A Conversation With Kelly Cordes

The Firn Line

On today’s episode of The Firn LIne, we’ll get to know climber, alpinist and author, Kelly Cordes. I first heard of Kelly back in the mid-90’s when I started seeing his name speckled across the pages of publications like Climbing and Rock and Ice. Over the years, I watched from afar as he made gutsy first ascents in the Alaska Range and beyond - always pushing himself to a higher standard, that only he knew the limit of. Later, I admired his work as senior editor of the American Alpine Journal, followed by his published books, ‘The Tower’, and the New York Times best seller, ‘The Push’, which he co-wrote with Tommy Caldwell.

But I didn’t truly get to know Kelly until we chatted, and like a lot of alpinists, Kelly has a storied past, riddled with high highs, low lows, anchored by a fascination with exploration and adventure. So here’s our conversation. I hope you enjoy it.

Links:
Kelly Cordes
The Tower (Book)
The Push (Book)
The Firn Line
Patreon
Evan Phillips Music

Sponsors:
Alaska Rock Gym
The Hoarding Marmot