Episode #60 - Access Fund Executive Director Heather Thorne
Heather joins Access Fund with nearly 30 years of climbing experience and almost 15 years after she began climbing, advocacy helped save one of her favorite crags.
The podcast is a resource for climbing advocates across the country to learn more about the trials and success stories that climbers have faced in fighting for conservation and access.
Recent Posts
Episode #59 - Loryn Posladek & Kyle Leihsing
Access Fund’s Conservation Team, the “Stewardship Gap,” and creating adaptive access in Colorado.
Episode #58- Daniel Dunn and Meagan Evans
This month’s episode features two rockstars out of the Southeast: Meagan Evans, Executive Director of the Southeast Climbers Coalition and Daniel Dunn, Access Fund’s Southeast Regional Manager.
Episode #57- Dave Thompson, Crystal Hudelson, and Keith Murakata
In this episode, we chat with Dave Thompson, president of the Arkansas Climbers Coalition, and then with Crystal Hudelson and Keith Murakata with Climbers of Color.
Episode #56: Erik Murdock Talks Fixed Anchors
On today’s episode, Erik Murdock returns to take a deep dive into an issue that Access Fund and the climbing community have worked on for decades: how fixed anchors are managed in Wilderness areas.
Episode #55: Andrew Staff
On this month’s episode, we chat with Andrew Staff, president of the Illinois Climbers Association. Andrew’s Illinois climbing experience spans over two decades, so it’s safe to say that he has intimate knowledge of the local climbing and a strong connection with the local community.
Episode #54: Rob Schorr
In this episode, we are joined by zoologist and founder of Climbers for Bat Conservation, Rob Schorr. Rob has a particular passion for bats, which can be somewhat elusive and challenging to study given where they often roost. That’s where climbers come in.
Episode #53: Stephanie Giguere
Our guest for this episode is Western Massachusetts Climbers Coalition (WMCC) operating director Stephanie Giguere. Stephanie recently took on this leadership role after spending multiple years as a volunteer with the organization.
Episode #52: Quinn Brett & Sam Sala
On this month’s episode, we are joined by Quinn Brett and Sam Sala. Quinn is an adaptive athlete and prominent voice in the adaptive space. As an avid recreationist, she provides her view on how outdoor accessibility can be improved in our national parks and other outdoor spaces. Sam is an ...
Episode #51: Molly Kawahata
Our guest for April’s episode is alpinist and climate activist Molly Kawahata. You may recognize her name from The Scale of Hope, a Patagonia-sponsored film that came out last November. Leading up to the release of that film, Molly was becoming a household name in the climate movement. Pulling on ...
Episode #50: Chris Sharma
This month marks the 50th episode of the Climbing Advocate podcast! Chris Sharma, our guest for this special episode, needs little introduction as one of the most prolific and influential climbers of our time. His contribution to the climbing community extends from the crag to the boulder field to ...
Episode #49: Elaine Elliot
On today’s episode we head south with Elaine Elliott. Elaine is one of the founders and writers of Steep South, a climbing media company. Elaine aspired to find a way to share the rock climbing treasures of the Southeast while also blending in themes of conservation and advocacy.
Episode #48: Iowa Climbers Coalition
This month we head to the Midwest to hear from Raud Kashef and Adam Brummett of the Iowa Climbers Coalition. You read that right, Iowa. No time was wasted as Peter, Raud, and Adam dove right into what makes them so passionate about climbing in a state that many might write off as not having any ...
Episode #47: Access Fund Climbing Advocacy Conference
Each year, Access Fund rallies dozens of exceptional climbing advocates from across the country and this year was no exception. Peter had the chance to catch up with two prominent advocates based in the southeast and discuss some of the things happening in their respective areas.
Episode #46: James Maples
Though James Maples, who holds a doctorate in sociology, isn’t a climber himself, he’s still an integral member of the climbing community. As an associate professor at Eastern Kentucky University and director of the EKU Division for Regional Economic Assessment and Modeling, Maples focuses on ...
Episode #45: Kyra Condie
We’re not really sure how much free time training for the Olympics leaves you, but we’re pretty sure it’s not a whole lot. Which makes it all the more impressive that Kyra Condie’s resume boasts a number of climbing advocacy and inclusive access accomplishments, most notably as a member of the USA ...
Episode #44: Kris Hampton & Josie McKee
Meet Kris Hampton of Power Company Climbing and Josie McKee of the Central Wyoming Climbers Alliance. Together with these Lander locals, we discuss what it means to be a better climber. Being a better climber goes beyond improving at climbing and includes our social and environmental impacts. Kris ...
Episode #43: Daniel Dunn
This month, we're joined by Access Fund Southeast Regional Manager Daniel Dunn. Daniel has a unique perspective to share, thanks to his work with the Boulder Climbing Community and Front Range Climbing Stewards. We discuss his new role with Access Fund and his dedication to stewardship.
Episode #42: Indigenous Field Guide
In this episode, we learn from Briana Mazzolini-Blanchard and Skye Kolealani, creators of the new Indigenous Field Guide. Over the course of 2021, Briana and Skye created an exceptional resource. The guide provides high-level guidance for preventing damage of cultural resources and tips for how to ...
Episode #41: Pennsylvania Local Climbing Organizations
We’re heading east on this month’s episode to interview three advocates, each representing a local climbing organization in Pennsylvania: Kate Fetterolf with Eastern Pennsylvania Alliance of Climbers, Ryan Shipp with South Central Pennsylvania Climbers, and Joel Brady with Southwestern Pennsylvania ...
About Our Host
A couple years into climbing, Peter discovered Access Fund and couldn’t believe there was an organization that was focused on education, policy, and advocacy with climbing sitting at the center of it. Since then, he co-founded the local climbing organization in the Gunnison Valley of southwest Colorado and pursued a Master’s Degree in Environmental Management to further his knowledge in conservation and advocacy. Eventually, he took notice that there were a lot of climbing podcasts out there but nothing that focused solely on advocacy. That’s when he decided to propose the idea of hosting a podcast with the goal of connecting more climbers to the advocacy work that is being done beyond the crag.
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