The Climbing Majority
The Climbing Majority
Kyle Broxterman
113 | David Baltz: 50 Years Of Climbing: Old School Ethics & Timeless Stories
1 hour 46 minutes Posted Feb 9, 2026 at 9:00 am.
Started Climbing in 1974
Partners Through the Decades
The Meaning Of Stories
Clean Climbing & Technological Advancement
The Commercialization of Free Soloing
Climbing at 69 & Longevity
Near-Death Experience Discussion
Final Reflections
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David Baltz started climbing in 1974 when there were only eight climbers in all of Albuquerque. Over five decades, he's witnessed climbing's transformation from a fringe pursuit requiring pitons and commitment...to a commercialized sport with grid-bolted crags and documentaries glorifying free soloing. This episode explores the clean climbing revolution that defined David's early years, the bolting controversies that followed sport climbing's arrival in New Mexico, and what gets lost when saf...