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the Physical Culture Podcast is LIVE! Listen Now to e001!
We are delighted to announce the inaugural episode of our new podcast: the Physical Culture Podcast. Our first episode explores a wide range of topics from physical health to the purpose of life to what a future with UBI might look like for our civilization, with hosts Gregory Roberts and Abram Hodgens. Listen now to…
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The Robots are Coming: Here’s the Plan, Humans!
The wonks call it “AI job displacement”… but let’s just call a spade a spade: With the coming wave of autonomous AI software agents, combined with humanoid robot workers, there will be a massive leap in human unemployment. Ironically, it will probably affect the most industrialized and “developed” nations first. As mentioned all across this…
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Why do we Climb Mountains? Part 2
This is my attempt to articulate my personal reasons that answer the question: “Why do we climb mountains?” I forewarn you: I am a total master of rationalization — finding possibly logical (and sometimes magical) reasons to develop passionate motivation to do the things that I really want to do, but that might be seen…
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The Myth of Gear: Its not the Weapon, its the Warrior
a meditation on the Myth of Gear in modern climbing culture: over-reliance on equipment (especially by novice climbers) in the twin worlds of mountaineering & rock-climbing. You might have heard of the debate on big mountains about “expedition-style” vs. “alpine-style” ascents. In short, the first is how they did it in the olden days —…
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Why do We Risk Our Lives to Climb Mountains?
My recent adventures on the slopes of Mount Whitney (see 1 the initial summit & 2 the redemption mission), and the dancing with death that were a result of both, has me deeply thinking about the why of mountaineering. And not just for me — for Alex Honnold, for Scott Fischer — for anyone who chooses…
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Redemption: Whitney Gear Retrieval Mission : Doing it Right
I returned home from my Whitney Adventure in a state of almost total and complete shock. I had lost five pounds in 48 hours; I’d also lost my phone, and abandoned all my gear — my entire base camp setup — at 11,000 feet. I knew I had to get back — and soon —…
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Rock Climbing 101: Key Findings from Joshua Tree 2024
I recently did a tech-free (well, aside from my camera) adventure in the blissful playground of Joshua Tree National Park. Casually led by 2 seasoned climber friends, we explored a number of rock climbing routes inside the park. I learned a few things. Read as both literal and metaphor. 1. Going Down is 3x harder…