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December 22, 2022 79 mins

Episode 2, Part 2 delivers a deep dive into the state of American and European climbing before the war, as well as how the rise of the Third Reich caused some of the best German and Austro-Hungarian mountaineers to emigrate, influencing climbing and skiing in America and contributing to 10th Mountain Division’s fighting skills. 

Show notes and resources: https://christianbeckwith.com/ninety-pound-rucksack-episodes/the-state-of-the-art-climbing-part-2/

The episode, which is told through the experiences of John Andrew McCown II, includes interviews with Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard; Chris Jones, the author of Climbing in North America; and Howard Koch, a veteran of the 10th who learned to climb with fellow 10th soldier David Brower before the war, and who fought alongside John McCown on Italy’s Riva Ridge during it.

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