There have been technical teachings, and also lessons about belief in Self and capability, and investing in both. If you truly believe in your project use your own money to make it. Of course, this is a greater risk but the outcome may also be greater; if you use someone else’s money you will never own, and never control what you make. Believe in your own value because investors will only do so for a percentage of the take.

marktwight.com/speaker

Steve is a dear friend and climbing partner with whom I have shared — together and separately — some of my life’s greatest moments. We start this conversation by admitting that we had recorded a four hour-long discussion the day prior, which was broadcast on Steve’s Uphill Athlete platfo…

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The whole conversation will be released soon.

I will release a couple of more clips before launching the entire conversation, which will be available to paid subscribers only until later in the year. Please consider becoming a paid subscribed to support this project.

Adrien Costa first experienced transcendence through exertion at a very young age. Riding around on his bike as a child turned into racing around on his bike as a junior. At 17 he won the USA junior national time trial championship, and placed second in the junior world championships shortly thereafter. He won the Tour de Bretagne in 2016 and placed second at the Tour of Utah, winning the Mountains (best climber) and Youth (best young rider) jerseys along the way.

Axel Merckx, Olympic bronze medalist, Belgian national road race champion, and son of five-time Tour de France champion Eddy Merckx, said Costa was, "the most talented cyclist he ever worked with" at his UCI Continental team, Axeon Hagens Berman (now Hagens Berman Jayco).

In an interview with VeloNews one of Adrien’s statements stood out for me, "When you’re young, you have to expose yourself to as many situations as you can and learn as much as you can from everyone around you."

His attitude about riding as art, and the racer an artist set him apart from other young riders. When speaking of his coach in 2014 interview with PEZ cycling he said, he "really understands the importance of not only riding with your head, but with your heart, and stresses that cycling really is an art form, in which the artist is ultimately the one who makes the infinite, daily executive decisions and learns from his finely tuned perception of what he feels when working."

His spirit, and extreme physical ability offered him much opportunity but the pressure of those opportunities — living and racing in Europe, sought after by some of the greatest teams in pro cycling — pushed him to an edge where he felt the choice was either blow up and burn out or to take a break from the bike.

During his hiatus from road racing he discovered climbing, which produced such powerful emotions and a sensation of freedom that it's all he wanted to do. Sometimes, when a partner wasn't available, he climbed alone. In July 2018, by himself in the Sierra, he suffered a life-altering accident, which I won't detail here because his own description during the podcast is harrowing and my words would not do it justice.

The accident utterly reshaped his future but didn't dampen his desire to keep climbing. It did however instill a philosophical outlook on life, and his general positivity showed through clearly at one point during our conversation when he spoke of, "an attitude of possibility instead of focusing on what's been lost ..." He has climbed all over the west, to include a new, grade V route on Eldorado Peak in the Cascades, "Oro de Tontos" (Fool’s Gold), soloed Mescalito (5.9+, A3) and Shortest Straw (A4) on El Cap in Yosemite, and recently returned from a visit to the Kichatna Spires in Alaska. Closer to home he has made first ascents of hard ice and mixed routes in Montana. Climbing teaches things that cycling only hinted at. After soloing the Tangerine Trip on El Cap (the easiest El Cap route he has done) he wrote, "every minute action, every decision you make has consequences that are felt, and must be dealt with, without delay. And these consequences range from a minor inconvenience, and time wasted, to time not really existing anymore for you. The constant low grade stress for days on end was exhausting, and yet there was no room for fear, nor any time to sit back. Only action could push my ropes further up the wall. Perhaps this is indeed an apt metaphor for life."

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This is a different relationship to climbing than what we are commonly exposed to via social media. He believes the climbing is only valuable insofar as what it teaches — about individual character, human dynamics, self-imposed limitation and the effect of audience on ambition — and whether or not you can bring those lessons back with you and share them.

These days Adrien lives a life of contemplation, meditation, and action. He writes on topics of climbing, climbing history, personal growth, and conservation, and does whatever job allows him the most freedom to adventure while still covering the bills. Seeking a life of equilibrium, balance between the action and the quiet, has delivered the lesson that self-worth is separate from his achievement.

He is one of the most inspiring young men I have ever met.

The video is in French but you can translate the captions using the Settings button Adrien Costa : la fureur de vivre

It’s a Zwift promotion and also a good interview with Adrien a year after the accident Ride With Reason — Climb For Costa

To hear the full episode become a paying subscriber. Greg’s insight and wisdom is valuable across a variety of disciplines and topics, not simply the one we discuss here.

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I heard Greg Hamilton’s name for years circulating in the shooting world, knew we had mutual friends, and figured that one day our paths would cross. When Chas Fisher, who appeared on the first episode of this podcast, mentioned that Greg was the best teacher he had ever worked with (regardless of the discipline) I knew it was time to meet. Chas arranged and hosted that visit at his place, a nine-hour drive for Greg, and three hours for me. It was immediately apparent that we would have a long conversation, easily switching topics along the way but mostly centered on teaching, critical thinking, digitally-guided learning, self-defense, shooting, the Second Amendment, and of course, dogs.

The impetus for our conversation was A) closing a circle, and B) that Greg recently put together a digitally delivered course for his General Defensive Handgun material. I am wary of all remote instruction but also more open to the concept than ever. I believe it’s a two-edged sword; some things are best transmitted in person, but a lot of detail and depth gets cut from in-person classes due to time constraints, which doesn’t happen in the digital world. When he and I talked about it I could see the value, especially at a fundamental level, and his grasp of the virtual/physical crossover is pretty fascinating.

Based on our talk, and my experience with his digital program, I realize my initial (skeptical) perception that students would not commit to a digital course to the same degree they will when surrounded by peers in the real world, was hasty. It feels like a 50-50 proposition now, especially because people are attuned to remote teaching and coaching, and the delivery mechanisms are superior to what was available a mere 3-5 years ago. And Greg, who has been teaching for over two decades, recognizes the potential pitfalls of digital delivery and has preempted them with this course.

Our conversation lasted many, many hours, four of which were recorded, and I edited those down to 3hrs 40min. It’s a deep dive into shooting, teaching, mindset, human nature, confrontation, submission, competition, practical application, the origin of the Weaver Stance, isometric tension, selection bias, Verbal Judo, using historical data to develop decision matrices, and seat belts.

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Greg Hamilton is the Founder and Chief Instructor for InSights. He is internationally recognized as one of the best firearms and tactics instructors in the world. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army Rangers and Special Forces, and is certified by the Army as a Close Quarters Combat Instructor and Anti-Terrorism Instructor. He is certified by the National Law Enforcement Training Center as a Handgun Retention Instructor, and by the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission (WSCJTC) as a Firearms Instructor.

Greg has been named a “Master Instructor” and “Master Tactician” by the American Tactical Shooters Association. He has attended and/or been an instructor at Gunsite Training Center, Mid-South Institute of Self-Defense Shooting, Defense Training International, American Pistol Institute, Lethal Force Institute, Chapman Academy, National Law Enforcement Training Center, H&K’s International Training Division, ITC/Thunder Ranch, and Yavapai Firearms Academy.

Greg is a two-time National Champion and has placed in the top five at the National Tactical Invitational six years in a row. More importantly, he has trained more than half a dozen people to accomplish similar results. Greg has made InSights courses nationally known for their incredible attention to detail and for the level of performance of their graduating students.

Insights General Defensive Handgun Course

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I heard Greg Hamilton’s name for years circulating in the shooting world, knew we had mutual friends, and figured that one day our paths would cross. When Chas Fisher, who appeared on the first episode of this podcast, mentioned that Greg was the best teacher he had ever worked with (regardless of the discipline) I knew it was time to meet. Chas arranged and hosted that visit at his place, a nine-hour drive for Greg, and three hours for me. It was immediately apparent that we would have a long conversation, easily switching topics along the way but mostly centered on teaching, critical thinking, digitally-guided learning, self-defense, shooting, the Second Amendment, and of course, dogs.

I will post a few short clips to whet the appetite before launching the entire 3.5 hour-long episode later this week or next. Many of Greg’s insights are universal and transcend the stated topic.

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Special Note: because I want to help promote Billy’s book, and because this is Blair’s first appearance on the new podcast, I’ve posted this episode in front of the paywall, for all to see and share. To listen on Apple or Spotify hit the link in the sidebar to surf directly to those platforms or click “Play” above to hear it on Substack.

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Billy Webster had spent many days running along the Potomac River on his own or alongside President Bill Clinton and was very familiar with the air traffic patterns approaching Reagan International. During his cab ride into Washington DC on the morning of September 11th, 2001 he noticed a commercial aircraft flying outside of the typical flight pattern and recognized that something was amiss. Before he had time to resolve the incongruity the plane banked hard and disappeared behind the Pentagon, replaced by an explosion and fireball, and a shocking loss of life. Being an eyewitness to this profound historical moment marked him indelibly.

Billy has spent his career as a businessman, civic leader, outdoorsman and athlete. He served in the White House during the Clinton administration as Assistant to the President and Director of Scheduling and Advance. He also worked as Chief of Staff to the U.S. Secretary of Education and assisted with the transition from the Clinton to the Bush administration.

After graduating from college Billy took a month-long course from the National Outdoor Leadership School in the Wind River Range of Wyoming, home to many of the highest peaks in the state. This experience led to a lifelong relationship with the mountains, and endurance sport in general. He has completed over 120 marathons or ultra-marathons all around the world, competed in the Olympic marathon trials, did his one and only 100 mile race in 2014, and ran across the Grand Canyon in 2020. His marathon PR is 2:27:25 (official; 2:25:23 watch) done at the 1981 Boston Marathon, and from 1978 to 2017 he ran 109,975 miles. On the quieter side of the outdoors Billy is an avid fly fisherman, hiker, and cyclist.

As authors often do, Billy braided many of his life experiences into the story told in, “Rockets’ Red Glare: A Sage Mendiluze Novel,” published by Blackstone Publishing in 2025. The tale evolves in several National Forests and National Parks, which he has spent most of his life exploring, before transitioning to a blistering climax in Washington DC. It is a fine story, grounded by a sense of place, populated with memorable characters, and supported by well-researched technical and logistical details.

When the blurbs for your novel come from folks like C.J. Box, George Stephanopoulos, Erskine Bowles, and United States Secret Service special agent, Bob McDonough, you have lived a wonderfully rich life, and your words have struck a rare chord.

@sagemseries on IG

@billywebsteriv on Substack

But the more I looked through the magazine the more I appreciated the producers’ DIY ethic, which is and always has been important to me, and my mind opened a bit. Then Bernie reminded me that the Merriam-Webster dictionary notes that the term, “comes from the Latin word for ‘lover’ (amator), and also describes an amateur as, “one who performs something for love rather than for money.” And that pretty well describes the majority of my life so I told him I was game.

The publishers describe their project thus: Amateurs is a symptom of time spent outdoors. Usually presenting as a magazine

One of the magazine’s dealers declares it, “an independent publication that celebrates process over perfection,” which, “offers an intimate look at emerging creatives, unconventional thinkers, and those exploring their craft outside traditional systems.” It’s a raw publication. It isn’t slick or over-produced, and its imperfections are — quite literally — intentional.

So I wrote a piece and Blair shot the photographs for it. As the team was doing layout they asked for some images from the Old Days so readers might understand who the author is, and something of his story. We held a launch party for this, the third issue of the magazine, at Beringia House in Bozeman and simultaneously celebrated the release of the first issue of my own Équipe Solitaire zine. We ate and drank, talked and connected, and I read a piece from each publication.

This is titled “Born Into Motion” written for Amateurs Mag.

You can buy a copy here

Or from one of several stockists around the world

It is also available at Beringia House, where you will also find a line of pretty damned cool and thoughtfully designed outdoor and mountain clothing.

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"Ryan Holm is a climber, hunter, family man, marketing genie, and a very thoughtful, kind man. After 13 years steering the marketing department at Mystery Ranch, he is now the Director of Marketing for Leica Sport Optics — but our conversation was not about work. Ryan describes himself as someone "who can learn, unlearn, and relearn," and that is pretty much what this podcast is about.”

Fourteen years ago, Ryan had his first episode of atrial fibrillation (AFib), an irregular and often very rapid heart rhythm, which can lead to blood clots in the heart and increase the risk of stroke and heart failure—in his instance, he was lower on the spectrum for anything serious. Generally, when one's heart goes into AFib, doctors will put it back in proper rhythm using chemical or electrical stimuli.

You can read about a variety of causes here: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/atrial-fibrillation/causes. Some of these are the opposite of what one might imagine, like "participating in endurance sports or physically working hard." Emotional stress and panic disorders can also contribute, though the condition may also develop for no apparent reasons.

In Ryan's case, “pill in the pocket” chemical solutions were suggested, and he continued forward headfirst to figure out the root cause of this issue. His positive experience with neurofeedback as a means to fix anxiety and enhance performance made him wonder if he could use it to "apply my addictive behavior to something good for me." This led to meditation and breathwork, through which he was able to control and relieve the intensity of the atrial fibrillation episodes.

During a sleep study, Ryan was diagnosed with sleep apnea. Once again, after testing the standard medical intervention—a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine—he chose a different path. Using mouth tape to enforce nasal breathing cured his sleep apnea, and consistent practice eventually allowed him to benefit from the technique, a simplified solution that achieved the same result as the original prescription.

Ryan simultaneously researched nutrition, having grown up without thinking much about it and living his entire life on a low-fat diet with low nutritional value. Sport Climbing had led him to experiment with nutrition to manage output and recovery, but his early investigations taught him that the 'system,' in practice and even language, is set up around losing weight, not performance or overall health and wellbeing. Once again, he took a different path, settling on fat adaptation, intermittent fasting, cyclical ketosis, and the nutritional value of the organ meats (or supplements) he harvested while hunting.

Through this process, he understood that his fitness model was broken. He was too focused on climbing, where all training emphasized increasing his ability to pull. Eventually, he realized that he was a human being first and should probably explore fitness in a way that supports a wholistic experience instead of supporting/reinforcing identity-based behavior because climbing is not unique (although many climbers treat it as such).

In an interesting (obvious after-the-fact) twist, all of the changes and interventions Ryan undertook to improve the health and function of his heart resulted in improved physical and mental ability in the context of climbing. Reducing his overall anxiety led to a sense of calm that allowed him to breathe in the moment, experience the bow hunt, or recall techniques for positional rifle shooting in the backcountry.

The nonstandard practices Ryan used to manage the conditions that could trigger an episode of atrial fibrillation increased his quality of life and allowed him to wait until a more reliable and more permanent intervention called Pulsed Field Ablation was discovered, developed, and approved. We recorded this conversation four weeks after he had this procedure, which will eliminate many of the restrictions that the unresolved condition had placed on his life and lifestyle. After fourteen years of limitations and boundaries, Ryan's map has suddenly become a whole lot bigger—not easier, but with a sense of rebuilding that’ll take time during the healing process, mentally and physically.

Some links mentioned in this episode:

@ryan_holm

Leica Sport Optics

Mtn Tough

Heart and Soil

Viome

Pulsed Field Ablation

Adrien Costa first experienced transcendence through exertion at a very young age. Riding around on his bike as a child turned into racing around on his bike as a junior. At 17 he won the USA junior national time trial championship, and placed second in the junior world championships shortly thereafter. He won the Tour de Bretagne in 2016 and placed sec…

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Tyler Farrar raced road bikes for twenty years, thirteen as a professional during which time he won stages in all three Grand Tours (Giro d'Italia, Tour de France, Vuelta a España). He was a sprinter and specialist in the Classics, the biggest one day races, which take place in northern Europe in the spring and favor a rider who is tough, races well in the cold and wet, on narrow, steep, and sometimes cobbled roads.

He grew up close to the mountains, in central Washington state where he was introduced to climbing. His father's work as a doctor took him overseas, sometimes to the Himalaya. It is no coincidence that Tyler turned four in Namche Bazaar, Nepal.

At age 12 Tyler mentioned an interest in bike racing so his dad suggested that Brian Harder, a Physician Assistant who worked with him, show him a thing or two. Brian, who was racing at the time, and also climbing, took Tyler under his wing, taught and trained him, and drove him to his first race. He was Tyler's coach until he got involved with USA Cycling and began working with the Edward Borysewicz. As racing successes accumulated he turned Pro in 2003, racing a hybrid program on the road and on the track, where he tried to make the 2004 US Olympic team in the Individual Pursuit and the Madison. When Tyler won stages at Tour de l'Avenir in 2004 and 2005 the French teams noticed him and he signed with Cofidis for 2006-07. We talk about this period when he lived in the south of France, the culture shock and language issues, some resistance to his presence within the team, and what he describes as, "living life on hard mode".

During this part of the conversation I learned that he papered the apartment walls with pages from Alpinist magazine and read and re-read "Kiss or Kill" to keep his head straight. After a difficult season his wife arrived and they relocated to Ghent in Belgium where he remained for the duration of his career. It was a better fit for him than France, the local riders are hard, they embrace the suffering, and he developed rapidly under the mentorship of Classics specialist Nick Nuyens. Farrar was known as a sprinter and jokes that he was, 'fortunate' to race for most of his career against the world's best sprinter, Mark Cavendish (who later became a teammate and friend at Dimension Data).

When we spoke about training he described an average of 1400 hours a year on the bike, a dedicated gym/strength training program for another 200 hours per year, and a lot of hours nordic skiing in the off-season. Our talk turned to risk tolerance in both cycling and climbing, and how, when it goes away the results also do or can, and one must evolve, which he did, shifting away from contesting sprints to a road captain role, and eventual retirement in 2017.

Such great change can trigger a crisis of identity but Tyler handled it well, joining the fire service relatively quickly after retiring. This career has its own unique responsibilities, placing great (and satisfying) demands on the fire and rescue specialists who work for something higher than self. The 48-hour weekly shift allows a good amount of free time to spend with family, to home-school his son, hunt, and also to go climbing which he has taken to with great commitment and intensity. On his first trip to climb in Bolivia, he discovered that high altitude was 'easy' for him, that he acclimatized quickly, which opens up a lot of terrain and compresses the standard timelines most climbers must adhere to. We close out the conversation on the topic of climbing, his visit to the frozen waterfall paradise of Hyalite Canyon, and what the future may hold for him as a husband, father, and climber.

This conversation was facilitated by our mutual friend Brian Harder, who introduced us. Tyler and I knew of each other but had never met until about an hour before we began recording so this conversation is the start of a friendship that I believe will strengthen over the coming years. I am looking forward to more conversation, and perhaps a shared adventure.

Thank you for subscribing and tuning in.

The cycling photos below are courtesy of Jered Gruber.

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We recorded this podcast in September 2024 before I launched the Substack page. Scott is my dearest friend. Some of our experiences appear in “Extreme Alpinism” as well as “Kiss or Kill”, I probably told some of our stories during my visit with Chris, host of the Enormocast, and on the Made For Missions podcast with Matthias but sadly, the first two conversations Scott and I recorded together disappeared when we shut down the NonProphet podcast.

Scott gets right to the point, "What you wanted to accomplish in life in those days seems gravely different than what you want to accomplish in life today ... which I love. And, and Équipe Solitaire gets to both places."

I met Scott in 1985, the night Jonny Blitz fractured his elbow on a wood stove, slam-dancing at the going-away party thrown for my second trip to Chamonix. Scott and Steve Mascioli had just flown back from Alaska where they had retreated from very high on Mount Hunter after all of the stove fuel leaked from its bottle, soaking their sleeping bags. He and I didn't actually talk until '89. He came to France with Michael Gilbert who reinforced his own legend by dryly asking my wife how she could “deal with me doing what I do.” She gave him a blank stare.

When Scott and I climbed a new route on Mount Hunter five years later I finally understood the sacredness of the partnership, the power which can come from it. We shared a psychic connection on “Deprivation” that I only experienced on one other route, also with Scott.

Two decades later, I hadn't swung an ice tool for ten years but I wanted to. More importantly, I wanted to see the smile on Blair's face when she was climbing ice — she loves it so much. So I asked Scott to be our rope gun in Cody, where he and Brian Hall would be climbing since COVID closed the border, keeping the big Canadian waterfall routes safe from the pillaging Yanks. We all met there, in Wyoming, in the South Fork where Scott and I had shared some great days in the past, and climbed "High on Boulder" together. I got to see Blair's smile and loved her even more.

Later she made some cards, printed on heavy stock, with good texture, images from Cody, of Scott and I coming together again in that space, and movement, climbing ice, holding ropes, protecting each other ... well, him protecting me, allowing me to try, to risk, to love out loud ... and holding Blair simply because I asked him to and said it was important, that she is important. Scott trusted me, and we trusted him — of course — and the world allowed us to share something he and I never imagined would happen again. I loved tying the knot in that rope. That was good. I feel great love, respect, for him, for us, for all we have shared, then, now, and in whatever each of our futures hold.

Sometimes, when my own words fail, when I can't accurately describe our relationship I resort to lyrics from a song by Mark Burgess' post-Chameleons project, Invincible:

"In the end, you're only great as you truly are inside

Yeah, in the end

You're only as great as the partner by your side ..."

This was true for Scott and I as we discovered and helped each other define ourselves. He was there, pushing, pulling, seeing me, accepting me, and what we shared and did — ideas became word became action — changed me, made me, allowed me to be where I am today. Yes, he and I did those things but we also kept each other alive, and sensitized ourselves so we could be here now, surviving ... when others didn't make it this far. And while we might not share the rope again, we will have everything else, held between us, with us, in arms that were strong, that become less so, that hold on still.

The conversation ranges from the old to the new and current, from youthful vigor to measured application of strength, and endurance, to recovery from injury, surgery, to shifting objectives and activities to match our maturing abilities. It's good and deep, and I already look forward to the next one.

A couple of quotes from the convo:

"Everyone needs someone to look up to, a bit, and I'm glad we served that purpose for each other."

"After the Ramp Route on Mount Kitchener in 1980, I didn't say, I'm never doing this again, I said, this is what I'm doing for the rest of my life."

This could have been the thumbnail for the podcast (as discussed during it) but the pic of Scott retreating from the Grands Charmoz is stronger. @easton_skye

Michael Kennedy shot this image of Scott and I after we had been on the move for 39 hours. Michael, Greg, JoJo and Ken recovered our skis from below the North Buttress of Mount Hunter and brought them to us below the West Ridge, along with hot tea (probably Emperor’s Choice with a lot of honey as that seemed to be Michael’s favorite at the time). It was glorious — we didn’t have to posthole back to base camp.

Scott and I in Cody, 2020, after having climbed together for the first time in … a lot of years, captured by the eyes and heart of Blair Speed.

Retreating from the West Face of the Grands Charmoz, October 1993. After the storm cleared we went back and made the first ascent of “Birthright”. Shot with a Nikon FM2, 24mm f2.8 lens, Ilford HP5, processed and printed in the darkroom at the public library in Chamonix.

Blair and Scott in Cody, December 2020

September 2024