The RunOut Podcast

Tag: YOSAR

  • RunOut #143: PARC Act Passes, so What’s Next For Climbing in America?

    RunOut #143: PARC Act Passes, so What’s Next For Climbing in America?

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    The Protect America’s Rock Climbing Act was signed into law at the end of President Biden’s term. The PARC Act mandates that various government departments issue guideance recognizing rock climbing as a legitimate use of public lands, including the placement and maintenance of fixed anchors in Wilderness. This historic act was the result of a multi-year campaign spearheaded by the Access Fund. Our guests today are Access Fund executive director Heather Thorne and deputy director Erik Murdock. This interview was recorded on January 28th, before the news of DOGE’s cuts to many positions, including at our national parks. To check out the Access Fund’s position on the DOGE cuts, see the linked article in our Show Notes.

    But first, we tee up our conversation with the Access Fund by talking about this recent news, including the upside-down American flag that was hung from the top of El Capitan last week by Yosemite’s recently dismissed locksmith and others.

    Our final bit is from a climber at heart, Madi Rindge, aka, Madi Bisharat, my cousin and a brilliant musician whose music I’m honored and excited to share. Check out the show notes for links to her albums, including this song Alien, as well as a GoFundMe to support her father who lost his house in the Palisades fire this year.

    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

    Show Notes

    VICTORY! Congress Passes Protecting America’s Rock Climbing Act — Access Fund

    A New Era for Climbing: PARC Act’s Impact and the Path Forward — Access Fund

    Tell Lawmakers How Firing Public Lands Employees Impacts You — Access Fund

    Donate to the Access Fund

    How the Yosemite Climbing Community Is Reacting to DOGE Layoffs — Climbing.com

    Protesters Display Upside-Down American Flag at Yosemite — NYT

    Cat rescue

    Follow Madi Rindge on Instagram

    Listen to Running Out of Oxygen on Spotify

    Order Running out of Oxygen from Madi.

    GoFundMe for Charlie Bisharat’s home that was lost in the Palisades fire

  • 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.