Episode #50- Chris Sharma

The Climbing Advocate

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 the gym with his new indoor climbing ventures. After nearly 30 years of climbing, Chris’s psych is as high as it’s ever been and his continued commitment to the climbing community is truly special. Sharma has lived and climbed in Spain for 15 years and had a great perspective to share on the differences between Spain and the US in terms of land management, climber presence, and overall advocacy. Sharma is particularly passionate about fixed anchor replacement—as a route developer himself, he’s dedicated to making sure no one gets hurt on one of his routes and to educating other climbers on best practices for developing new routes and updated fixed hardware on existing routes. Tune in to hear more from Chris as him and Peter celebrate 50 episodes of the Climbing Advocate Podcast! 5:10- Chris’ time in Boulder 12:07- Leaving a legacy 15:21- Influence of The Climb 20:05- Chris’ early days of climbing 26:23- Climbing ambassadorship 29:34- Noteables between the U.S. and Spain 41:08- Land management in Spain 51:22- Stewardship and access in Spain 55:20- What Chris is most passionate about 59:17- Other athletes in the advocacy realm 1:01:29- “...For the next generation”