The American Climbing Project

In this episode, we welcome you to the only game show where America's most privileged people can speculate on what America's most marginalized people need! Listen in as our contestants debate how to get more Black people to climb, what role climbing gyms play in social issues, and what climbing gyms can actually do to address racism.

What is climbing culture, really? For this episode, we sit down with Kris Hampton to dissect what climbing media says about what climbing culture values, who it chooses to uplift (or not uplift), and whether walls really are meant for climbing.

For the second part of this series, we sit down with four Black climbers to discuss their experiences in the climbing community, how isolation affects them, and what they think it'll take to make climbing more accessible.

Many know about Bear Grylls's popular survivalist show “Man vs. Wild,” but not as many know about Bear's Black brother—Gold Grylls—and his respective show, “Black Man vs. Wild.” Tune in as Gold Grylls deliberately ‘strands' himself in homogenous, whitewashed locales and manages to get through the day without losing his shit—all to provide practical advice for Black people who may find themselves in similar situations unexpectedly.

On this Halloween special, we present three terrifying tales that are sure to make you shake in your harness. Listen with the lights off, if you dare.

Why were no Black people freeing El Cap in the '60s? Well, they were still thinking about a different kind of freedom. We sit down with James Mower to discuss how racism isn't just a burning cross, and how systemic racism has affected climbing's development in America.

Have you ever heard someone say "sports don't discriminate"? What about "anyone can just go climbing"? In this episode, we attempt to find out how easy it truly is to get into the sport of rock climbing. We chat with Mike Manuel and the climbing community at large to discuss access, wealth disparity, and whether our sport truly is 'the great equalizer.'

On June 2, 2020, #BlackoutTuesday began in protest of the numerous police killings of unarmed Black people, and what resulted was one of the most pervasive forms of social media advocacy...but did it actually further the cause for Black lives? We sit down with Dom Davis and the climbing community at large to discuss performative allyship—its efficacy, purpose, and whether authenticity matters in the fight for progress.

If you're new to the podcast, give this episode a listen to get more details on how this podcast works! If you're not new, give it another listen to get your daily dosage of dopeness!