In this post I talk about how distorted the Olympic Combined format is, it’ll be followed up with an interview with the head routesetter for bouldering Percy Bishton. If you can’t wait for more Factor...
Many of the stories in Factor Two feature the same scenario – What next? You always imagine ticking the big goal might be enough, but it rarely is. For Ben Bransby and Jvan Tresch...
After hearing from Leo Houlding and Patch Hammond about their legendary Yosemite season in 1998 there was one obvious gap in our story – Ben Bransby. Before attempting Freerider with Patch, Ben had made...
Patch Hammond has remained a bit of an enigma in the climbing world. If you flick through the magazines from the late 1990s you’ll see a scruffy youth with an impressive climbing CV –...
Back in 1998 Leo Houlding and Patch Hammond achieved something almost unthinkable – a near onsight ascent of El Capitan. They were just 18, had no big wall experience and headed to Yosemite without...
In part one of this story we saw how Duncan Critchley’s quick judgment of his partner for The Nose resulted in a piece of big wall history. Despite his good judgment, he was left...
by Wil Treasure · Published December 4, 2017 · Last modified September 10, 2021
The Nose on El Capitan is perhaps the most iconic rock climb on the planet. It’s been big news even outside the climbing world since its first ascent by a team led by Warren...
At Factor Two we like to tell climbing stories a little differently. Every episode is a little piece of cinema for your ears. We tell the big stories, with big characters, but we’re also interested in the minutiae of the climbing world and the people that are a part of it.
We’ve told stories about grief and joy, speed records and rescues, identity and losing yourself, and it’s all led us back to basics with our new series.
In Ideas That Changed Climbing we’re telling the story of how climbing became the sport it is today, one idea at a time.