Michael Vaill and Tanner Wanish found the cheat code to adventure climbing – each other. Since they linked up on Mountain Project, it’s looked like they’ve been playing the climbing game on easy mode. We dive into one of the most incredible partnerships we’ve ever encountered.  Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube Thanks to our sponsors The North Face Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com  Kodiak Cakes Find Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com LMNT Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold. Lattice Try Lattice free for a month. Go to latticetraining.com/climbinggold to get started. AG1 Get a free AG1 Travel Case with 7 free AG1 Travel Packs in your Welcome Kit with your first AG1 subscription order, while supplies last, at DrinkAG1.com/climbinggold David Buy 4 cartons and get the 5th one for free at davidprotein.com/climbinggold   Want Climbing Gold ad free? Check out ⁠Unroped

Pete Whittaker may have captured climbing’s hearts through his and fellow Wide Boy Tom Randall’s quest to complete the hardest offwidth on the planet, but he’s also quietly become one of the best traditional climbers of his generation. After the offwidth roundtable, we knew we had more to talk about with Pete.  Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube Thanks to our sponsors The North Face Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com  Turtlebox Take your music anywhere turtleboxaudio.com Factor Eat smart at FactorMeals.com/ClimbingGold50OFF and use code CLIMBINGGOLD50OFF to get 50% off plus a free daily greens per box with new subscriptions LMNT Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold. Try the new Lemonade + Ice Tea flavor Kodiak Cakes Find Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com  Want Climbing Gold ad free? Check out ⁠Unroped

Offwidths – for most climbers they are a necessary evil, but for a fringe fraction, hard, often inverted offwidth climbing is the main attraction. We talk with offwidth climbers Sam MacIlwaine, associate editor for Climbing Magazine, and Pete Whittaker of Wide Boyz fame to discuss the dark art of fists stacks and wide ponies.  Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube Thanks to our sponsors The North Face Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com  Kodiak Cakes Find Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com Lattice Training Try Lattice free for 30 days. Get started at latticetraining.com/climbinggold  David Buy 4 cartons and get the 5th one for free at davidprotein.com/climbinggold AG1 Get an AG1 flavor sampler and a bottle of Vitamin D3 + K2 Free with your first AG1 subscription at DrinkAG1.com/climbinggold LMNT Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold. Try the new Lemonade + Ice Tea flavor Want Climbing Gold ad free? Check out ⁠Unroped

Last year, Will Moss became the first person to onsight El Cap in a day. It might not have happened though if the food and coconut water in his haul bag hadn’t gone bad, forcing him to make a game time decision to go for it. Will possesses a preternatural talent for the big stone and his tactical skills are catching up. Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube Thanks to our sponsors The North Face Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com  Beastmaker Use code GOLD to get 20% off your 1st order at beastmaker.co.uk Kodiak Cakes Find Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com LMNT Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold. Try the new LMNT Sparkling — a bold, 16-ounce can of sparkling electrolyte water. Factor Eat smart at FactorMeals.com/ClimbingGold50OFF and use code CLIMBINGGOLD50OFF to get 50% off plus a free daily greens per box with new subscriptions Want Climbing Gold ad free? Check out ⁠Unroped

Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air chronicled the 1996 Everest disaster and launched a generation of interest in climbing and the natural world, but for Jon the tragedy that unfolded around him left him struggling with PTSD and searching for peace. Now 30 years later, Jon reflects on his career, the expedition that changed his life and why writing has always been harder than climbing.    Read the 30th Anniversary edition of Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube Thanks to our sponsors The North Face Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com  Maui Nui Get exclusive access to the new spicy venison stick at mauinui.com/climbinggold  David Buy 4 cartons and get the 5th one for free at davidprotein.com/climbinggold Turtlebox Take your music anywhere turtleboxaudio.com LMNT Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold. Try the new LMNT Lemonade Ice Tea.  Kodiak Cakes Find Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com Want Climbing Gold ad free? Check out ⁠Unroped

Will Hollywood ever get climbing right? Or at least passable? When Academy Award winner Charlize Theron went to work making her latest film Apex, the crew brought in climbing legend Beth Rodden to make it feel realistic. Sometimes you don’t have to climb 5.12 to look like you climb 5.12. Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube Thanks to our sponsors The North Face Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com  Kodiak Cakes Find Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com Waking Up Try Waking Up for 30 days free by going to wakingup.com/honnold AG1 Go to DrinkAG1.com/climbinggold to get an AG1 Flavor Sampler and a bottle of Vitamin D3+K2 FREE in your Welcome Kit with your first AG1 subscription (a $72 value!) Beastmaker Use code GOLD to get 20% off your 1st order at beastmaker.co.uk LMNT Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold. Try the new LMNT Sparkling — a bold, 16-ounce can of sparkling electrolyte water. Want Climbing Gold ad free? Check out ⁠Unroped

Connor Herson couldn’t legally drive when he freed the Nose in 2018, competently navigating up his way up a route only Lynn Hill and Tommy Caldwell had freed. The climbing world wondered where this prodigy would take traditional climbing. In the years that followed, Connor was busy with regular teenage life – finishing up high school and heading for college. In 2025, the climbing world stopped wondering and watched as the 22-year-old put together the single greatest year of trad climbing. Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube Thanks to our sponsors The North Face Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com  Kodiak Cakes Find Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com Factor Eat smart at FactorMeals.com/ClimbingGold50OFF and use code CLIMBINGGOLD50OFF to get 50% off plus a free daily greens per box with new subscriptions David Buy 4 cartons and get the 5th one for free at davidprotein.com/climbinggold LMNT Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold. Try Pink Lemonade today.  Maui Nui Get a free pack of jerky sticks on your first order of $79 or more.  Want Climbing Gold ad free? Check out ⁠Unroped

The path to professionalism is murky at best. Even for established world-class athletes, it’s a struggle to make it work. Two friends chart very different paths in the hopes of getting paid to do what they love.  Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube Thanks to our sponsors The North Face Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com  Waking Up Try Waking Up for 30 days free by going to wakingup.com/honnold AG1 Go to DrinkAG1.com/climbinggold to get an AG1 Flavor Sampler and a bottle of Vitamin D3+K2 FREE in your Welcome Kit with your first AG1 subscription (a $72 value). LMNT Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold. Try the new LMNT Sparkling — a bold, 16-ounce can of sparkling electrolyte water. Turtlebox Take your music anywhere turtleboxaudio.com Kodiak Cakes Find Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com Want Climbing Gold ad free? Check out ⁠Unroped

Sean Bailey flies beneath the radar and he wants you to know he’s cool with that. Most of the time. After retiring from a decorated comp career, Sean has sent multiple v17 boulder problems and North America’s first 5.15d, but America’s best climber seems far more interested in the hunt for the next great climb than partaking in the social media hype machine.   Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube Thanks to our sponsors The North Face Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com  Maui Nui Get a free starter pack of jerky sticks with your first order.  Factor Eat smart at FactorMeals.com/ClimbingGold50OFF and use code CLIMBINGGOLD50OFF to get 50% off plus FREE breakfast for a year. Kodiak Cakes Find Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com David Buy 4 cartons and get the 5th one for free at davidprotein.com/climbinggold LMNT  Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold. Try the new LMNT Sparkling — a bold, 16-ounce can of sparkling electrolyte water. Want Climbing Gold ad free? Check out ⁠Unroped

When protests erupted in Iran in fall of 2022, human rights activist and professional climber Nasim Eshqi was climbing in France. As she watched the uprising back home unfold, Nasim knew that returning home at that moment would mean arrest and imprisonment at the hands of the government. She doubled down on her criticism of Iran’s repressive regime and used her climbing to bring the struggle to the international climbing community. The episode originally in November 2023 Watch Climbing Gold on YouTube Thanks to our sponsors The North Face Check out Summit Series at thenorthface.com  Waking Up Try Waking Up for 30 days free by going to wakingup.com/honnold AG1 Go to DrinkAG1.com/climbinggold to get an AG1 Flavor Sampler and a bottle of Vitamin D3+K2 FREE in your Welcome Kit with your first AG1 subscription ($72 value) Kodiak Cakes Find Kodiak products at your local grocery store, they're the ones with the bear on the box or learn more at Kodiakcakes.com LMNT  Get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase at www.drinklmnt.com/climbinggold. Try the new LMNT Sparkling — a bold, 16-ounce can of sparkling electrolyte water.