The Ground Up Podcast

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 ...

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—hi...

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 bl...

In this episode, we sit down with West Virginia climber and prolific developer Andrew Leich to trace a climbing journey shaped by obsession, grit, and an almost unthinkable comeback. From his early days at the New River Gorge...

For decades, Ghost Town stood as one of North Carolina’s most legendary—and inaccessible—cliffs. First climbed in the 1970s and closed for nearly 20 years, its towering crack systems and dramatic position above Hickory Nut Go...

In this episode, we sit down with Kathy Karlo to trace an unconventional climbing trajectory—one that started on ice in Ouray and the steep quartzite horizontals of the Gunks, but has led to a life filled with endless single-...