Merrill Bitter

Tucked away in the archives of the University of Utah and brought to life by the J. Willard Marriott Library, a remarkable collection of voices waits to be heard. Ascent Archive: Oral Histories with Rock Climbers, hosted by Rachel Wittmann and Tallie Casucci, is where these raw, first-person accounts find their breath. This isn't a polished interview show; it's a direct conduit to the past, presenting unedited recordings from the Rock Climbers Oral History Project and the American West Center’s Everett L. Cooley Oral History Project. You'll sit in on conversations with pioneers and visionaries who shaped the sport, hearing their stories in their own words, complete with all the authenticity of the original moment. That means you might encounter background noise, the occasional technical glitch, or language that reflects a different time, but it also means you get the unfiltered truth-the adrenaline, the fear, the camaraderie, and the sheer audacity of early ascents. Each episode of this podcast is a primary source document, placing you right beside climbers as they recount forging routes, pushing limits, and living a life defined by the wilderness. It’s for anyone captivated by the intersection of human endurance, sporting history, and the untamed landscapes that test both.