hundred 5.13s, and 365 5.12s or harder in a single year—Vasya approaches climbing from a refreshing perspective: that technique, creative thinking, and mental capacity trump raw physical strength almost every time. In this episode, we talk about adapt

David Sharratt is one of the East Coast's great underground crushers. From bold headpoints at Moon Rocks, pushing the boundaries of free climbing at Looking Glass, to the legendary Good, Bad, and Ugly at Ghost Town, David has spent decades establishing and repeating some of North Carolina and the Southeast's hardest and most serious routes. In this episode, we talk about the aesthetic pull of lines that seem barely possible—routes with just enough holds, just enough gear, and just enough mystery

Fresh off the world premiere of Queen Swing , return guest Laura Pineau is back on the podcast—this time stepping away from the Yosemite speed climbing stories to dive deeper into the experiences and climbing that shaped her. We talk about Laura’s unconventional introduction to climbing through deep water soloing along the sea cliffs of southern France, how those early days falling into the Mediterranean built both her love for climbing and her tolerance for exposure, and the path that eventuall

We're switching things up a bit this week with our first ever listener questions driven episode! Instead of our usual format interviewing guests, it’s just us this time—riffing on climbing films, hot topics, and however many listener submitted questions we can get through. We start by getting into some recent films we’ve been watching (and working on), swap thoughts on storytelling in climbing media, and dive into a pretty deep debate on grading—what it means, where it falls short, and what a “p

Today’s guest is none other than mental‑training expert and longtime first‑ascensionist Arno Ilgner. While most climbers know Arno for The Rock Warrior’s Way —his influential book and program on focus, risk, and commitment—his 50‑year climbing career is just as compelling, and ultimately what led him into the world of mental training. In today's episode, we cover Arno's introduction to climbing in the in the limestone bluffs of Tennessee, climbing with a rack of pitons & hip belays. From there,

Wilson Cutbirth is an expedition climber at heart—driven by ground-up style, remote objectives, and first ascents on some of the wildest big walls out there. With a deep background in rigging and rope systems, his approach blends technical precision with a willingness to embrace uncertainty in truly committing terrain. In this episode, we trace Wilson’s unconventional path into climbing—from sharing a single pair of shoes with friends in rural Arizona to putting up bold first ascents on remote b