Life Lessons Learned Hanging Off a 2,600-Foot Cliff For 9 Days, with Sasha DiGiulian

Outside Podcast

Wilderness, Sports

4.3 • 2.2K Ratings

🗓️ 25 February 2026

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Big wall climbing is about as relatable as space travel to the average human. To whit: When Sasha DiGiulian and her partner Elliot Faber attempted the audacious Platinum route, they planned to spend 15 days on the massive wall. Then, 2,600 feet up, a freak winter storm pinned them inside their tiny portaledge tents for nine full days. But just because Sasha has the skill to get herself into that bonkers situation and the focus and pain tolerance to make it out—her and Elliot ultimately completed the climb in 23 (?!) days—doesn’t mean she herself is unrelatable. In fact, in a career racking up one of the most impressive big wall resumes in climbing, Sasha has developed a remarkably simple recipe for success. Fortunately for you, understanding it is a lot easier than hanging off a massive cliff for over a week.

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode of The Outside Podcast is brought to you by Rolex.
0:05.0	It's easy to feel overwhelmed by climate headlines.
0:08.5	A podcast called Planet Visionaries, created by Rolex and hosted by Alex Honnold,
0:13.4	endeavors to focus on solutions and stories that propel climate optimism forward.
0:18.4	Alex chats with explorers, scientists, activists, and storytellers from
0:22.1	around the globe who are reshaping the future in practical, human, and heartening ways.
0:28.5	Here at first hand, from inspiring and relatable folks like actor and conservationist Mark
0:33.2	Ruffalo discussing how we can rethink energy and spark real change.
0:38.2	Scientist Miranda Wang's goal for a planet without plastic pollution, wildlife photographer
0:43.5	Bertie Gregory on how animals can teach humans' resiliency and empathy, and many more.
0:49.6	When climate headlines get you down, the Planet Visionaries podcast is your antidote and your path forward.
0:56.8	Hope, after all, is an action.
1:00.0	In partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, tune into Planet Visionaries.
1:05.8	Listen or watch on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.
1:16.1	This is The Outside Podcast with Paddyo.
1:26.3	We were 10 days in, and by the eighth day, we saw this weather forecast coming, and it was like two days a rain.
1:33.2	And so we knew, okay, we're going to have to, like, on our temp date, hunker down.
1:37.5	We are targeting that we would make it to our next base camp, which is at 2,600 feet, 400 feet from the top.
1:44.0	And we had two portal ledges.
1:45.7	So prior to that, the first week, week plus my climbing partner, Elliot and I were sharing a
1:52.2	portal ledge, which is a four foot by six foot, essentially like a tent structure that is
1:58.2	made of dynamite.
	...

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