The Progression Episode with Ryan Griffiths

In this episode, we are excited to speak with Ryan Griffiths, an accomplished ski mountaineer and alpinist who, along with his partner Spencer Gray, was awarded a Piolet d’Or in 2025 for their climb of Kaqur Kangri’s Southwest Arête in Western Nepal.

Ryan is a 28-year-old IFMGA guide who lives in Bozeman, Montana. The backstory is that Ryan was born and raised in Bend, Oregon, and at 14 began cutting his teeth in the backcountry on Ball Butte—a local spot. After high school, Ryan left for the Northern Rockies, fell in love with ice and mixed climbing, and along with a tight crew, gained experience. He went on to climb and ski in the Alaska Range and beyond. And just this season, along with Sam Hennessey, skied Denali's Wickersham Wall, recovered only slightly, then made the second ascent of Mount Foraker’s (Sultana) Terravecchia/Larson Route (VI, WI5 M6)—they climbed in skimo boots with skis on their backs. After clicking into skis, they leapfrogged with another group (Morgan McGlashon, Gavin Hess, Brian Burger, and Aidan Whitelaw) to make the first ski descent of the mountain’s Northwest Ridge.

That’s a lot—and you’ll hear more about Ryan’s progression towards the elite level in this podcast. Ryan is a reminder that a good adventure can be out the back door (living in Montana helps) or many time zones and mountain ranges away.

• Read up on Griffiths’ and Gray’s Kaqur Kangri climb.

If you are new to The High Route, we are a reader- and listener-supported enterprise focused on human-powered turn-making. Our mission is simple, but it takes real-deal calorie-burning to piece it all together.

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We are also excited to announce that you can pre-order Issues 4 and 5 of our fine print journal (The High Route journal) on our site. Fancy paper. Good reads. High-octane photos. And some fine mountain ranges. And turns. You can learn more about our subscription options here.

The theme music for The High Route Podcast comes from Bozeman-based band Jampoke. We are psyched to feature young creative folks. Jam and twirl and tour on.