The First Ascent of Middle Child + The Ethics of Developing Choss with Brian O’Leary

Brian O’Leary just did the first ascent of the hardest mixed climb in New England: Middle Child, an M-13 at the mica mine. We’ll talk about his process for sending the route and what M-13 means in the mixed climbing world. Then, we’ll discuss the complicated ethics that arise when developing on choss. Plus, Jay helps Brian choose his first 5.13 sport climb to tackle! Brian is co-founder and owner of Forecast Climbing Equipment. Check out their awesome line of products here.  Join us over on the First Ascent Patreon. For $5, $7 or $10 a month, you’ll get access to wide ranging bonus content from greats like Mark Hudon, Scott Stevenson and many more. Plus you’ll get a Discord chat, exclusive beta, route info, and more. Check it out here:  https://www.patreon.com/FirstAscentPodcastDo you have a listener question or a topic idea? Let us know at @firstascentpod on Instagram! Jay can be found at @jayknower. 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.