EP 02: Chris Wright — How to Climb a 7000 Meter Peak, Climbing with Heroes, and Thai Fried Chicken

Chris Wright is a professional mountain guide who splits his time between guiding, skiing, and climbing some of the most remote peaks in the world. We talked about his recent team FA of Link Sar in Pakistan, lessons from mentors, favorite post-expedition foods, and how to build an anchor in f***ed up snow.  

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patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing  

Show Notes:  

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/chris-wright  

Nuggets:  

1:51 – How the Link Sar trip came to be and Chris’s first climbing trip with Steve Swenson  

9:33 – The history and geopolitics of northeast Pakistan and the Siachen Conflict  

13:59 – Chris and Graham’s FA on Celino Peak and plans for Link Sar  

17:59 – Why it took 8+ months to prepare for Link Sar and why the permitting process can be a gamble  

23:51 – Training for Link Sar and working with Scott Johnston and Uphill Athlete  

29:10 – The Link Sar team, different roles, and the best types of partners for an expedition  

34:32 – What Chris learned from climbing with Mark and Steve  

37:15 – Chris’s philosophy around failure, and his ‘failed’ attempt on Link Sar in 2017  

40:45 – Graham’s 100-ft fall, terrible snow conditions, and rope systems  

53:15 – The final pitch, Mark’s moment of glory, and reaching the summit  

59:36 – Three days of rappelling and building anchors in f***ed up snow  

1:03:27 – Why Chris is excited to go sport climbing this winter  

1:07:28 – Thai fried chicken and favorite post-expedition foods  

1:10:21 – Chris’s free-solo ascent of the Matterhorn north face  

1:15:19 – Shooting video, a Link Sar movie project, and cooking as a creative outlet  

1:18:36 – Advice for someone interested in expedition climbing  

1:23:37 – Getting out there and finding adventure  

1:25:40 – What Mark and Steve learned from Chris  

1:27:54 – Why Chris is really excited to be “off-leash” for a while  

1:29:55 – Ideas for the next expedition  

1:31:06 – What Chris feels most grateful for lately  

1:32:12 – Where you can find (and climb with) Chris