It’s Not Tennis: With Vince Anderson

In this episode, we have the good fortune of speaking with all-around world-class mountain traveler, IFMGA guide, and dad, Vince Anderson. For those of you keen on high-end alpinism, in 2005, Anderson, along with his partner Steve House, climbed a direct, technical route on Nanga Parbat's Rupal Face. For their cutting-edge alpine ascent, they were awarded Piolets d'Or.

Now, well into his 50s, Anderson has not slowed down. He still climbs at a very high level, having ascended Peru's Jirishanca with Josh Wharton in 2022. Along with all this technical climbing, Anderson runs Skyward Mountaineering from his Colorado base and is an accomplished backcountry skier/ski-mountaineer. Anderson is also part of the AMGA’s instructor team, ensuring that aspiring guides keep a tight ship as they progress through the course curriculum.

The discussion in this episode is mostly focused on touring. But we get insight into how someone with highly developed alpinism skills brings those sensibilities to ski touring as a recreationalist, guide, and a guide instructor.

Here's a huge thanks to Vince Anderson for taking the time to speak with us. We hope you, like us, come away from this episode with huge respect for Anderson's craft and some insight into how to make the most of a sweet day in the backcountry.

As all this relates to tennis, which we note in the podcast title...maybe it doesn’t. In the documentary about the Jirishanca ascent, Anderson is asked, “Is it dangerous?” He replies, straight to the point, “I mean, it’s not tennis.”

Links to learn more about Anderson:

• Jirishanca Doc: Josh Wharton & Vince Anderson Climb a New Route in Peru.

• Uphill Athlete Podcast with Vince Anderson.
• Anderson’s AAJ account of the team’s ascent of the Rupal Face.

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 subscribe to Issues 2 and 3 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 Storms in the Hill Country and the album The Self Transforming (Thank you, Jens Langsjoen). You can find a link to the album here—there are so many good songs on this album. And if you think you've spotted a UFO in the past or visited the 7th dimension, "Beautiful Alien" is a good tune to start with.