#167 - Kalie McCrystal

Send us Fan MailA helmet for the whole race. Crumbly rock. Big exposure. And somehow a course record anyway. We’re joined by Kalie McCrystal fresh off her win at the Quattro Refugios Sky Race in Bariloche, Argentina, and she walks us through what made the day click, from setting the pace early to chasing a time goal when the gap opened up. If you love skyrunning, mountain running, and the gritty details that separate a good day from a great one, this conversation delivers.We also zoom out to the bigger arc of Kalie's story: early running talent, a long injury that pushed her into other sports, and the moment Squamish trail running finally gave her a home for technical terrain. From local breakthroughs to Sky Masters in Spain, she explains how confidence is built one start line at a time, and why her best performances show up when the route turns into a scramble. Along the way we get into training specifics that actually match skyraces: ski touring as a base, steep vert “panic training,” downhill durability, and weighted hiking that sometimes looks like carrying a paraglider up a mountain.Then we go where most athlete interviews don’t: sponsorships, contracts, NDAs, and pay gaps between Canada, the US, and Europe. With her background as a corporate lawyer, Callie shares how she evaluates brand deals, why she won’t trade her value for free shoes, and what athletes should think about when they negotiate. We wrap with what’s next, including more technical FKTs like the Armchair Traverse, Skyrunner stops in Europe and Peru, and the pull of iconic races like Kima.If you enjoy the show, subscribe, share it with a mountain-running friend, and leave a five-star rating and review so more people can find it.Follow Kalie on IG - @kalie_mccUse code SteepStuff for 20% your cart on Sidas.usFollow James on IG - @jameslaurielloFollow the Steep Stuff Podcast on IG - @steepstuff_podFollow Sidas USA on IG - @sidas_usa