The latest episode of the UIAA (International Union of Climbing and Mountaineering) podcast series Voices of the Mountain is now available. The podcast’s third season, launching in 2024, takes on a bold new format: intimate, in-depth interviews with some of the most compelling figures in climbing and mountaineering today.
Carlo North, Episode 15
Swiss mountaineer and IFMGA mountain guide Caro North has spent his life searching for the unknown. She started skiing at the age of two, rock climbing at the age of eleven, and went to Aconcagua at the age of sixteen. Although she turned back just 100 meters from the summit on her first major expedition, the experience ignited a passion that has taken her to the Himalayas, Alaska, Antarctica, Greenland, Iran and deep into Patagonia, where she established 55 extraordinary new routes in remote areas near Bariloche. Her episodes tell the story of a sailing expedition across the North Atlantic to reach an unclimbed target in Greenland, and more recently, the first all-female ascent of the South African route on Paine Central – a 13-day battle in harsh conditions. Carlo’s talk is a reminder of climbing at its best.
Laura Neumeier, Episode 14
Episode 14 introduces one of Europe’s most exciting climbing talents. German mountaineer Lara Neumeier grew up in the Allgäu Mountains wearing a harness before she could barely walk, and she hasn’t stopped since. In 2023, she made the first female ascents of two legendary El Capitan routes with Babsi Zangerl, free climbing 35 pitches in six days and, surprisingly, her first big wall on El Capitan. The following year she returned to free climbing El Niño and, closer to home, completed the first female repeat of the ferocious trad route Psychogramm with an 8b+. Now her goal is to complete the Beat Kammerlander trilogy of the hardest alpine routes – two already completed and one still to go. Laura’s episode was a masterclass in ambition, courage and the joy of pushing the envelope.
Tom Livingstone, Episode 13
Season three opens with a guest appearance from Sir Chris Bonington, once described as “one of the world’s finest climbers”. Tom Livingstone is a British mountaineer whose CV reads like a checklist from another dimension – traditional routes on the E9, Scottish winter routes on the IX,9 and alpine targets in the Grandes Jorasses and Karakoram. In this episode, Tom reflects on what attracted him to climbing, the lessons he learned from everywhere from the crags of Britain to remote Himalayan ridgelines, and what still drives him now in his 30s but still ambitious. If you’ve ever wondered how you can operate at the absolute cutting edge of mountaineering while remaining grounded, this conversation offers rare and honest insight.
Killian Jonette, Episode 12
Ahead of Season 3, Episode 12 of Mountain Voices offers one of the most compelling interviews of the entire series: an exclusive interview with Kilian Jornet. This is somewhat of a precursor to the new format introduced in Season 3. The Catalan legend needs no introduction – multiple world ski mountaineering champion, trail running and ultrarunning icon, and climber of all 82 UIAA 4,000m peaks in just 19 days. In this episode, Killian discusses the logistical and physical demands of this incredible challenge, his thoughts on the ethics of climbing, reflections on Everest, and his foundation’s work focusing on the environment, youth engagement, and inclusion.
Mountain Voices Season 3 is now available on Acast, Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Subscribe and join the conversation. New episodes are released monthly. More details here.