Eric Zschiesche and a Lifetime of Climbing

Eric Zschiesche joins the pod today to share tales and wisdom from five decades of climbing. A longtime idol of Jay’s, Eric’s name has been scrawled across climbing history from his feats at Devil’s Lake to Zschiesche’s Corridor in North Carolina and beyond. You might even remember Mark Hudon mentioning Zschieshe’s presence a couple episodes back when he was telling the tale about his free climb of the Salathe’ Wall in 1977! Today, Eric will tell his side of that story. Eric shares a deep and refreshing perspective on the ways that the sport has grown up alongside him since he began climbing in the 70s. Plus, he’ll make his compelling case for why he believes that ego needs to be kept in check in order to truly enjoy life as a climber. The conversation doesn’t stop here! If you want to hear more stories from Eric, join our Patreon for the exclusive continued conversation! For just $5/month you’ll get access to great bonus content like this, plus route info, exclusive beta, and a Discord chat. Join us here:  https://www.patreon.com/FirstAscentPodcastIn addition to climbing, Eric is a fantastic landscape painter. Check out his painting and climbing here: https://www.instagram.com/ericzschiesche00/?hl=enDo you have a listener question or a topic idea? Let us know at @firstascentpod on Instagram! Jay and Lee can be found at @jayknower and @xxleeweexx Disclaimer: The information expressed in this episode is for entertainment purposes only, and is not intended as, nor should it be interpreted as, informational or instructional.