The RunOut Podcast

Tag: Fitzroy

  • RunOut #140: Chris Deuto Seeks More in the Mountains

    RunOut #140: Chris Deuto Seeks More in the Mountains

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    Though just 21, Chris Deuto has already amassed an impressive lifetime of climbing since first starting the sport at age 7. Having ticked 5.14c and V14 and done national-level competitions, Chris has shifted his focus to more alpine-centered climbs, from Aconcagua to Fitz Roy. Most recently, he made the first free rope-solo winter ascent of the Diamond face of Long’s Peak in his home state of Colorado. Chris has consciously brought his process-centered approach to the forefront of his climbing, seeking richer experiences rather than just focusing on grades.

    But first, your second favorite conspiracy-addled climbing podcasters discuss the curious appearance of “bolts” (big scare quotes) beneath a petroglyph in northeastern Utah. Where did these so-called “bolts” come from, and why, exactly, are climbers to blame? The mystery deepens…

    Last but never least, our final bit features the return of a Bend-based musical duo Billy and Box Kid, with their new track, Without the Frills.

    Show Notes

    Follow Chris Deuto

    Chris Deuto profile on Climbing.com

    Chris Deuto profile on the Daily Camera

    Petroglphy “churnalism” on CBS, KUTV, NYPost, Artnet, Gear Junkie.

    Wilderness Watch’s hostility toward the PARCA bill

    RunOut #101: Will Congress Let Climbers Bolt in Wilderness?

    Read: Breaking the Wilderness Bell Jar and There is Just Climbing on Evening Sends

    Billy and the Box Kid website

    Follow Billy and the Box Kid on Instagram

    Become a RunOut Rope Gun! Support our podcast and increase your RunOut runtime. Bonus episodes, AMA, and more will be available to our Rope Guns. Thank you for your support! http://patreon.com/runoutpodcast

    Contact us Send ideas, voicemail, feedback and more. andrew@runoutpodcast.com // chris@runoutpodcast.com

  • RunOut #57: Sean Villanueva O’Driscoll and the Story That Needs to be Told

    RunOut #57: Sean Villanueva O’Driscoll and the Story That Needs to be Told

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    What makes a climbing story interesting? What makes it worth telling? Where is this elusive thing called meaning found in the utter absurdity of risking it all for the adventure of a lifetime?

    Today we speak with Sean Villanueva O’Driscoll—part Belgian man, part feral mountaineer, part pied piper of climbing’s soul—about his recent solo of the entire Fitz Roy Range in Patagonia. Colin Haley called it “the most impressive solo ascent ever done in Patagonia,” which are classy words from Haley, who might otherwise hold that title himself. Sean’s adventure is easily one of the biggest climbing achievements of the year, yet his humble approach and world-class character that has driven a remarkable career of adventure and exploration is a testament to a lifestyle that seems to be rarer and rare these days.

    For our Final Bit, Kaya Lindsay, the ukulele-playing free spirit behind @onechicktravels, spreads some Good Love.

    Show Notes

    Colin Haley breaks the news of Sean’s solo on Instagram.

    Moonwalk Traverse “topo”

    Follow Kaya Lindsay and here’s another beautiful song from her.

  • RunOut #20: Jim Reynolds’ Free Solo on Fitzroy Changes Everything/Nothing

    RunOut #20: Jim Reynolds’ Free Solo on Fitzroy Changes Everything/Nothing

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    If I told you a climber from California had free soloed three major formations in Patagonia—not only free soloing up them, but also free soloing down them, without using a rope to rappel—you’d be forgiven for thinking that I was talking about Alex Honnold.

    In fact, that climber was Jim Reynolds, a guy I had never really heard too much about before now.

    He’s a 25-year-old climber hailing from Weaverville, California. He works on the Yosemite Search and Rescue (YOSAR) team in the summer, wears rectangular frameless glasses, plays renditions of Slayer on a mandolin, and considers mental training to be wielding a wooden samurai katana in the sun-dappled light of a ponderosa forest behind the YOSAR campsite.

    Last month Jim made a big statement in Patagonia. He free soled up, and down, Fitz Roy, St. Exupery, and Rafael-Juarez. He did so without any fanfare, Insta-spray, or Oscar trophy waiting for him back home.

    Pretty bad ass.

    I got to speak to Jim shortly after his groundbreaking ascents, and break this story with an article I wrote for National Geographic. In this episode, Chris and I go through some of the details of Jim’s incredible ascents, and naturally we got into a discussion about Free Solo, the now Oscar-winning documentary film.

    But it is interesting to consider if the prominence of the film might influence our sport. Will the film be that extra jolt of motivation that pushes young, impressionable minds to go through with their crazy ideas?

    Or are these artists of the mountains the free-thinking spirits they make themselves out to be, and are we the ones whose weak minds are sentencing us to lives of mediocrity and sin?


    This is Andrew Bisharat, and you’re listening to The RunOut.