#63 | Paul Gagner | Four Decades on Rock

Climber Paul Gagner on Yosemite, more than four decades of first ascents, and still climbing El Capitan while running adventure tours in Utah. Paul's first outdoor love was Yosemite, and he didn't stop there. He has spent more than four decades exploring, adventuring, and putting up first ascents on rock across the US and internationally. After working in the outdoor industry for over 40 years, the majority of his career was in the outdoor equipment and apparel space. Now running his own adventure touring company in Utah, and Paul is still climbing El Capitan. Tune in for a wide ranging conversation. To learn more about Paul: https://dreamlandtours.net/about/ Chapters 0:00 Welcome Paul Gagner in Kanab, Utah 2:33 El Cap and Warren Harding's 1958 first ascent 5:10 Alex Honnold and modern climbing 7:44 Exum guide school in the Tetons at 16 10:16 From Detroit to California 12:47 Castle Rock and Pinnacles near San Jose 15:19 Learning from books and older friends 17:52 Chico State 20:25 An A+ in Yosemite crack climbing 22:56 Rescues in the Tetons 25:26 Competing for ranger jobs 27:58 Working retail at The North Face 30:33 Trips to the Himalaya and Alaska 33:10 Getting slammed 35:43 Location, location 38:16 Crowds on El Cap 40:46 The North Face gear connection 43:17 Moving to Boulder 45:48 Climbing better in his 30s 48:18 Credit cards and climbing across the US 50:50 Baffin Island 53:26 Expensive and remote 55:59 Sea ice breakup 58:36 Tidal cracks 1:01:07 The climb and the weak point 1:03:37 Arctic weather 1:06:11 50 gallons of water 1:08:43 Rappelling down to a beach 1:11:18 Climbing 4,000 feet to get out 1:13:49 River crossings at peak melt 1:16:22 Back to camp with one day of food 1:18:59 Rescued by Inuit hunters 1:21:31 Thinking about dying 1:24:01 Fishing to survive 1:26:36 Everyone wants the crash story 1:29:15 Coming home and starting over 1:31:48 Absolute focus 1:34:18 The rhythm of survival 1:36:52 The Peter Pan complex 1:39:27 Making the most of every day 1:42:02 Making their own path with Sunny 1:44:37 Business-for-sale websites 1:47:13 Buying a burned-out business with seller financing 1:49:47 Swiss public transport 1:52:20 Trips that mirror personalities 1:54:55 Sunny's Alaska 1:57:25 Three months in Yosemite 1:59:58 Finding remote places through GoPro videos 2:02:32 Fewer blank spots on the map 2:05:04 Authentic trips and Jon Krakauer The Ryan Pyle Podcast is ad-free by choice. If you enjoy these conversations, you can buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/ryanpyle Ryan's TV series are streaming around the world. Follow the Podcast X: https://x.com/RyanPylePodcast Facebook: https://facebook.com/ryanpylepodcast Follow Ryan Pyle YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ryanjpyle Instagram: https://instagram.com/ryanpyle X: https://x.com/RyanPyle Facebook: https://facebook.com/ryanpyle https://www.ryanpyle.com