In the 1970s, a pirate group of climbers descended on the big walls of California’s Yosemite National Park and changed the world of rock climbing forever. They dubbed themselves “The Stone Masters.” This week, we’re talking to the original Stone Masters, John Long and Rick Accomazzo.
In this episode, we talk about:
- Rick’s new book “Tobin, the Stone Masters, and Me”
- The Stone Master’s Joshua Tree genesis
- Yosemite’s infamous Camp Four
- Feuds between climbers and rangers
- John as the pioneer of free-solo climbing
- Daring rescues/Rick and Dale Bard’s attempted rescue of Bob Locke
- Ascents that pushed rock climbing to new heights
- The life of Rick’s friend and arguably the greatest climber of the era, Tobin Sorenson
We hit all that and more, plus a sneak peak at Rick’s new book, available right now at Stone Masters Press! Climber or not, you won’t want to sleep on this.
Links mentioned in this episode
Connect
- Catch up with Hayden on IG, TikTok, and more
- Follow TBM on Youtube, IG, and everywhere else
- Get yer limited-run TBM X Out Yonder Co. merch
- Join the TBM Patreon Community
Partners
- Special thanks to our partners at Shared Pour! Visit SharedPour.com! Promo code coming soon!
- Special thanks to our partners (except Grady) at Out Yonder Company! Use code BACKCOUNTRY 15 for 15% off site-wide!
Many thanks to the folks that made this episode possible:
- Featuring Rick Accomazzo and John Long
- Intro and Animations by Barry Thompson
- Photograph Contributions for Animation by Carver Weeks
- Additional Graphics by Andrew O’Neill
- Production Assistance by John Stock
- “Welcome to the Backcountry” theme song by Logan Roth, Will Brown, Arjun Dube and produced at Treacle Mine Studios, Phila, PA
